A few years ago I attended a writing seminar where Andre Dubus III, author of the wonderful book House of Sand and Fog, was holding a Q&A session. It was an interesting talk and I remember the topic turned to the subject of rewrites.
How many rewrites should a screenwriter do? And, the more tricky question, how long should a screenwriter wait before doing a rewrite?
The Importance Of Rewrites
The question of how many rewrites a screenwriter should do is somewhat easy to answer. As many as it takes until the writer is satisfied with their work.
Now there is no doubt that some screenwriters are an excellent judge of of their own work and have a critical eye. These writers know when their screenplays are still incomplete and they know that their work needs to be improved.
Other screenwriters might need to get some input and advice from other sources such as a screenplay agent, writing partner, or trusted friend to tell them when their script is ready for submission.
(I believe that a good way for screenwriters to develop a critical eye is to read as many good quality screenplays they can get their hands on.)
Now the question of how long a screenwriter should put their screenplay away for before attempting a rewrite comes up.
Before Rewriting, Put Your Screenplay Away
Andre Dubus III puts a his freshly written manuscripts away for months, sometimes a whole year before going back for a rewrite. Why does he do this?
It’s a simple question of time. The more time you take before rewriting your work the better. This is because time will allow you to be able to see your screenplay more objectively. You will be able to look at your dialogue and characters with a new eye and thus do better rewrites.
If you try to rewrite your screenplay straight away, the mistakes and holes in your script won’t be that obvious. That’s because the dialogue is already loaded into your sub-conscious and your eyes will glaze over any errors, no matter how glaring they may be.
Try it and see. And If you send your script to an agent without doing a rewrite, I guarantee you will have missed some obvious mistakes in your script (these mistakes might be simple spelling mistakes all the way to big gaping holes in your plot that will sink your script faster than the Titanic).
So do yourself a favor and take a break from your screenplay. Put some time and distance between your work before going back for a rewrite.
If you can do this, your story will be a lot tighter and your screenplay more polished. Screenplay agents and production companies will definitely appreciate this and your professionalism will not go unnoticed.
*Jennifer Sloane has worked as a screenplay agent in Los Angeles and Nashville for the last five years. Jennifer loves good movies, music and animals. A former television and movie executive, Jennifer currently heads business development at Script Mailer (a company that connects screenwriters with agents and producers in Hollywood).