2. Make sure the scenes have conflict and that they move the story forward. Cut any scenes that don't.
3. Read your descriptive paragraphs again. Are they terse? Do they move the story? Do they tell the story in images? Are they grammatically correct when they need to be?
4. There are three separate reads for dialogue. In each, you should ask yourself if you can show it rather than say it. In other words, could your characters be doing something instead of talking about it? Then you'll ask if each word – I mean each "a" and "the" – is necessary. The first dialogue pass is for the main character. Read each of his/her speeches and only his/her speeches. Are they consistent in voice? Could another character have said those words? Does his/her voice stand out from the crowd?
5. Do the same for the antagonist.
6. Do the same for supporting characters.
7. Go over the whole script one more time and look for cuts. Delete any non-essential scenes, cut heads and tails off of scenes if possible, cut down dialogue whenever possible.
8. And do the final spelling, punctuation, grammar, and sense pass.
I know you're about to kill me. How many times do I have to revise this thing, you're probably saying to yourself. A professional writer might revise a script 30 times, and still, when she hands it to a producer, he finds something more to change. In fact, a script isn't done until the final cut is made and it goes into wide release. Even then, some writers would like to do more. But I'm saying there are just two more areas to look at, and that's it.
It's often said that the first five pages are the most important pages in the script. This is true because they are the pages that engage the reader. Translated to film, they are the first five minutes of the film. And don't you usually make up your mind if you're going to enjoy a film by the first five minutes? Don't you get sucked in or left out by that time?
So you have to polish and polish your first five minutes until they're diamond-like. They have to be engaging in style and story, and they have to introduce your character so that she's likeable or fascinating.
The last five pages are the most important five pages in the script. Wait a second, didn't I just say the first five pages were the most important? Yes, I did. But I've learned to live with this contradiction in my mind because I know it to be true. The last five pages are the most important because they must create a lasting memory for the audience (or reader) as they leave the theater. They are what the audience is going to talk about over coffee or martini's later that night, or at the water cooler the next day. You want them to have something to think about or something to say about the final challenge. You want to work your film so that the closing visual makes such an impact that the viewer can't wait to tell others about your story.
For more information about rewriting, feel free to consult my book, Rewrite: A Step-by-Step Guide to strengthen Structure, Characters, and Drama in Your Screenplay.
