I finished my notecards yesterday.

I have 40 note cards, each representing a scene.  A bunch of those cards represent scenes that were in the 1st draft, but most of them represent new work. Once I finished the note cards yesterday afernoon, I read the story through in its outline form, and I am cautiously optimistic about the future of the project.

I’m using Celtx for the rewrite, mainly because it’s a free program, and I don’t feel like I need all of the bells and whistles that come with Final Draft and Movie Magic. I’ve used both of those programs in the past, and I feel like Celtx gives me everything I need, and the price is right.

Like other packages, Celtx offers a note cards section, and I can read them al together, print them out, assign them plot A, plot B, plot C, etc., and color code them as such. Looking at the cards in context, I feel like I currently have good pacing between the main plot and the 2 subplots that I currently have. I feel like I’ve increased the dramatic potential in the story as well by giving the main character a tangible goal that the audience will clearly identify and be able to root for. I feel like the story has much stronger dramatic structure, with the important moments happening in the right places.

This is important, as I tell clients when doing coverage, because when we get around to shopping this script, executives and readers need to feel like I need to know what we’re doing as writers.

The best way to do that is to give them a script that is structurally sound, with the act breaks happening in the right places, and with characters and a storyline that appear to be cinematic.

I also feel like the outline has helped me to flush out the main characters a little more than they were before, and they’re on their way to having that cinematic feel. I look at tha main character, especially, and I see a character that has a lot more potential for a satisfying character arc and a lot of personal growth. For his mentor, I see an opportunity for redemption in a symbolic way that could be emotionally moving for the audience as well.

So I think I’m just about ready to actually start writing out new script pages. However, I think I’m going to do one thing more before that. I just want to make sure that I really know these characters inside and out. So I’m going to spend some time today, and possibly tomorrow, doing quick character biographies of the 2 main characters and a couple of the important supporting characters. That way I’ll know exactly how they’ll act in certain scenarios, and will provide an option to look at to help me get through blocks.

More to come…