The Third Draft

Wow. I can hardly believe it's been over a month since the staged reading of my script, Bad Feng Shui, and I still haven't blogged about it! (Thank you, Joanna, for reminding me.) At least I have a good excuse: I've been concentrating all my writing efforts on a new script, and I just finished the first rough draft. I'm very excited about this new story, about which I can't say much yet. I'm one of those superstitious writers—I don't like talking too much about unfinished work lest the talk dilute the writing.

Anyway, back to the screenplay reading. Sitting in the audience and seeing and hearing people respond to my work was an eye-opening experience—and one that every screenwriter should have. Sure, we know intellectually that our work is meant to entertain. Sitting alone at our computers, we use every writerly tool at our  disposal to ensure that our scripts are anything but boring. But how often do we actually get to see our scripts in action? Even produced screenwriters often complain that the final product doesn't resemble their original story. So to actually SEE an audience respond to your work—to have them laughing at the right places, rooting for the hero, and reacting with surprise—is an awesome experience. Seeing my script hold up was supremely gratifying. And at the same time, it became crystal clear that my work was no longer MINE alone. Once in performance, it also belonged to the actors and the audience. It was out of my hands for good (at least until the next revision!).

But a reading isn't about a writer's ego gratification. The point is to look for weaknesses in the script and to elevate the writing. No matter how strong a script is, it can always be better. Bad Feng Shui was no exception. Although I was pleased with the overall pacing of the story, a fast, New York comedy, by seeing the script in action I was able to spot two scenes that desperately needed trimming. The biggest surprise for me was that my antagonist disappears for too long in Act Two, and that his character, when compared to every other character in the script, was lacking depth and subtext. I knew before going into the reading that my protagonist needs a better setup, but the reading helped me see exactly how best to resolve that problem.

This will be my 6th or 7th draft of Bad Feng Shui. Taking it off the page and putting it into performance gave me a fresh perspective on a script I had become tired of revising. Suddenly, I'm full of energy and eager to tackle it again.

I'm curious to hear from other writers about their experiences with screenplay readings. How many of you have had your work read? Was it an informal setting? Or a fully-fledged performance? What was the most surprising aspect of the reading for you? Any advice you would give other writers about screenplay readings? Share your experiences here!