Comments on: Changing horses mid-stream

By: LHOOQtius ov Borg

LHOOQtius ov Borg — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:41:06 +0000

"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.

By: Max

Max — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 03:50:30 +0000

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!

By: Brad

Brad — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:31:20 +0000

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.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:40:54 +0000

It happens. But this is why planning ahead is worth it. Outline, outline, and outline.

By: Synthian

Synthian — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:48:57 +0000

"120 pages of ambivalence."

Genius.

By: Leif Smart

Leif Smart — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 02:48:55 +0000

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.

By: Lex

Lex — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:06:52 +0000

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.

By: Tim W.

Tim W. — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:25:22 +0000

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.

By: madmind

madmind — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:12:20 +0000

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.

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:43:43 +0000

It’s nice to have these Q&A’s back again. It’s encouraging! Thanks