If your story is so flimsy that you don't even know what the story is, how will you even talk to anyone about it? Oh, it exists, so, therefore it is?
That's a rather far flung assumption on your part to assume that a story is "flimsy" or "not to know what the story is" if it is being revised or rewritten.
Be honest--outside of your one experience in film school, you've never worked on an actual production set (indie or professional) as a production scriptwriter. You've never had to think on your feet with other screenwriters to make a scene work or revise a script to accomodate production realities.
As Ray said, I would venture nearly 99.9% of ALL films which you may have seen, have been revised in production. Because of necessity, not for the purpose of
liberating the script from the film. I think it's more dangerous to have someone speak without experience about "there not being any rules", which sets up new screenwriters for failure.
Every field has gurus chanting mantras. And you're right, it's important to really consider what is being said. To say "Writing is re-writing" can superficially send the wrong message if just taken literally. However there is a deeper truth in that, just like picking up a rough, unpolished gem, a script often needs several passes before its true elegance is apparent for a spec script. For a shooting script, there is almost always a need to re-write a section to accomodate realities. Woody Allen's movies seldom follow the scripts; as he, as a director, gives tremendous credences to in-the-moment acting. And he would often change things on inspiration. In this case
the film is liberated from the script.
Not to mix media, but there are too few Mozarts who can create perfection on the first pass. So we could say that "Good writing requires frequent revising for polished effect", but that's a mouthful. In everyday life we use adages or clipped adages, "Birds of a feather ...", "A penny saved ...", etc. They embody a collective understanding. Sometimes it's taken for granted that everyone understands the full message.
Re-write = altering, revising, re-drafting, re-working, adapting, 'to write yet again for whatever reason'.
I appreciate that you want new writers to be clear on what is meant by "Writing is Re-Writing". But in the context of the OP's question, it was more "As I'm preparing this script for production, I'm finding all sorts of issues that need to be addressed. So I'm having to alter the script to accomodate these new realities and it's frustrating. Does anyone else feel this way?" (My paraphrasing) And most of us have actual hands-on experience in that environment, and not simply the luxury of armchair lecturing based on an isolated experience from an artificial situation in film school.
Your opinions are welcome, but the members of this forum deserve respect not beratement. I've seen the stories, scripts and clips produced by members of IndieTalk, and they are not shoddy, "flimsy" pieces. Get off your armchair and shoot some of your own work. It's easy to criticize when you don't actually have to commit yourself or have extensive working experience on the set.
I've worked behind the scenes (video, audio, editing), in front of the camera (acting), on the sidelines assisting and, of course, as scriptwriter/editor. I find that the diverse experience informs my writing and the process. I agree that "Writing is rewriting" is a bit trite and cliche, but it embodies a significant piece of wisdom. To think "there are no rules" reflects an utter ignorance of screenwriting and the media industry.
My apologies to Dlevanchuk for hijacking his thread.
