The Art of the Rewrite

Taking notes and making adjustments is a non-negotiable skill for a working screenwriter

You’ve probably gotten notes before–in your screenwriting class, your writers’ group, from contests or coverage services. And, be honest, how many times have you blown them off or just changed/added a couple of lines in response to several pages worth of notes?

We’ve all been there. However, once you work professionally, you don’t have that luxury. At least if you want to keep on working. You’ll be getting notes from agents, managers, producers, directors, and stars. And you have to seriously consider these notes — the great as well as the ridiculous (and yes, it’s good to know the difference between the two.) And yup, you have to find a way to address them in a way that solves the problem and makes everyone happy.

Including you.

Here are some sure signs you should pay attention to a note: 

a) you get the same note from different people

b) it pings something in you

c) it makes you angry.

Okay, we’ll explain the last one, since the first two are pretty self-explanatory. Often the notes that really piss us off are the ones that merit the most consideration, because if there was nothing to them, we wouldn’t have such an emotional reaction.  If a note simply misses the mark, we tend to roll our eyes and move on. However, that anger response means in the back of our head often means that we know that there is something here… and we may need to do a considerable amount of work to address it. Maybe it’s something we’ve kind of always felt but have never been able to put a finger on and certainly don’t know how to fix. So, pay special attention to these notes — even if you have to take a deep breath first.

You’ve got your document full of notes — what now?

Depends. If these are producer notes and they expect a turnaround of a few days, then you need to start cranking right away. If they are notes from a writers’ group or a coverage service, then you have the luxury of time since you’re not on deadline. In this scenario, we find it helpful to read the coverage… and then put it away for a week. (In particular, if you have an emotional reaction, this will do wonders.) What often happens during that cooling-off period is your subconscious keeps churning away on these issues. You may find yourself coming up with solutions to problems you didn’t even want to acknowledge existed. Then when you do circle back to the notes in a few weeks, not only is the sting lessened, but solutions may have already presented themselves.

Re-read the coverage, red pen in hand.

If you have a writing partner, a writing group or class, or a friend who’s good with story, discuss the notes — especially the ones that seem stupid or flat-out wrong. Because even if the reader missed the something, and the note wasn’t on the money, there may be a “note within the note” — in other words, the reader may not have nailed the problem, but they’re planting a flag here because something bumped them out of the read.

Put check marks next to the notes you agree with. Put question marks next to the ones you don’t understand or are unsure about. Maybe scribble a few ideas in the margins on how to address the notes. And perhaps most satisfyingly, X out the ones you simply disagree with – after giving them full and fair hearing, of course.

At the end of this process, you’ll probably have 10-12 check marks, maybe a half dozen question marks, and a handful of stuff you’ve rejected.

This document now becomes your action plan. 

Getting back into the script and making major changes might feel overwhelming.

So start small. What are the easiest notes to address? The line note from page 62, the misspelled character name on page 51, the formatting that goes off the rails for a page in Act Three. These are all easy fixes that will take you less than an hour. They will also help you get back into the world of the script. And, in no time, your creative juices will start flowing again. Continuing on with the larger notes may not seem as daunting now, right?

Accept that addressing the bigger notes will take more time.

You’re probably not going to be able to fix a broken structure or a missing act in an afternoon. And that’s OK. Embrace the journey. You’re a writer! All part of the job description.

Ask yourself, what are the most crucial notes? Maybe the world lacks verisimilitude. Cool, do some more research. In the process, you will find that lots of ideas will come to you. Maybe the structure is off, you have an “accidental ensemble,” or the protagonist disappears. Okay, maybe you want to bring out your trusted index cards (nowadays, there’s an app for that) and color code your characters and scenes and lay them out visually. This bird’s-eye view will teach you a lot about what’s working or not with your script. 

It can’t hurt to compare your structure against the Save the Cat! beat sheet. While deviations are encouraged, following a solid structural template like this can quickly show where your structure might be going off the rails.

Or maybe the dialogue doesn’t sound real or has been described as too “on-the-nose.” Right, let’s invite over some friends to read the script out aloud — or spend some time at a local teen hangout to figure out how Gen Alpha expresses itself. Any and all of these things will help you write a better script.Learning to write natural-sounding, subtext-laden movie dialogue is deceptively difficult. Watch some videos about it on YouTube and take your time. Then edit ruthlessly! Play the “do I need this word?” game with every single sentence. Brevity is the soul of wit. Some good writer said that once.

If you’re lost in the wilderness and don’t understand the notes or have no clue how to address them–well, in that case, the shortest distance between two places is to simply ask.

Advice is always free here at CI. Shoot us an email at info@coverageink.com. If you’re getting producer notes, it’s vital to understand what they’re trying to get at. Make notes on the notes and read them back to the producer to make sure you’re both on the same page. If you’re working with a writing partner, make sure the lines of communication are always open and you’re bouncing ideas off each other.

The important thing is to keep moving forward and improving.

Now go get ’em!