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Redrafting & Feedback Processes

Many thanks to Bang2writer Sandra Bendelow, who has posted her thoughts on my development notes for her spec TV script, “The Book of Lost Causes”. You can see her post here:http://ping.fm/GjChU I think it’s really fab so many writers now feel confident enough to post their reactions to feedback and talk honestly about their drafting processes. It’s incredible to see such a change in writers’ attitudes over the last decade: when I started reading, first-first drafts in the spec pile were the norm and feedback was often met with hostility. Now look at us all!!! Don’t forget you can still… Read More »Redrafting & Feedback Processes

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Screenplay Tips # 7: Rewriting & Feedback

So a writer hires me to do some notes on their screenplay. I send their notes off and about thirty seconds later I get one of the following messages: OMG! These notes are AMAZING, I’m going to put ALL OF THEM in the new draft!! You’re AWESOME, I LOVE YOU, can you read the new version for me next week, gonna spend ALL WEEKEND rewriting it!!!!!!! Or: Really, really upset. I thought this new draft was the one I could send off/film but now I realise I have to REWRITE EVERYTHING, my brain is EXPLODING, maybe I shouldn’t even BE… Read More »Screenplay Tips # 7: Rewriting & Feedback

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New Course – "Rewrite" With Mead Kerr & Phillip Shelley, Edinburgh

As we all know, writing is rewriting — so this course looks great for anyone struggling with theirs! If you go, let me know how you get on.——————————-REWRITE – AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO WORKING WITH SCRIPT EDITORS AND PRODUCERS No doubt you’ve heard that getting work in the film and TV industry is a case of, “Not what you know, but who you know.” Guess what? It’s true. Talent will get you so far but relationships are where the business gets done. Getting someone interested in your work is only the start of the process. This information packed one day… Read More »New Course – "Rewrite" With Mead Kerr & Phillip Shelley, Edinburgh

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You Are Not Wasting Your Time

Working with lots of writers over the years, I’ve noticed more than once there is a resistance in new writers to going back to Page 1. It seems there is a feeling that, should a writer chuck out the way they’ve executed the story and reimagine it, said writer has somehow wasted their time in writing those previous drafts. But this is patently not true. For one thing, first drafts – whoever they are written by – are always pants. In even a GOOD first draft, there are plot opportunities missed; cliches or stereotypes; characters whose motivations are not clear;… Read More »You Are Not Wasting Your Time

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Structural Signposts

We’ve all heard of the writer who reckons they *know* about stuff like structure – and some of us might roll our eyes and say stuff like, “In that case, why doesn’t your draft make sense?!” But let’s try and see it from that writer’s point of view for a moment. They might have written several screenplays by this point – perhaps they’ve been well received *somewhere* or they’ve got good feedback from *some big name*; they’ve probably been to a fair few short courses/seminars; read the books; maybe they’ve gone the whole hog and even done an MA. So… Read More »Structural Signposts

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Ch-Ch-Changes

Writers are a funny bunch. We get so attached to various *bits* of our screenplays, we often can’t see the woods for the trees: what’s more, this happens to any writer, new or experienced. So one question I often ask Bang2writers is this: What you lose/gain [if you changed/cut/moved etc this part of your script]? In terms of losses when someone redrafts/rewrites (even just small elements of their screenplay), I’m always struck by how insignificant those losses actually are – ie. the writer might miss it, but readers (and thus the audience) rarely notice its passing, whether it’s half a… Read More »Ch-Ch-Changes

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A Tale of Two Readers

David has allowed me to indulge my John August fantasy by asking, “Do you think there is any value in sending a script to TWO readers at once? Or… Using a reader, re-write, then use a different reader?” As with anything in this scriptwriting malarkey, I think it’s principally down to the writer. I frequently use many readers at the same time on the same draft, because I’m a big fan of the Power of Three method. The way I see it, one reader might freak you out with a suggestion or observation (particularly story or structure-wise) two or even… Read More »A Tale of Two Readers

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Stuck In The Quagmire of Rewrite Insanity

Whilst rewriting yesterday, it suddenly occurred to me: I have no clue what the hell I’m doing. I’ve now gone round the houses, through the houses, blown the houses up with dynamite, rebuilt them, swapped them with Barratt Homes, lost all my money, moved out of there & ended up in a squat in a Glasgow estate with three screaming weans, a heroin habit and a gambling boyfriend with tattoos and gold teeth. In short, I’m f*cked if I know what to do next with this project. Of course it doesn’t help the script has turned bad and is now… Read More »Stuck In The Quagmire of Rewrite Insanity

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Top 5 Reasons Why Parentheticals Are Useless

Updated So, parentheticals aka ‘wrylies’ have a tendency to turn up in screenplays … and they’re NOT NEEDED. They interrupt the flow of the read and what’s more, seriously ANNOY actors and filmmakers as well as script readers. TRUTH! Don’t believe me? Fine … check these out for size: 5. You are the writer, NOT the director! Unless you are the writer/director, the Director and Actors need room to make THEIR interpretation of your screenplay! This is the most-oft quoted case AGAINST parentheticals: if loads of lines of your dialogue tells the actors HOW to say lines “(condescendingly)”, “(pleadingly)”, “(wryly)” or whatever,… Read More »Top 5 Reasons Why Parentheticals Are Useless

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Do Your Preparation: How To Write Outlines, Beat Sheets And Treatments

You should do your preparation! Bang2writers often ask me what is the “best” way to go about writing a screenplay or novel. My answer? There is no “best” way. But it’s definitely going to help if you’ve done your preparation first in the form of an outline, beat sheet and/or treatment. Here’s why preparation work helps you get rid of all the obvious pitfalls and crap FIRST, as it … GIVES your brain time to “breathe” and work out all the machinations of the plot and the character motivations and themes etc concurrently STOPS you writing a load of junk… Read More »Do Your Preparation: How To Write Outlines, Beat Sheets And Treatments

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