Going Back In Time
The Rewrite - Week 1
![Back to the Future – [FILMGRAB]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BFqD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F32f319cc-faa6-4f6f-90a6-23cedf717747_1920x1040.jpeg "Back to the Future – [FILMGRAB]")
So, we all know Back to the Future is, like, a perfect movie, right? I mean, even if you don’t like it (I don’t believe you), you have to acknowledge that there is incredible filmmaking on display here. Just like prime Spielberg, Zemeckis makes it all look so easy.
But we have to remember we are always watching the end product of countless hours, drafts, versions, takes, cuts… the material has been created, worked, re-worked, re-worked again and then layered, deepened, refined, shined…. all so that when you watch it… it feels easy.
People are afraid of the rewrite the process.
They are afraid of messing up what they already have or admitting their script might need more work than they want to accept.
They want to be done.
And a good way to convince yourself to skip the rewrite process, is to tell yourself you are a genius and your first draft is the ‘purest’ and ‘best’ and this is just how you want it.
Well, all I can say is that geniuses do rewrites.
Case in point:
Check out this first page of an old draft of the Back to the Future script:
That is… not good.
Not only is it not good, compared to where the script ended up in its final draft, it’s abysmal. If you don’t remember, here is the actual opening to Back to the Future:
It’s FULL of layers upon layers, heaps of visual storytelling, foreshadowing, character introductions, and plot machinations. It achieves in a few minutes what a lot of scripts might take 30 pages to do.
So… look. Even Robert Zemeckis in his prime had to rewrite! A lot!
And it’s not something to be scared of.
It’s something to be excited about.
If you think of your script as that crappy first page of the Back to the Future draft, then imagine what it will be like when it reaches the version equivalent to the opening of the actual movie.
If you think your story is great now, it’s going to be AMAZING later. I promise.
Time to elevate. Time to level up.
Time to start…
The Rewrite Course!
First, if you’re not ready for a rewrite just yet, check out the first 3 courses in our / Inspired Screenwriting’s screenwriting program that take you step by step through the entire script-writing process, from getting the idea to finishing your first draft:
The Idea, The Outline and The First Draft are now all available as on-demand courses! You can purchase individually or bundle all three and save .
What about The Rewrite course? Well, it’s happening now on the Substack!
Each week I will post the next step in the course for my Paid Subscribers until we make it to the end and then it will move on over to Inspired Screenwriting to join the other courses.
If you want to follow along now on the Substack (PSSST it’s cheaper to take the course here now) upgrade your subscription!
