The Rewriting Process: 10 Key Steps to Perfecting Your Screenplay

We’re all perfectionists when it comes to our writing – whether we want to admit it or not. Developing a writing process that works for you is one thing, but nailing the rewriting process is another challenge.

If you’re at this stage, the good news is you’ve done the hard part: the act of actually writing something. You’ve been hunched over, staring at your laptop for hours on end, drank perhaps way too much caffeine and definitely reconsidered your career choices at least ten times. But you finally have a rough draft!

The bad news, as we all know, is that it’s only the beginning of a long and meticulous scriptwriting process. So, roll back your shoulders and grab another cup of coffee (or something stronger!). It’s time to revisit, rework and rewrite your script.

What is a Rewrite?

Rewriting is an essential part of editing. It includes going through and strengthening a rough draft by altering what’s in need of improvement. This can range from changing a few words to cutting out entire unnecessary sections.

Ultimately, the rewriting process will polish subsequent drafts and evolve your project to the best place it can be.

Rewriting is when writing really gets to be fun….  In baseball you only get three swings and you’re out.  In rewriting, you get almost as many swings as you want and you know, sooner or later, you’ll hit the ball.

Neil Simon