Writing is rewriting

Dear Mr Field,

For the first time I find myself doing the exact opposite of what you say…

In The Screenwriter’s Workbook Syd Field argues that you should spend some time reading your script before you make any notes or corrections. Just read it and let it sink in, that way you can analyse whether or not the story is conveying the emotions you expected or planned to. He then also suggests three essay questions around your story: What was it that originally inspired you? Is it what you intended to write? How can you make it what you intended to write?

I can’t do this! I just simply couldn’t. Right now I’m about 5 pages in and each page has been littered with pencil corrections and rewrites. I think I will follow Field’s advice after this first re-write. I guess that – at least for now - I just don’t even view the first draft as really being done.

This has been my approach since I started out in journalism. I’d hammer something out quickly, just to get my thoughts on the page, then I’d shape it into a structure. While technically what I’d end up with at this point is a finished article it’s full of tiny errors here and there. I wouldn’t consider the first draft of an article done until I went over it once more. I even do that for this blog. This just seems to be the way my creative brain works, its torture for me to slowly put my ideas down making sure they’re as accurate as can be the first time. I have to get it out as quickly as possible.    

So far, I am really enjoying the rewriting process. I like seeing where I’ve nailed a scene and I enjoy fixing them. So far I’ve not hit a problem I don’t know how to fix and there’s a real sense of empowerment from that.