The Three R's: Reading, Writing, and Rewriting

(Am I the only one who's always thought that should be "the three 'R' sounds?" Because "reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic" is just too awful.)

I've had an influx of scripts to comment on recently, mostly trades with other writers I respect, but also a few jobs. In this last batch, all from good, solid writers, one thing in particular stood out: unnecessary scenes. Perhaps they're entertaining or shade the character a little, but they don't really move the story forward in any significant way. If the story is otherwise solid, this may not be a huge problem. But too often an unnecessary scene wastes precious time. The writer ends up missing a golden opportunity to solidify the story, resulting in plot holes and characters who aren't as well-rounded as they could be.

This is par for the course in a first draft, of course. It takes putting the script aside for a while or running it by fresher eyes than yours to see the forest for the trees. That's exactly where I'm at with my latest script. I sent it off to readers (other writers for the moment), and I haven't looked at it in two weeks.

Meanwhile, I've been reading. I know from experience that it's easier to spot problems in someone else's work than in your own. And I also know that if I spot it, chances are I do it. At 115 pages. my comedy spec is longer than I'd like it to be. When I sent it out, I believed I couldn't pare it down any more. But now I'm not so sure. When it comes time to rewrite it, you can bet I'll be examining every scene.