Once you have a first draft of your script, the real work of screenwriting begins. The previous three essays, detailing common problems found in each act, can help you throughout the rewriting process. Here are some other issues to consider as you move from rough draft to polish.
A frequent flaw found in early drafts of most written works, from novels to plays, are overwritten beginnings. This is because the writer is often writing himself or herself “into the story”: getting to know the characters, the conflicts, the dramatic situation, etc. When you move to the second draft, look hard at your opening scenes. You may find that you can condense or even cut the first ten to twenty pages of your script. By skipping ahead to the moment when the conflict really begins, you instantly create momentum and are likely to hook a reader much more quickly. This will also challenge you to find a way to get across important expository information about the characters and setting as the story is progressing. This in turn will add complexity to your scenes.
Similarly, the initial few scenes of a first draft tend to be very detailed, while later scenes are more general and vague. This is usually because the writer has had more time with the early scenes, tweaking them a bit during each writing session. Detail is important, as it creates texture and depth. However, there are often plot points or character aspects that are given a big build-up at the start and then end up having no importance later in the story. In rewriting, narrow in on and strengthen only those elements that play a part throughout the script. Then be sure to flesh out all your scenes, so that they are all as rich as the opening ones.
The true meaning or theme of the script often does not make itself clear until the writer reaches the end of the rough draft. At this point, it is necessary to go back and reassess the first and second acts, and to determine whether they match the ultimate meaning of your script. For instance, you may have started with a story about a ballplayer trying to break into the majors, but ultimately realize that the story is about the ballplayer’s need to win his father’s approval. In this case, you must to go back and make sure you introduce the father and this dramatic need in the first act, ideally in the first ten pages.
Also look hard at the second act and make sure that your protagonist does not get lost in the action. Many scripts begin by introducing interesting characters with intriguing personal problems, but then this personal aspect is forgotten as the plot takes over. The action should always relate somehow to your character’s growth.
If you are having trouble juggling the various subplots and personal throughlines of your story, try working on them individually. Plot out only the cop’s search for the killer, from beginning to end in an outline or timeline. Then plot out the cop’s relationship with his unstable girlfriend. Then plot out the killer’s storyline, etc. Tackling each subplot separately will help you identify the weak points and help you see if you are missing any key beats. Once you have developed all the story threads sufficiently, go back and determine how you will weave them together.
As you analyze the sequences of your story in rewriting, look closely for cause and effect. Every scene should lead logically to the next, and every scene should be essential to moving the story forward. One easy way to do this is to look for scene groupings of action followed by scene groupings of response. In the first type of grouping, a character has a goal, and the action he or she takes to accomplish that goal leads to a conflict that often results in a complication of some kind. In the next series of scenes, the character reacts to the complication, ponders his or her options, and then chooses one of the options, leading to the next action sequence.
Each new draft you write ideally peels back a layer of superficiality and cliché from your screenplay, leading you deeper into the story and characters, as well as bringing out your original voice. Don’t be afraid to perform a major overhaul on sequences that are not working, and don’t neglect to change one scene just because it means others will have to change. Rewriting is hard work, but the more effort you put in, the better your script will be and the greater your chance for success.
