Charging through your first draft...?

Sitting with my wife this morning discussing the novel she's in the middle of writing, she shared with me that in her last writing session she had to put the brakes on her forward progress and go back and insert certain details that she'd rushed right over on her first pass through a section of her story.

This brings up an interesting question for writers of any kind of fiction:  Should you stop your forward progress as you push through your first draft to go back and insert material into territory you've already covered--or--is stopping your forward momentum on your first pass through worth the risk of derailing your forward progress?

As we discussed this, I realized that there really isn't a definitive answer.  Some writers, like the late Pulitzer Prize winner Lanford Wilson once told me, it is imperative for him to just push through that first draft and never stop and go back.  Along the way, he takes quick notes of ideas he might later go back and add.  But for him it was imperative to just push through to the end and then insert what else is needed throughout.

Lanford explained:  "I'm writing pages, I'm not writing a play.  I'm writing 90 or 102 pages, that's all I'm trying to do.  I'm just trying to stack up work--in other words, to keep going...if something comes up...I'll just make a note and go on as though I've made the change.  And then, as soon as I' finish, I go back and change all that."

On the other hand, sometimes in my experience there are plot elements that you suddenly discover you've skipped over or that present themselves out of the blue that need to be addressed on the spot.  And the reason is that these "discoveries" have the potential to radically change the part of your story that you haven't pushed through yet.

So there's really no definitive answer to this.  You just have to slog your way through that draft, whether or not you occasionally stop and go back and fix or you take Lanford's approach and finish your first draft and then go back and make adjustments.  Then again, maybe it's a combination of both...?

It's a messy business.

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I'm a playwright and screenwriter, producing partner in my production company Either/Or Films (The Sensation of Sight and Only Daughter) a professional script consultant, and the author of The Playwright's Process.   I'm also on the faculty of the MFA Writing Program at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.  You can follow me on Twitter @eitherorfilms or @mfastagescreen and I’m on Facebook at buzzmclaughlinscriptconsulting.  If you're interested in the possibility of working with me as a script client, email me at buzzmclaughlin@gmail.com and we can start a dialogue.

A writing mantra that pays dividends...

So you have an exciting new idea you want to develop.  You've been mulling over the basics of the story in your head and are eager to dive into it and get started.

But wait.  What exactly does that mean?  To start on page one and see what evolves as the pages accumulate? To let the characters emerge as you place them in the unfolding story and let them wander where they will?  With you holding your breath as you wait to see if the writing actually leads you somewhere exciting?

In my experience, that's not the writing process that will consistently pay the best dividends.

Instead, what's first needed is a careful assessment of who your central character is going to be, what his or her primary external want and internal need is, how this character might face serious obstacles represented by other major characters, where your central figure lands at the end, and how he or she is significantly changed by the journey they've experienced.

And then the baggage your main characters walk into the story carrying needs to be explored thoroughly.

Think of them as standing at a closed starting gate with filled backpacks strapped to them and holding duffel bags and suitcases loaded to the brim.  It's your job to systematically open each of these pieces of luggage and examine every item inside.  This is the backstory stuff that these characters are going to walk into your story with once the gate is opened.  You're kidding yourself if you think you don't need to know what burdens they're carrying with them as they enter your tale at the front end.

And this leads you to fertile ground for initial plot invention and the structuring of your story. 

So many writers I work with make the mistake of being way too impatient to get to the actual production of script pages.  And in most cases this leads to an inevitable floundering and ultimate abandonment of what started out as a great idea.

Instead, I suggest that you take a deep breath, tackle this essential pre-draft exploratory work thoroughly and have as your mantra "I am already writing my script."

Because, of course, you are.

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I'm the Program Director of the low-residency MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen being offered by the New Hampshire Institute of Art.  Our last residency ran from January 5 to 14 and we're currently  considering applications for starting the program at our June 2018 residency that runs from June 22 to July 1.  The application deadline for a June start is May 1.  If you're interested in finding out more about our program, email me at buzzmclaughlin@gmail.com and we can start a dialogue.

I'm also a playwright and screenwriter, producing partner in my production company Either/Or Films (The Sensation of Sight and Only Daughter) a professional script consultant, and the author of The Playwright's Process.  You can follow me on Twitter @eitherorfilms or @mfastagescreen.  I’m also on Facebook at buzzmclaughlinscriptconsulting.  

An MFA program that works

I've recently returned from our low-residency MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen program's January residency in Peterborough, NH.  As Program Director I'm happy to say that again it was a big success. 

By "success" I mean that all of our student writers were once again immersed fully in this retreat-like setting, attending classes, workshops, special talks by Visiting Artists, and, most importantly, were able to share a new full-length script they wrote during the previous semester with their fellow students, our faculty of established writers, and the many actors and other industry professionals that join us for our ten-day bi-annual intensive.

 
As I've said before on this blog, I think the biggest draw for our two-year program is that before graduation, all our student writers will have written at least four full-length scripts.  And they walk away with a strong beginning body of work under their arm, work that's been given initial testing with professional actors in table readings and/or staged public concert readings.  It's this feature that makes our program unique nationally and its success is most accurately evidenced by the serious and growing recognition that our student and alumni scripts are receiving in the marketplace.

I urge any readers of this blog who are considering looking into MFA playwriting or screenwriting programs to take a look at ours.  It is designed for serious writers who are intent on building a solid foundation on which to launch a successful writing career in our industry.

Oh, and thanks to current student and photographer Kara Krantz for the photos.

                                              *                    *                   *                   *

I'm the Program Director of the low-residency MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen being offered by the New Hampshire Institute of Art.  Our last residency ran from January 5 to 14 and we're currently  considering applications for starting the program at our June 2018 residency that runs from June 22 to July 1.  The application deadline for a June start is May 1.  If you're interested in finding out more about our program, email me at buzzmclaughlin@gmail.com and we can start a dialogue.

I'm also a playwright and screenwriter, producing partner in my production company Either/Or Films (The Sensation of Sight and Only Daughter) a professional script consultant, and the author of The Playwright's Process.  You can follow me on Twitter @eitherorfilms or @mfastagescreen.  I’m also on Facebook at buzzmclaughlinscriptconsulting.