Back To The Beat Sheet

I took the comedy I'm working on right back to the beat sheet/outline today. I wouldn't call it exactly a page 1 rewrite, but it's close.

I found that as I was writing, I was changing major plot points and confusing myself (it doesn't take much!). So, instead of making the changes in the actual script, I decided to go back to my beat sheet/outline and play with the plot there, figure it out, and then head back to the script.

When I write, I usually start with a paragraph by paragraph outline of the script. It's not a beat sheet... and it's not a treatment... it's somewhere in between. If I want to write really, really fast, I'll do a formal treatment, then break it down into a beat sheet. It's odd... all of that extra work actually produces a script faster :P I guess being organized pays off!

Most of the time, though, I use a bastardized melding of a beat sheet/outline/treatment. After all, I'm the only person who is going to see it! I find that when I use a beat sheet, I feel locked to it (which is probably the point). My version allows me more room to play.

I like my writing process. Until I end up wishing I'd done a beat sheet when I get half way into a script and start playing a little too much and end up with a mess.

Sadly, I don't know if I'll ever learn my lesson!