Saturday 23 April 2011

"Allen Bridge" blog #05...

Act I, to draft 1.1 standard, is now done - and it clocks in at 44 pages - 14 more than it needs to be. So I've got some serious trimming, re-positioning, and cutting to do before it's bashed into draft 1.2 form.

My plan, as I've stated before, is to go back to page one and re-draft everything I've written so far. It will help cement what I've already written in my mind, which in turn will benefit what is to follow. It will also allow me to see if there's anything that can be bumped into Act II, and to polish what has so far been established relating to the central mysteries, and various red herring moments, so that the plot makes sense and various pieces join up as-needs-be.

The 'writing flow' is moving fairly freely now, although draft 1.1 will always remain a route paved with trepidation - however, when it comes to re-drafting, you're already working with a version of the script that goes from the start to the very end. At the moment there's a big empty expanse stretching out beyond my current position filled with action and dialogue that has yet to be written - so that very first draft is always a path that is tread upon with unsure footing ... in other words, you can still find yourself, even at page 44, pausing to tap your fingers absent-mindedly on the keys as you try to figure out what to write next.

Nevertheless, it's proceeding fairly well thus far, but I am looking forward to re-drafting, because that's where you first get to see a relatively complete something that has a beginning, middle, and end, which you can then polish to your heart's content.

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