Why Rewrite?

Do I have to rewrite my screenplay? Yes. You do. Sure, you think it’s perfect. You’re supposed to. At first. But then step away from it. For a day or a week or a month. And then have a look. Chances are you’ll find that gremlins came in the night and took a blowtorch to it. Now you’re left to pick up the pieces. Fret not. It’s tough for anyone to see the forest from the trees when they’re in the thick of the thicket. Taking time away from your work is the easiest way to see what it needs.

Hemingway said writing IS rewriting. Of course, that’s probably what drove him to drink. But if you know it’s part of the deal going in, chances are it will be a smoother ride coming out. The trick is knowing what to look for.

Is your theme resonant?
Do your characters arc?
Are the promises of your genre being fulfilled?
Do your transitions propel you from one scene to the next?
Are your scenes scenic?
Is your climax climactic?
Is the story emotional?
Is it interesting?
Is it clear?

Have you answered all the questions you raised???

Writing a movie is like juggling. You may throw 100 balls in the air in the process. You can throw as many as you want. You just want to make sure you’ve caught them all before you’re done or your audience is going to feel robbed.

Once you’ve done everything you can think of… cut it. That’s right. Slice and dice, baby. How? You can usually come into scenes later than you think and get out earlier. Lose anything that’s not pushing the story forward or revealing character. Toss extraneous dialogue. Eliminate repetition. Tighten descriptions. You might even be able to cut a character. Or two.

Then as the saying goes… “Kill your darlings.” There is a chance some of your favorite lines, beats or scenes are holding you back. Print them, frame them, hold a small parade for them should you like, but if they’re not serving the best interest of the story at large… lose them. More than likely, you won’t miss them. Really.

Be strong. Be bold. And beware the gremlins.  

Do I have to live in LA to be a screenwriter?

It helps! There. I said it. Not what you wanted to hear? Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, half the screenwriters working in LA are asking themselves the same thing. Do I have to be here?

Sure, you can write from anywhere. Your suburban home in Ohio, your beach condo in Destin, your mom’s basement in Hackensack. But what do you do then? Email it, you say! Riiiiiight. To whom? If you need an agent, it’ll behoove you to be in LA to find one. That’s where they live, drink and dine. If you’re lucky enough to have an agent already, they can send your script out to producers and studios, but what then? If it sells, you’re going to need to be around to develop it with everyone who is a part. Not to mention, everyone else in Hollywood is going to want to meet with you, which is what you want! If it doesn’t sell, you can hope that those that read it and like it will want to work with you on another project. Your job is to stoke as many irons in those fires as possible to land a writing assignment. And that takes time. To do that, it’s best to be within an hour or two of 90210. And remember, it takes an hour in LA to get to the grocery. Sure, once you hit the big time, you might be able to keep a house in the Hamptons. But you’re still going to have to make yourself available to the powers that be. In LA.

Even in Atlanta, a city that is blowing up with film production thanks to the tax incentive, the productions get their scripts (and paychecks) from LA.

The exception to this rule are, of course, the independent film scribes. They don’t have to be anywhere. Except where there’s money to finance their films. They may be able to dig it up in their backyard from friends, family and financiers locally. But more often than not, guess where most indy film money comes from? Riiiiiight. LA.

Don’t forget to write.  

Best,

Michael

When is the best time to write?

First thing in the morning.  Late at night.  Lunch breaks.  Weekends.  Vacations. When is the best time to write?  Everyone has jobs.  Commitments.  Responsibilities.  A family even.  Groceries.  Laundry.  Cows to milk.  There’s always something.  The trick is finding time that works for you. 

 
One of the most esteemed writers in Hollywood, Ron Bass, was working full time as an attorney in Los Angeles when he started writing screenplays.  While he was married.  With young children.  So he got up at 4:30am everyday to type before diaper duty.  And wrote Rain Man.   Diablo Cody wrote Juno on her lunch breaks.  By hand.  At the McDonald’s.  In the Walmart.  In Minnesota. 
 
Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones — who has time to write during the day.
 
But then there’s the whole muse thing.  The angels.  The mojo.  The unknown quantity that shows up when you least expect it.  How do you plan for that?  Well, if it comes at the same time each day, by all means, lean into it.  Brew you up a cup of cocoa at 10:36p each night and let her rip.  Then work everything else out around it.  Hemingway used to wake up and type every morning because that’s when he felt it come to him.  Granted, the rest of the day he was drunk, but you get the idea.
 
If you don’t find you’re better at night or funnier in the morning, be careful of falling into the age-old trap of waiting for inspiration.  This is the worst way of procrastinating.  You could be working on your eulogy before you get to anything else.  After all, many believe the muse shows up when you do.   So pick your favorite watering hole or patio chair and get on with it.  The angels will find you. 
 
Whatever you decide, best to come up with a plan.  Work out a schedule.  Set some goals.  Be consistent.  Write 2 pages every night before bed.  Or 5 pages every other day.  Or 1 page every lunch.  Do what you got to do to make it work.  Inevitably, you’ll look back at the week happier that you wrote something rather than nothing.  And before you know it, you’ll find yourself having written those all elusive words… “Fade Out.” 

How do I protect my idea?

Everyone always wants to know how to keep their original concepts from getting stolen.  Well, I got news for you.  It’s not that easy for someone to just run off and write a great movie even if they did take your idea.  It’s certainly not easy to sell it.  Let alone get it made.  Just ask anyone who’s been trying for a year.  Or seven.  Or more.  And it’s easier to fit a small rhinoceros into a toaster than to sell just a concept on its own.  You know how many spec screenplays are registered with the WGA each year?  Around 50,000.  You know how many scripts are bought each year?  Around 50.  You do the math.  This is to say nothing of the fact that there are really only seven plots anyway.  Chances are your idea has been done.  Somewhere.  Somehow.  Someway.  It’s all about what you do with it.  How you make it your own. So do that.  As best as you can.  Then throw caution to the wind.  Get it out there to anyone and everyone who will read it.  Enter it in festivals.  Contests.  Poetry slams.  Get it to anyone in the business who can get you in the door.  Don’t insist on NDA’s.  Remember, producers and agents and executives all have mountains of scripts piled all over their desks and couches and air conditioning units and are looking for any reason not to read them.  So don’t put up any roadblocks.  If you’re going to insist on anything, insist on buying them lunch, or chocolate, or a new refrigerator if they read your work.  If, however, you do want to sleep soundly at night knowing your work is indeed protected, all you have to do is this…

Register it with the writers guild here:
http://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss
 

Trust me, trust them.  They’ve been protecting ideas just like yours since 1927.  It takes 3 minutes.  Costs $20 bucks.  And anyone can do it.  Should you copyright it, patent it, mail a certified copy to yourself?  No need.  Once you register it with the guild, it’s stored for five years.  If after five years you haven’t been able to do anything with the idea and you’re still afraid of it getting stolen, check yourself into a facility.  Or re-register it again.  Then at least you'll know it's safe and sound for another five years.  Sleep well.

To Partner or Not to Partner

That is the question… posed by many a writer since the dawn of time.  Sure, there are perks of having a collaborator to confide in, collaborate with, to count on.  But what if they don’t like you ending sentences with prepositions?  What if they don’t like asking rhetorical questions?  Where are you then?  You’re mired in conflict is where.  And that’s got its slings and arrows too:  a) mental health  b) physical health  c) emotional health  d) all of the above.  After all, it’s not easy to sleep at night when you’re at odds over characters and commas.  Especially if there’s money on the line.  

Say you sell your screenplay for $100,000.  Not a bad day at the office, right?  But once your agent, lawyer, union, taxman and partner take their cut, you’re at $25k.  If the endeavor took you 12 weeks working 8 hours a day, you’re making $50 an hour. Sure you wanna share?  Well, if it’s going to get you where you want faster, funner, better than flying solo, then hell yeah, why not?  It all really comes down to you.  It’s not for everyone.  But then again, neither is Chunky Monkey.  Ask yourself… am I invigorated by the process of working with someone else?  Inspired to do my best?  Able to check my ego at the door?  Only you can answer these questions.  If you decide to go down the partnership path, here are a few suggestions… 

Find someone compatible in style, so it won’t seem like your writing is modern and theirs medieval.  But look for a different skillset.  If you’re a story pro, but need perspective on character growth, find someone who’s a champ at that.  Select  someone who shares the same work ethic, will be candid but tactful in communication and fills in the blanks when you’re staring at the page.  Are they willing to go the distance, not only with the writing, but with the selling?  Like a marriage, it’s not going to be hunky dory all the time.  But in a good partnership the good times will far outweigh the bad ones.  And in the end, you will have a created a kick ass piece of writing that can win over the blackest of hearts… together.