Finished my first screenplay!

Azmyth

Azmyth

Veteran
I've been working on a screenplay for a feature horror film I'm planning on directing, and acting in and whatever else needs to be done. I've got alot of support from many people here locally, so I'm excited about it.

I have been working on this script for about 3 weeks now. First it started off slow, and then picked up speed. I wrote nearly 40 something pages of it yesterday, because I had a boat load of inspiration flow through me.

It came in at 96 pages. I was actually worried that it was going to be far longer, but was surprised. I think I have some room for some additions in dialog if I need it.

For the last few days, I'd try to go to sleep and find myself unable to because I was working out turns in my head for the next day.

I feel like a weight has been lifted now, and its time for revisions and proofreading!
 
Wonderful that you completed the baby! Now, I ask that you step away from the script for an entire week! Your brain needs to rest. Go play, go have fun, go eat some pizza, play some video games.
 
Charli said:
Wonderful that you completed the baby! Now, I ask that you step away from the script for an entire week! Your brain needs to rest. Go play, go have fun, go eat some pizza, play some video games.
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While I didn't completely take your advice. I was looking up a few formatting tips to correct some of my formatting when I get back to revising.

But.. and don't laugh.

I'm actually working on a prop proton pack for my halloween costume this year. :)
 
Charli said:
Wonderful that you completed the baby! Now, I ask that you step away from the script for an entire week! Your brain needs to rest. Go play, go have fun, go eat some pizza, play some video games.
Click to expand...

This really is great advice, I highly recommend it myself. We all get very close to our work, I think, we kind of live in this world for a period of time and focus so hard on what we're doing, but it's necessary for the rewrite process to step back for at least a week. I think if you leave it aside TOO long, you get sidetracked, so I'd say maybe 1-4 weeks maximum. And if you're doing the 4 week thing, which is basically what I did, still be writing. I just started writing a second script and basically working on something else, while my mind transitioned from one to the other. Then when I came back to the first script I felt more excited about it again, like it was fresher seeming, and I was tired of the second script because it was so much work. It is actually a wonderful work, and I can't wait to polish it too, but I needed a break. It was intense. So now I'm in a good frame of mind for that first script and been working on revising and rewriting it. That process will actually last longer than the writing.

It's true that good writing is rewriting. I've always spent at least as much time rewriting and editing a project as I do actually writing it, this applies to all types of writing, not just screenplay writing. My first book, it's tougher to judge because I worked on it in spurts, as I was actually in high school at the time (the book got an agent, so the results were good, by the end), but I did 16 drafts total and it was definitely as long rewriting it. The second book, I wrote from I believe early July 2006 through early September 2006, usually 40-50 hour weeks. I then revised pretty actively from about October through the following January, with a few changes I still had to make in February but not full work. At that point it was not 40-50 hours a week, but in October, November, and December, it was definitely in the range of 25 hours a week on average. That one underwent 13 drafts.

The first draft of anything, unless you're a total genius I guess, is usually more about potential than actualized quality. Like I don't look at it and say, "Wow that's great!" I think, "This is a great start, this is really shaping up, after I whip this thing into shape over the coming months it should be good!" But if I stopped there, it would be flawed, inconsistent, unprofessional, etc. It's a process.
 
JonathanLB said:
This really is great advice, I highly recommend it myself. We all get very close to our work, I think, we kind of live in this world for a period of time and focus so hard on what we're doing, but it's necessary for the rewrite process to step back for at least a week. I think if you leave it aside TOO long, you get sidetracked, so I'd say maybe 1-4 weeks maximum. And if you're doing the 4 week thing, which is basically what I did, still be writing. I just started writing a second script and basically working on something else, while my mind transitioned from one to the other. Then when I came back to the first script I felt more excited about it again, like it was fresher seeming, and I was tired of the second script because it was so much work. It is actually a wonderful work, and I can't wait to polish it too, but I needed a break. It was intense. So now I'm in a good frame of mind for that first script and been working on revising and rewriting it. That process will actually last longer than the writing.

It's true that good writing is rewriting. I've always spent at least as much time rewriting and editing a project as I do actually writing it, this applies to all types of writing, not just screenplay writing. My first book, it's tougher to judge because I worked on it in spurts, as I was actually in high school at the time (the book got an agent, so the results were good, by the end), but I did 16 drafts total and it was definitely as long rewriting it. The second book, I wrote from I believe early July 2006 through early September 2006, usually 40-50 hour weeks. I then revised pretty actively from about October through the following January, with a few changes I still had to make in February but not full work. At that point it was not 40-50 hours a week, but in October, November, and December, it was definitely in the range of 25 hours a week on average. That one underwent 13 drafts.

The first draft of anything, unless you're a total genius I guess, is usually more about potential than actualized quality. Like I don't look at it and say, "Wow that's great!" I think, "This is a great start, this is really shaping up, after I whip this thing into shape over the coming months it should be good!" But if I stopped there, it would be flawed, inconsistent, unprofessional, etc. It's a process.
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is it completely strange that out of nowhere I have become extremely sick.. similar to the ways one of my characters does?
 
I'm going to be taking a break from writing a bit to finally shoot my first no-budget short film next month.

Congrats on finishing your first script and when you get back into it, revise, revise, revise :)
 
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