Michelangelo and Screenwriting · The Writer's Forge

Michelangelo and Screenwriting

Michelangelo’s famous philosophy of subtractive sculpture. He believed that the figure already existed within the stone, and his role as a sculptor was simply to "liberate" it. This concept to me resonates with being a writer. The great story is there; we just have to chip away all the excess. In my experience that is achieved by rewriting, revisioning, and killing our darlings being paramount in liberating a great screenplay.

Michael Arndt has said it took him 100 drafts to perfect his Oscar-winning script, Little Miss Sunshine. When it became a financial success, he said to himself, “So the film has “succeeded,” and I have (temporarily, at least) escaped from the jaws of failure.” Some that were on that Zoom call thought, “Oh, man, I can’t do 100 drafts.” I, on the other hand, felt relieved that I didn’t need to get it right on the 1st or 10th or 20th draft. But I also understood his feelings of dread that we as writers can feel over the arduous task of making something fantastic.

The golden trait is being psychologically strong enough to be able to hear effective critical feedback (yes, it does sting) and test it against your pages and change things accordingly. Hence, the importance of having your pages read by people who know everything involved in writing an effective screenplay.

What part of your story are you working on liberating today?

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