Happy Friday!
Wow, is it Friday already? I’m so lucky to be having a working vacation in Fire Island. We arrived Tuesday afternoon. It’s still before the Season out here, so it’s very quiet, and peaceful. The house is third from the Ocean, so as I write this, I can hear the waves crashing 100 feet away!
I’m revising the first 8 episodes of the animated series, Dog Park, that I’ve been working on for a year. As a writer, I know that gaining a little distance is essential when editing.
I also am working remotely with two students, who are also revising material, and the two tips I suggest and also use before tackling a revision are first, to do an outline of each scene in the script, noting the page numbers. This tedious task accomplishes several things:
1. You can see if scenes are running short or long.
2. You can gauge whether or not the content of the scene is correct, and not be distracted by whether or not it’s well-written.
3. When completed, an outline reveals any weakness in structure.
Secondly, read the script out loud to yourself. This is a foolproof way to see if the scene you’re working on works. The way a scene “reads” is often very different to the way the same scene “plays.”
I want to share how thrilled I am that my wonderful NYU student Stephanie Jenkins completed her screenplay! In addition to having written a charming script, Steph is also an accomplished banjo player, performer and teacher. Kudos, Stephanie.
Here’s to your successful writing!
Professor Marilyn Horowitz
