In a moment I'll explain what I've been doing in bulleted details, but let me explain why its so painful. Its like choosing which limbs to keep of your newborn baby, sick, but true. Sorta.
There are so many parts I've made my own in these 150 pages, but I need to trim the fat and get right to the point, in approximately 90 pages. The knife needs to remain sharp, as I already trimmed close to 35 pages. Sit about the same to go!
Why? Well because all the components of a feature film can easily be relayed in 90 print pages. Any longer than 110 pages is considered taboo, inexperienced, "long and lengthy," drawn on. You don't want any of those thoughts going through the readers head. This then means pass. Pass is not good.
Below are a few bullet points of what I've been doing to trim up.
1) Playing up the role of the mother and deleting other aspects. I'll only need a few additional pages to cut close to 15 pages in other scenes. This is the exposition of the script, she needs to show more of the protagonist.
2) Cutting conflicting stories toward the end by sticking to the premise of the story. The ghosts story will allow me to cut conflicting segments of the story.
3) Strengthen the ACTION = REACTION of charters in each scene. The smaller arch's of conflict will keep a lengthy scene shorter.
4) Play up the Central Device which is for the protagonist and reader to clearly understand the task at hand. I'm peeling away the layers and tying back to the exposition (#1).
5) Straight up editing and stronger in depth proof read. More of an as I go edit then one more final once over of THE TOWNSMEN, then its off to the world! There are over five individuals financially interested in the script! More to come on these experiences later, as they develop...
If some of this steps seem confusing, your correct. Welcome to world of script writing. Once I complete these major points, all the smaller details will fall into place. My plan is to be completed with everything in two weeks.
(Do you get it? ? ? Writers Block...)
