GITS reader willxmnm just found and read A Script Reader Speaks, a 6-part Q&A I did with D.C. Mar, friend, writer, and long-time script reader / story analyst. This led to a question from willxmnm I’m sure all of us can relate to:
Scott, I just finished my first screenplay and reading DC Mar’s comments have inspired me to go back once again and scrutinize my writing page by page, paragraph by paragraph, for the hundredth time. How do you know when it’s time to say, “Enough! It’s done! Send the damn thing away!”
I suppose it’s possible that once you are really done with a screenplay, the clouds will part, the skies open, and a chorus of angels in glorious four-part harmony will sing, “Thou art done! Thou art done! Holy Crap, Thou art finally done!”
But more often – not.
For professional screenwriters, there is an objective reality which signifies the completion of your script: The third frantic phone call from your agent telling you if you don’t turn in the draft today, the studio will hire a hit man to gun you down. In other words, there are contractual obligations and specified due dates (it used to be 12 weeks for a first draft, but the studios have been futzing with that number to make it shorter).
But if you’re a pre-pro writer or a working writer knocking out a spec script, how do you know when you’re done? Here’s a few questions to ask before you send off a script:
* How many drafts have you written? If it’s less than three, then there’s a good chance it needs more work. A first draft, an extensive rewrite, and an in-depth polish — you almost always need at least those three drafts.
* Have you given your script to people to read? If you haven’t, then you’re most likely not doing yourself any favors because when we write, our eyeballs go ‘soft’ — we tend to fall in love with our words, we miss obvious mistakes, we don’t see redundancies. In other words, we get too attached to and comfortable with our writing. You need other eyeballs to give you a fresh perspective. But not just any eyeballs. While it may be nice to have your spouse, friends, and co-workers fawn over your script, unless they have some background as a writer, you’re likely not receiving the type of critique you need. So find some people who have writing backgrounds, particularly screenwriting, and let them provide an honest appraisal of your material. Depending upon those responses, you may need to do a rewrite, or maybe only tweak the script — but at least you will have gotten a fresh appraisal of the material.
* Does the script compare favorably to a successful movie? Find a movie that is the same genre and similar in tone to the script you’ve written. Watch that movie, studying how it flows. Do you honestly think your script compares favorably to that movie? Does it have as strong of a story structure? Are your characters as sharply defined as the movie? Does your dialogue sound as cinematic as the movie? Is the pace of your script on par with the movie? You may think this is a tough way to critique your script, but in all honesty, that’s what’s going to happen when your screenplay gets submitted to Hwood — readers don’t compare your script to average or sub-par material, but rather successful movies. If you find your script doesn’t measure up to the movie, then you need to dig deeper into the story and characters, and make the script better.
Finally, there’s the existential test: Print out a copy of the script. Go to a quiet room. Shut the door. Turn off the computer and cellphone. Sit on the floor. Hold the script in your lap. And just sit there. That’s right – sit. Think about the script as dispassionately as you can all the while asking yourself, “Is this script ready?” Do that for 15-20 minutes. If at the end of this meditative session, you feel in your heart of hearts the answer is yes, and you’ve done the three things I’ve cited above, then I would say your script is ready to go.
How about you? How do you determine if your script is done or not?
UPDATE: Promoted from comments, this from matisseman:
“How do you know when your script is ready? When the only choice is do another draft or blow your brains out.”
- Max Wong, producerI think that sums it up for me.
Classic!
Good read. I've been doing re-writes on my first script for over the past year (seriously). I still do a bunch of little edits here and there. I have a stack of drafts in my closet and it's getting higher. Can't help but feel like I'm wasting my time though. What with all these remakes, sequels and book/comic based films Hollywood is dishing out. I feel like producers refuse to pay any attention to new talent with new (original) ideas. But, still, I don't plan on giving up right away. One can dream.
Great post. I think it's also good to have multiple scripts in the works so that you can walk away from them in between rewrites. I find that when I come back to it I'm seeing it with somewhat fresh eyes.
Just curious, do you ever return to a finished script years later to do a rewrite?
Josh
When you think you're finally done, walk away from your script for at least two weeks.
You need "away" time from your script, especially if you've been working on it for several months or longer.
When you come back to your script, you'll be bringing fresh eyes. It may be the greatest thing you've ever written. More than likely, you'll find several things to improve and at least a couple of typos.
Josh,
I'm tweaking two scripts that I thought was done with a few months ago. They're both in pretty good shape, but not Hollywood-ready.
Greg
@The Unknown Lyricist: I'm actually rather shocked I didn't post your advice as that's what I tell all my students after they finish the first draft: Put the script away for 2 weeks. As you say, it's a great way to develop some 'fresh' eyes. So good note and thanks for it.
@Josh Daws: I've never gone back to a script to rewrite it, but I do remember talking to a veteran film writer on the picket line at 20th Century Fox back in '88 who told me that he was so upset about how a director 'botched' the movie the writer had penned, the writer got a copy of the film print and re-edited for his own personal viewing pleasure. That was one bitter guy.
Hey, Scott! I just read your profile. You teach up in Chapel Hill. I actually live just two hours south of you, right here in Charlotte. Going for an Associate in Fine Arts degree at CPCC. Just thought I'd mention because I thought it was pretty neat. lol.
Oh! I also wanted to ask, in relation to your comment about the writer who had his story "blotched" by the director.
When you sold your script "K-9" (which came out the year I was born and actually remember watching!) how much was the script altered after it was sold? Do you feel they took your original idea and destroyed it or did you feel it was fair enough?
I only ask because I (kinda) know how it works–they buy it, make their own changes and (from what I've read) the writer doesn't get much say in the matter. And to me that just sucks. But I understand that's how it works and I don't plan on quitting for that reason.
I was ready to send out my action script to a producer but decided to first send it to my mentor. He liked everything except the first thirty pages — There were four premises!
So I went back and wrote some notes to fix the first act before committing to Final draft. I've come up with an exciting sequence which should be part of the main thrust of the script and remove the stop — start nature.
I'm glad I didn't send it to the producer. I think I was quite anxious — so desperate to get it read that this anxiety overcame the faculty of intelligence.
After your article about being stuck in outline mode, I was itching to ask you this very question you've posted here: When do I know my script is done?
I've tried blind writing as an experiment and while it's liberating, it's a mess for me. I have to outline. Must. I've outlined pages and pages of material, going as far as 30 written pages single spaced and realizing the idea did not work. But, it's much better than the time I spent writing 93 pages of a script blind and realizing after that it wasn't right.
Thank you for this checklist on knowing when your script is done. I will apply it to everything I write from this point forward.
“How do you know when your script is ready? When the only choice is do another draft or blow your brains out.”
- Max Wong, producer
I think that sums it up for me.
@matisseman: That's going into an update! Classic!