Packing The Box

Today I am busy working on a rewrite of a screenplay. I've rewritten this project about a dozen times. This pass, I've made some drastic changes in an attempt to get the 'fun' back into the funny. The first act, I believe, is close. Now it is time to move on in an attempt to rework the second act.

Screenplay writing is an art unto itself. I love the structure requirements of a screenplay.


Imagine a box.

A box that is approximately the same size--always. Now each time you write a new screenplay you are given a ton of stuff to pack into the box. Odd shaped characters, long and short dialogue, irregular plots... No matter the size or the shapes of the items they *must* fit in the box...the approximately same sized box that is your screenplay each and every time. It is my job to determine exactly how to pack the box so that all these items get included. And nothing breaks.

The current box I'm packing includes: romance, love, comedy, mystery and some odd shaped characters.

Packing the box can be difficult. Packing the box can be amazingly fun. But everything you need to tell this story has to fit into the box.

xo Maggie