Write longer script: lesson learned

[FJ and G]

When I completed the first draft of my first script, little did I realize how much it would shrink!

Minus about 30 pages worth, once I killed all my babies and got rid of a lot of unnecessary chit-chat.

I eventually made up for the lost pages by writing about 5 more scenes (fortunately, the screenplay is conducive to adding scenes while keeping the plot moving along and revealing the character).

Next script I write will definitely be a lot longer than the final page count I intend. Much easier to edit it down than add more scenes.

Lesson learned!

[maestrowork]

We all learn the hard way sometimes. It seems to be the norm (with exception, of course) that the first draft would be the longest (and it's not just scripts). Stephen King said something like: you should aim at at least cutting 20% from the first draft, then another 10-20% from the second, etc.

[Hamboogul]

I think the fact that you shrunk 30 pages isn't a lesson to write longer scripts.

You should aim for the most concise and compelling stories possible. And if you are trying to sell a feature, then tell the stories that are 95 to 125 pages long under those parameters.

[NikeeGoddess]

well, i think you should write longer "first draft" scripts. put everything in there and then pick out the good stuff and cut the junk.

rewrite on!

[JustinoIV]

I actually started out with a bunch of one act stage plays and short screenplays. I ended up rewriting everything as feature length screenplays.

I think it's up to the writer to discover what works best for him or her. Everyone is different.

[dchapma123]

Well, if you're just trying to get up to a certain page number, you're going to run into the problem you had.

The best way to avoid this it to have a good sense of how many pages of material you have before you begin writing. You can accomplish this (somewhat) through the use of a step outline. Each scene (or sequence of scenes that together form one stage of the plot) should average about 3 pages. Obviously some scenes are shorter and really signficant scenes may be a lot longer.

If you're writing with a standard 3-Act structure, you'd have 7-10 steps in your first act, 18-22 steps in your second act, and 7-10 steps in your third act. The result will be a normal, feature length screenplay where you don't have to struggle to add material.