first draft

Recently I began working on another draft of my latest screenplay. I needed to make some changes that were pointed out in a screenplay evaluation I paid for last year. I have been using a particular site to get evaluations on the screenplay for the past year.

The feedback has been invaluable and helps me tell a better story. The evaluators are unbiased experts who can spot weaknesses in screenplays. Good writers are open to feedback on their stories if they want to write the best story possible. Since I’m open to feedback, I’ve improved in a couple of areas.

• Help find needless typos.
• Create more compelling characters.
• Help refine my story’s message.

First drafts aren’t meant to be perfect, they are just the first step in the storytelling process. They will have typos, poor dialogue/characters, and plot holes. These are meant to be fixed in future drafts, right now you’re just concentrating on getting the first draft written.

First Drafts!

No writer tells the perfect story in the first draft, even if they did, there are likely typos or grammatical errors! The purpose of the first draft is to get the story written, which is the beginning of the screenwriting process.

Statistically, the average screenplay goes through 30 rewrites or drafts before the movie goes into production. Even then, there may be script changes. Just like with any other process, screenwriting utilizes trial and error.

With each draft our story should improve, typos corrected and message refined.

“The first draft is just you telling yourselves the story.”

Author Terry Pratchett

If we truly want to write the best story, it is crucial to get professional feedback from other writers. Screenwriters have the option of getting “coverage” from industry experts. The following are a few sites you can go to for paid feedback on your screenplay:

1. Ink Tip
2. Industrial Scripts
3. Spec Scout
4. Screencraft
5. Various screenwriting competitions that provide coverage

For my script, I decided to use the Blacklist to not only get coverage but also share my screenplay online with studios and producers. The feedback I’ve received has been invaluable and it’s forced me to clarify some things, rearrange others, or simply cut parts that do not work.

My story has changed in many ways, but all for the better. And that is the purpose of multiple drafts, to write a better story and help the audience have a better movie-going experience.

Stories Change!

Last year, I explained how screenplays change during the film production process after a studio buys a screenplay. I pointed out how scripts can often be different movies by the time they are released. 

Hollywood is notorious for changing story-lines after purchasing screenplays. Sometimes writers don’t even recognize their work by the time the studio finishes making changes. Below are a few examples of movies that changed before hitting the big screen.

• Fant4stic Four > Originally this reboot was supposed to be a grotesque horror film.
• The Avengers > Early drafts had the Wasp as a key character, but she was removed for later films and replaced by Black Widow.
• Back to the Future > Marty’s father George was supposed to become a championship boxer at the end of the movie.
• Commando > originally Arnold Scharzeneggar’s character was an Israeli soldier who turned his back on violence. Quite a change.

Stories change, characters change, and evening settings and time periods can change a lot from the first draft! So be ready and open to feedback and change.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJonhson.com  and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.