Changing horses mid-stream
I am on page 75 of a screenplay that I am writing, and I was so excited about finally finishing a draft. Then today, I went to write and came up with a MUCH better first act — which would mean completely rewriting the first act and seriously reworking the second and third act. I pitched it to an exec I used to work for and he agrees that, while the old idea is viable, the new idea is much more organic and the characters are inherently more flawed, and thus, more likeable than the Kate Hudson-esque characters that preceded them.
If you were in this situation, would you proceed with the current draft, or immediately begin on the rewrite?
– Anna
Los Angeles
If your new first act embodies the movie you want to make, then grinding out the last 45 pages of the “old” movie will do you no favors. So write the new first act.
Yes, I generally caution that rewriting is the enemy of finishing — you can find yourself rewriting the first 20 pages a dozen times, and never complete the full script. And your new ideas will always seem more exciting than your old ideas, simply because they’re fresh and unimplemented.
But there’s nothing so dispiriting as finishing a script you know is fundamentally flawed. As a professional writer, you’re sometimes stuck in that situation, forced to implement notes that couldn’t conceivably work (c.f. Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle). But for your own scripts, you should never be printing out 120 pages of ambivalence.
Continuing this discussion of mixed emotions, what is “Kate Hudson-esque?” Is it a mathematical derivative of Goldie Hawn, approximating the slope of comedy without ever achieving intersection?
Because while I can sense the stereotype you’re wrestling with — pretty, manic, girl-next-door — there’s a fairly wide swath of actresses I’d put in that category: Jennifer Aniston, Mandy Moore, Katherine Heigl. Many actresses could play a “Kate Hudson-esque” role, more or less interchangeably. And that’s not good, particularly in a comedy. (I’m guessing you’re writing a comedy.)
So as you’re rewriting the first act, and introducing your characters, create situations and motivations that will keep the reader from ever thinking of Kate Hudson. If it helps, make the oddest mental casting choice you can and write the role that way. When your script sells, and Kate Hudson stars in it, she’ll have the opportunity to not be “Kate Hudson-esque.” And she’ll thank you profusely.
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February 14th, 2008 at 10:43 am
It’s nice to have these Q&A’s back again. It’s encouraging! Thanks
February 14th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
As Alex says, it’s great to have the QandA posts back. They are a pleasure to read (and of course extremely informative/helping)
Although I am in no way a professional writer I too have witnessed this fresh idea “problem” if you can call it that way. The question I always had and still have is whether the new idea is really better than the old one. To at least get a better feeling of it I have implemented a personal working “ethics” that I will put new important ideas on hold for at least two or three days. That way I can cool down and let the idea truly sink in. When the idea is still valid I will put it into the script, even if it means to scrap the rest.
February 14th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Oh, god. The mid-stream rewrite. There are scripts I’ve rewritten a dozen times and never actually finished. It’s probably my own worst enemy.
As for Kate Hudson, I’m still waiting for her to be in another movie, besides Almost Famous, that I actually want to see. She was so good in that, and then apparently got too much career advice from her mother.
February 14th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Just another piece of advice - Once you’ve gotten the new outline done, go back to your first script and see if there’s anything worth salvaging. I ran into a similar problem with one of my scripts, but I found that a couple of scenes (or even just lines of dialogue) could fit into the new version with only minor changes.
February 14th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
I thought the Skeleton Key was really good and worth checking it out if you haven’t already. It’s probably my 2nd favorite Kate Hudson movie after Almost Famous.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
“120 pages of ambivalence.”
Genius.
February 15th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
It happens. But this is why planning ahead is worth it. Outline, outline, and outline.
February 17th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I went through this with my most recent script. Forty pages into the first draft, I came up with some radical ideas that not only changed the tone but also some of the character relationships. It was frustrating having to start anew but I’m so glad I did because the new and improved ideas were indeed a major improvement and also guaranteed a good hook. The only problem I see in this practice would be if the writer is ALWAYS doing this so that they NEVER end up finishing a script.
February 17th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I had a similar problem. I was about 83 pages through a script I was (and still am) working on when I realized I have no B plot. For a comedy that should be quick and funny, this script feels long and not funny. So I’m trying to come up with subplots that make my comedy script funny(ier) and relate thematically. Not easy. Sometimes not fun. But it must be done!
February 18th, 2008 at 12:41 am
“Is it a mathematical derivative of Goldie Hawn, approximating the slope of comedy without ever achieving intersection?”
Awesome.
Whoever said mathematics and pop culture humor can never intermarry, that right there is the counterexample that invalidates the claim.