Rewrites

I didn't feel like rewriting the script I have been working on today, but I did it anyway.  After months of rewriting, I finally got the courage (or the common sense) to do away with some of the scenes I wanted to keep.  Here are some tips for letting scenes go:

According to Laura Schellhardt, Author of Screenwriting for Dummies,

Ask yourself why you want to keep the scene(s).  The following arguments are NOT convincing:

• I like it.
• It sounds good.
• My friend like it.
• It worked in that other film.

If any or all of these excuses serve as your only reasoning, the section should probably go.  However, the next arguments may suggest otherwise:

• It sets up crucial information.
• It expresses character.
• It supports another scene.
• I know that it means something.

The bottom line is knowing, really knowing your script and all of a sudden, it just feels right deleting those scenes, because you've tried them all kinds of ways and they just don't work - and now you know.

Best of writing,

Kim