Speaking of unanswered questions, I said I would answer Michael Shayne's from last night...
He asked...
For all the DR who are writers out there.
I am wondering what your work habits are.
Do you write the entire script and then go back and rewrite?
***I do both. Rewrite as I go along and rewrite when it's done. It's all about rewriting and then rewriting some more.
Do you write a section of the story, then rewrite it and then continue and repeat the process until the end?
***Answered above.
Do you allow others to read what you have done as a work in progress or you wait until it is complete before someone else reads it?
***No. I don't show my work to colleagues or friends, actually ever. (Or hardly ever.) And I don't show it to producers until it's done for that incarnation. (First Draft, 2nd Draft, whatever). I don't believe that work should be a subject for group discussions in a non-professional way. Some writers have a certain special person whose judgment they trust, and that's fine. But as for me, when it's done it goes to the producers, the Network, whoever, and then we talk about it. That's painful enough (most of the time) without bringing friends and neighbors into it.
My personal opinion. Others may work differently.
Do you work with an editor or a dramaturge (sp?)?
***No. Not in longform, anyway. I suppose the notes one gets serve this function. Back in the old days in Canada when I worked fairly often with my ex-husband who was a producer, we used a story editor or story consultant as kind of a middle-man, otherwise it got a little too close for comfort. That actually worked quite well.
Hope this answers your questions, MS. I'm busy thinking about a huge meal of garlic noodles and other delightful goodies, so I've probably left out some pertinent facts, but so be it.
