rules

Make that sprawling epic a little less so

Maximum Z characters, dialogue, editing, outlines, plot, proofreading, rewrite, rules, scenes, screenwriting, script, story, structure, subplot, writing ,
There can be such a thing as too much
There can be such a thing as too much

An underrated bonus of working on a first draft is having the freedom to put in just about anything you think will work (provided, of course, it advances the plot, story and character development).

There will be the inevitable edits and rewrites afterward, but this is your chance to take that outline and really build on it.

But it’s also easy to overdo it.

All that witty dialogue, intricate scene descriptions or clever subplot you just thought up can quickly add up without you realizing it, and suddenly your tight, compact story has become a bloated, overstuffed mess.

Scripts usually run 90-120 pages – one page equals one minute of screen time. Does yours fall somewhere in that range? Anything more or less, and you’ve got some work to do.

If you ask somebody to read your script, one of the first things they’ll do is check out how long it is. 97 pages? Cool. 137? Unless you’re an award-winning filmmaker, not so cool.

“But there’s nothing I can cut!” you exclaim.

Wanna bet?

Once you’re done with your current draft, don’t look at it for at least a week; two would be better. Put it away and walk away. Focus on something else.

Then come back and just read it.  No editing, just reading.  Still think there’s nothing you can do with it?

Now the fun begins.  Go through it and really scrutinize each scene.

Is it absolutely crucial to the story? If so, can it be shorter?

All that great stuff you came up with on the fly – does it still work?

It may be tough at first to kill all those darlings, but more than likely, you won’t even miss them after they’re gone.

If you want to be a better writer, you have to learn how to not let your ego and emotions dictate your edits. In the end, both your script and writing skills will be the better for it.

Rules? I laugh at the rules! Ha!

Maximum Z guidelines, rewrite, rules, screenwriting, writing
Not bad, especially since she never studied law

Most people will say I’m a nice guy, but something’s happening with this rewrite that seems to be awakening my inner ‘bad boy’.

At least from a writing perspective.

One of the guidelines I’ve always felt compelled to follow is when something is supposed to happen, such as Statement of Theme on Page 3, or Inciting Incident on Page 10, then that’s when it happens. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

So even though I’m making some good progress, the way the story’s playing out, it’s getting more difficult to follow the rules.  The pages are playing out differently.

My first response was “oh no! this isn’t right! I’ve got to fix it!”  But that would weaken the story, so…I’m just going to leave it as is.

I know. Quite the rebel.

Part of me feels almost guilty for not doing what I’m supposed to. ‘Almost’ being the key word here.

I really like how this thing is shaping up, so that basically kicks the guilt out of the picture.  I’d rather a reader remembers this as a story that really grabs hold and doesn’t let go, rather than focusing on whether or not something happens exactly when the rules say it’s supposed to.

I’ve been told I’m pretty good with structure, so again, not feeling too guilty. Actually, it feels…really cool.

I’m 10 pages in, and this already feels different than previous drafts. Different in a good way. Like this could actually (finally?) be my breakthrough script.

And that’s kind of exciting.

Even better, that excitement seems to be finding its way into this draft, which I sincerely hope others will pick up on as well.

Maybe they’ll even get a glimpse at what this ‘bad boy’ has to offer and like what they see.