Eyes In Your Window: Blog #05...

Find the previous post in this series here.

Progress update - with the first draft of the first episode ("Mug") complete, it was time to move on to figuring out the lay-of-the-land regarding the remaining two episodes in this planned three-part post-watershed drama serial. Episodes two and three are titled "Knife" and "Stump" respectively, and at first I was just going to jump straight into a Word document and map them out there - but suddenly the flow I had experienced when planning "Mug" was gone...

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Quickly I realised that this was because I wasn't using the record card method to plan out episodes two and three, and as I'd had such a fruitful time mapping out the first episode that way (and even though the second two episodes aren't meant to actually be scripted at this spec stage), I decided to use the record card method again. I'll never go back - it's definitely the way forward.

 "Knife" and "Stump" mapped out using the record card method.

You are afforded a God's eye view of your script and can very quickly identify if scenes need to be added and re-ordered, and solutions come to mind quickly as with your God's eye view of the entire episode as-it-currently-stands, you have a total grasp of the overall context of the episode in question (and even in relation to other episodes).

As mentioned above, this is a spec script at the moment - it's all a part of me putting together a portfolio, if you will, of screenwriting with which to approach representation. At this point, you write the first episode in-full, and then provide a breakdown of the remaining episodes - or indeed what you'd perceive the flow of a full series ("season" to any American readers) to be, if you happen to be planning a continuing series (currently running-in-the-UK examples of which would be Red Dwarf, or Fresh Meat). The remaining episodes are mapped out on-the-cards, so it's now just a formality of writing them up, and then the entire first draft will be completed. I hope to also get a second (and possibly third) draft of "Mug" done by the end of the month - we'll see how it goes, re-drafting is always an interesting time.

Until next time ... *insert inspirational phrase targeted at screenwriters here*