I took a class on rewrites at UCLAE and we used the book Screenwriting is Rewriting: The Art and Craft of Professional Revision by Jack Epps, Jr.
The book changed the way I write entirely.
Basically, I go through my draft in Passes: Dialogue, Character, Scenes, etc. I break down the notes that I got into fixable bits. "I received this note about this character's dialogue" So, during the Dialogue Pass I address that dialogue all at once.
By breaking the rewrite into Passes and therefore smaller pieces, it gets easier to address issues one at a time rather than all at once.
> 6.The best friend is more interesting than the main character. > --- > > > Is the reader saying you should change the screenplay and make it about the best friend? No, what the reader is saying is the best friend is more interesting because the best friend probably has faults and flaws. Often, we tend to hold our main character too dear and not dirty them up enough. As a result, the main character is the least interesting character in the screenplay. This is a common problem with many aspiring screenwriters’ scripts. > > * •This note does not mean you should make the best friend less interesting. You have a good character that is working, so now you need to bring up the main character’s vitality by adding relatable flaws. To address this note, your main character needs to be struggling with an internal emotional issue. > > * •In addition to adding dimension to the main character, work on your main character’s major relationships. Relationships help dramatize the main character’s problems. The main character must have multiple relationships that pressure them. Is there a love interest you can use to show another side of the main character? How can you use the relationships to explore another aspect of the main character’s emotional life?
Screenwriting is Rewriting: The Art and Craft of Professional Revision 1st Edition by Jack Epps Jr
I have not read this book.
But the class will read the book and discuss it, no?
A college class is a dialogue between the lectures, the text, the teacher and you.
I've never taken an Intro to Screenwriting college course, but it may want you to finish the semester with a screenplay for a Short Film.
I'd find this book would be a useful resource for people who are knew to writing scripts, as an Intro to Screenplay course suggests.
One of the best books on Screenwriting I've ever read only has 47 Reviews on Amazon.
Number of reviews isn't useful, as it lends bias to older books and not better books.
Thanks I got it from Jack Epps Jr (Top Gun, Sister Act) and his book Screenwriting is Rewriting: The Art and Craft of Professional Revision 1st Edition
It's the best book I've read on screenwriting so far.
Screenwriting is Rewriting: The Art and Craft of Professional Revision 1st Edition by Jack Epps Jr
doubling what /u/ace_jace said.
Screenwriting is Rewriting: The Art and Craft of Professional Revision 1st Edition by Jack Epps Jr
Really invaluable read. And the method of a produced screenwriter.
Screenwriting is Rewriting: The Art and Craft of Professional Revision 1st Edition by Jack Epps Jr
Have you read a book about Rewriting yet?