ABSTRACT
You’ve followed your story outline, you’ve desperately tried to keep to your notes and you’ve finished the first draft of your script. The problem with a first draft is that as new ideas come up and you alter or replace what you’ve written, the story and characters also evolve. Story strands start coming loose, or perhaps you’ve focused so much on the story that the dialogue feels too informational. This is why the most common note after even the best first draft is, “It’s not bad, it just needs to be punched up.” You’ll do this in two ways: first, just you and the script, alone, no distractions; then by sharing your script with readers and listeners who will give you spontaneous reactions and (hopefully) astute and useful feedback.
