Page 78

Chugging along. Short session today so didn't get as many pages done as I maybe would have otherwise. But not too bad. A little uncertainty as to order of scenes. But, again, not too bad.

Page 75

Finally through the first half rewrite and onto new territory. Rewrote the midpoint scene, it's not perfect but now is roughly the beat I need at that point. Right now am grappling with the imperfection of my first draft. Not keen on imperfection at all! Can't believe how imperfect this first draft is despite all my labours! Even though I know that's the nature of first drafts. Nice to be onto new ground though.

Day off

Taking a day off on Sunday.

Almost ready to go back to draft

But... still need to sort out the midpoint. I'm a bit disconcerted because I've just realised that the reason I went back to rewrite was to sort out a central relationship... but my rewriting actually ended up focusing on other things... so there are major questions I still need to sort out. At least I have decided what the midpoint needs to be generally (which is actually the opposite of what the midpoint is now). I am going to work out the midpoint (and make some decisions about how earlier scenes need to change to lead to the new midpoint) and then press on. I'm not going to go back to tweak those scenes though, because I really need to press on and get this draft done.

Plotting

Going okay. Have broken 2nd half of second act down into story strands and figured out general direction each is going. Was slow work but towards the end had a couple of good ideas that should be fruitful to work with.

Hey ho, hey ho, it's off to work I go... (or, rather, went)

Today was hard slog. Felt like one of Snow White's seven dwarves. (Yes. Grumpy.) Having a look at the second half of the second act. Feels like writing a whole other film now I'm past the midpoint. Or sort of past it. I've realised I'm going to have to rework that scene but am waiting till I have a handle on the rest of the second act.

Became a little easier once I realised I needed to look at the whole of the rest of the act rather than just the next sequence. I have lots of beats I want to incorporate but putting them into sequences that work and follow on from each other in the right way is the tricky thing. Am currently pasting up scenes on the whiteboard in rough order. Getting a little easier, beginning to find a very rough order. But still, this half of the act is disconcertingly empty compared to the first. It's a bit like starting from scratch again.

I think this is probably an inevitably difficult bit. Second act is notoriously the most difficult. I figure as long as I keep turning up and slogging away I will get there in the end. Trudge back with my little barrow full of coal. (Not looking for diamonds just yet.)

Sick day today

See ya tomorrow, hopefully.