Here's a lesson hopefully none of your will repeat.
I've been working with another writer for 4-5 years on a screenplay. It's an historical drama with two strong characters, a protagonist and an antagonist. Over the years of working on the project we've made numerous revisions, and often we've inserted episodes into one of the two character's lives to explain who they are and why they're making certain decisions. But look at the rats nest we've gotten ourselves into. Almost every time we've sent the script out to readers we've gotten one consistent piece of feedback: "Too many flashbacks." Do you think?
This morning I charted what these flashbacks looked like in terms of following the story as it's laid out in the script. The numbers in the chart represent scene numbers as they appear in the script.
Houston, we have a problem.
One reader correctly suggested we pick one of the two characters and tell a linear story.
Think she's right.
I've been working with another writer for 4-5 years on a screenplay. It's an historical drama with two strong characters, a protagonist and an antagonist. Over the years of working on the project we've made numerous revisions, and often we've inserted episodes into one of the two character's lives to explain who they are and why they're making certain decisions. But look at the rats nest we've gotten ourselves into. Almost every time we've sent the script out to readers we've gotten one consistent piece of feedback: "Too many flashbacks." Do you think?
This morning I charted what these flashbacks looked like in terms of following the story as it's laid out in the script. The numbers in the chart represent scene numbers as they appear in the script.
Houston, we have a problem.
One reader correctly suggested we pick one of the two characters and tell a linear story.
Think she's right.
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| Problematic scene chronology of script in development. |
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