Second draft underway

It's been a while since I posted, but the revision is going well. It feels so good to compress and cut. The script is going from rambling and bloated to lean and mean. I feel clear about the purpose of each scene and the trajectory of my characters.

I posted my revised script synopsis and the first ten pages of the screenplay for critique by my Gotham Writers Workshop class this week. Their feedback in the last round helped me clarify and improve the synopsis, and it also prompted me to think about how to fix my plot. This is the first week that people are presenting any actual pages, though, and I feel a little nervous putting it out there.

I believe I'm on target to have this revision done by the end of March. It's moving along well. Then I will send it to some of my first readers. I'm considering submitting to a screenplay contest, depending on what kind of feedback I get.

We watched "Love Story" the other night, and it struck me as so odd that Ali McGraw's character is diagnosed with some vague hematologic disease out of nowhere. Her only symptom was that they were unable to conceive. But she was healthy and vital. Apparently audiences weren't that interested in the specifics of her illness, just that she was tragically dying.

In any case, feeling like I still have good momentum and excitement. My characters are coming more and more alive, and I like spending time with them.