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January
29
2010

Rewrite: A Step-by-Step Guide to Strengthen Structure, Characters, and Drama in your Screenplay




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categories Category: Screenwriting Books | Posted by: brian on January 29, 2010

5 Comments to “Rewrite: A Step-by-Step Guide to Strengthen Structure, Characters, and Drama in your Screenplay”

  1. By Alan M. Delarosa, January 29, 2010 @ 3:03 am

    I am one of the lucky few to currently study dramatic writing with Paul Chitlik at UCLA in the MFA screenwriting program. I have never had as valuable a teacher as Mr. Chitlik. I have not yet read his latest creation, REWRITE, but I can tell you from first hand experience that he understands how to tell stories and better yet is his ability to relate this invaluable information to others in a straightforward and concise manor. What I’ve learned from him is forever ingrained in the writer I aspire to become. Thank you, Paul.

    To the rest of the world, if you want to write better, either take Paul’s writing class or at the very least read his book. I look forward to getting my hands on a copy and studying it.
    Rating: 5 / 5

  2. By K. Larish, January 29, 2010 @ 3:14 am

    Rewrite has more dog-ears and post-it notes and highlighter markings in pink and yellow and green than any book I own. After writing 110 pages of screenplay this is the toolkit to bring out and make everything work.

    Wheras most writing books have a conceptual approach to disseminate, Paul’s approach is hands-on tactical. Get into those pages and make them work.

    Valuable tools like the 7-step outline help me test ideas to see if they even have legs to make it to the end. And applying this same 7-step concept to the B-story and C-story. Great!

    Alone the definition of B and C-story is worth the price of admission. B-story is the relationship that must be created or mended, and C-story is the character’s arc. After much focus on getting the A-story…the plot down, rewriting for me, is getting the B and C-story in focus and putting some heart into the script. Love it!

    Rating: 5 / 5

  3. By Baron Von Cool, January 29, 2010 @ 3:19 am

    This book is barely 100 pages of actual advice with over 60 pages of filler (including showing five barely different drafts of the author’s terrible Olsen Twins script, no less!). Don’t get me wrong, there is good advice here but it tends to be buried among information rehashed from the dozen or so other screenwriting books sitting on my shelf.

    The author, like so many others I’ve read, makes painfully obvious errors when using Star Trek or Star Wars as examples, almost as if they’ve never actually watched the films in question (even Chris Vogler in The Writer’s Journey does this). In the case of Rewrite, Mr. Spock is confused with ’60s parenting expert Dr. Spock, and incorrect dialogue is put into Luke Skywalker’s mouth upon first viewing the Death Star. A big deal? Perhaps not, as the author still manages to get his point across, but it is sloppy research (as in none!) and damages their credibility. Think about it: If the author can’t be bothered to get their facts right, it sheds doubt on the integrity of the entire work and on the publisher for not bothering to catch these easy-to-spot errors prior to publication.

    The author also assumes you’re familiar with Lajos Egri’s The Art of Dramatic Writing (1942) and does not bother to explain who he is or why his theories are so important even to this day. While I’ve read Egri, it is folly to assume most newbie screenwriters have. All the other screenwriting books I’ve read that mention Egri (and most of them do), are always careful to put him in context and explain why you should read The Art of Dramatic Writing. Rewrite doesn’t bother to do this. It is not only a disservice to Egri (the godfather of the modern screenplay) but it is a mistake that could have easily been corrected by inserting a brief line or two.

    For such a slim volume, I found it difficult to find the info I wanted by skimming. For example, the paragraph headers and “to do” lists should have been called out in a larger, bold typeface so they don’t get lost when you’re skimming through the book on subsequent reads.

    I don’t regret this purchase as there was some good advice here (particularly on cutting the heads and tails off your scenes and then cutting them 10% more) but I’m not exactly raving about Rewrite either. I bought it used and confess I would have felt cheated if I’d paid full price.

    Publisher Michael Wiese Productions puts out a ton of filmmaking books and I suppose not all of them can be as useful or fun as The Writer’s Journey, Save The Cat! or Directing Actors.
    Rating: 3 / 5

  4. By A. LaBarba, January 29, 2010 @ 4:03 am

    Rewrite covers everything you need to know about making your idea into a screenplay that somebody will want to buy.

    You know the stakes have to be high, the scenes have to have a point, the protagonist needs to have a goal…but this book tells you HOW to do that, and also what to cut, step-by-step through the structure that you cannot afford to mess with.

    Mentor is the perfect word to describe Paul Chitlik. He knows exactly how to explain what makes a screenplay successful. This book is a must-read, not only after your first draft is done, but during the development of your idea. Making your idea better and stronger before you start writing is like tuning up your car before you take a long trip.

    Don’t chance a breakdown! Read this book and make your story work before you write your first scene.
    Rating: 5 / 5

  5. By Christopher H. Tovar, January 29, 2010 @ 4:32 am

    I began studying screenwriting by taking Robert McKee’s Story course back in ‘04. While it was a good introduction to the craft generally (maybe “academically” is a better word), Paul Chitlik’s course in the UCLA extension program really got me started on the road to becoming a professional. Paul goes straight to the heart of the process from the very first session of class, and holds a true line to the end. I was fortunate to be a runner up in the UCLA Screenwriting Contest in 2007 with a story I wrote for his course, and did well in a few other contests, including Nicholl. Had I turned in the draft I’ve written recently using “Rewrite,” I think I would have had a better shot at winning. If you want to be a screenwriter, and have a good story in you, Paul can help you get it on those hundred odd blank pages, and make it great in later drafts. Take his course. He’s the guy.
    Rating: 5 / 5

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