For anyone who has ever renovated a house, there really is no such thing as an easy or simple renovation.   When you start tinkering with a house – tearing down walls, or ripping up floors – you often discover structural problems that you did not foresee.  The little reno job that you swore up and down would only take 2, max 3 weeks to complete, suddenly turns into a month, then two months, three…  One problem leads to another and it becomes a domino effect.

Welcome to Re-Writing 101.   There is no such thing as a simple re-write (okay, maybe there is, but I’ve never experienced it).   Your script is a house of cards…the minute you take one card out…then another…and another…the house shakes and usually crumbles.  The little reno job has taken on another dimension and it feels like you’re starting your script all over again.  Yes, some re-writes are less painful than others, but in the end they require you to “kill your darlings” and demand that you do not fall too much in love with your writing.

I will say this: every re-write I’ve done has always been better than the draft before.  Doesn’t a renovated house always look better than the house before?  Yes, re-writing is hard but it is a necessary part of the process.  In the end it will make you a better writer.   So don’t give up.  Don’t despair with all the notes and confusion of what to keep and what to cut.   And above all, keep refining your craft.

I am currently working on the next re-write of my play Animal.  There are about 6 scenes I am saving from the last draft.  The rest of the script needs a bit of an overhaul as I felt the last draft was somewhat convoluted.   I’m struggling on the re-write as I forge forward with new direction. I’m trying to keep the script simple, yet provocative and it’s proving to be complicated.  Yes, the foundation of the house is solid.  Now I have to get the new pieces in place.

I recently got word from The Chronos Prize – a screenplay competition – that my script The Porch will not be advancing into the next round.  Sigh.  The Porch is a screenplay that I worked on in December.  The story is about a boy whose comic book hero comes to life.   Yes, I’m disappointed it did not make the next cut, but I like the story and will seek to write another draft – renovate the house.