I'm an "overwriter" That seems to be the only word that i can use to describe it, but i think that when i'm writing dialougue I write too much. Sometimes it's good and clever sometimes it's forced and overdone and it seems to end up covering up things that are lacking in a scene.

Anythoughts on how to overcome this and still maintain my desire to be more clever than the next guy.

I find I have the same problem, I tend to write for monologues and then I slack on the descriptions, you know.

Don't worry about overwriting on your first draft.  In fact... I encourage it.  But then, put the script down for a couple days.  Don't think about it, if you can.  Then go back and, as William Faulkner said, "Kill your darlings".  Cut what you love.  The more it hurts, the tighter it gets.  Because chances are... when you try too hard to be clever... often times you fail.

Let it come naturally.  And as you cut... you'll find the moments.

(This is advice I fail to follow often, by the way.  But I do try and try)

When it comes to desription... paint the picture but then let the dialogue move the action.

I have the same problem. When I'm writing dialogue, I'll say to myself "that's funny, clever, and smooth" but once I go over in the rewrites, I say "god, how corny." But I have no trouble cutting things out - whatever I question I cut or switch around and rewrite again. Anything to make the story better, you know?

Quoted from TheProducer Don't worry about overwriting on your first draft.  In fact... I encourage it.  But then, put the script down for a couple days.  Don't think about it, if you can.  Then go back and, as William Faulkner said, "Kill your darlings".  Cut what you love.  The more it hurts, the tighter it gets.  Because chances are... when you try too hard to be clever... often times you fail..

A couple of days?  After I finish with the first draft, I put it down for a couple of weeks and work on something else.


Phil

I am with the couple of weeks. A couple of days is always too soon for me. I still love what I've done and can't separate myself from it enough to start with the cutting. After a few weeks, I can be objective enough to start in with the left brain.

Lets all talk about how we rewrite our screenplays. See if we have any new ideas or suggestions.

I personally leave my script for two weeks, then read it over as a screenplay. If I still think it's gods gift to screenplays I leave it for another two weeks and try again.

If I start to notice problems, or I'm thinking it can be improved, I reread the entire story and make notes on possible story changes. I go over my outline and incorporate/remove story elements based on my notes.

After that, I go through every scene and objectively look at it to see how it could be improved, or if it is even needed.

I generally leave it alone for a couple of weeks and reread it. From there, I either make minor edits as I go, or if it has real issues, I tear it apart and rework it. I take rewriting as a given on screenwriting or any writing. I know I'll screw it up the first time through and have to go back and fix it later.

I wait a couple to a few weeks, sometimes longer, and reread it once without making any notes then I go back over it and write down what I want to change about it. [This script I'm working on, I changed it completely around and wrote about two pages of notes of new ideas.] Then, after I get all my notes in order, I go back to the keyboard and type it afresh. I hardly think, I mean, I never think my work is perfect so I can tear it apart as many times as I want and I always find something I can change, always.

The "leave it for two weeks" technique works well for me as well. But I also use another one: I read my script once a day during, lets say a week. After many readings, the good parts are still pleaseant to read, while the crappy ones start to annoy me. Then I know, those parts need a rewrite.

That sounds like a good idea, Z, maybe I should try that.

Impulse, I rather like your idea of retyping the whole thing. I think it's a good practice to have. I think I'll have to try that some time along with Mr. Z's reading it daily idea. May help to fix my dalogue issues (sometimes it sounds forced).

I'm hoping we get some more ideas on this part, since it's where a lot of writers really break down. They get draft one done and call it complete. It never is...

I never stop working until I finish a script. All of my good ideas come to me on the fly. Basically, I write whatever comes to mind the first time based on whatever rough planning I came up with. That's my first draft, usually ranges from 80 - 100 pages (long, yes, hence why I'm working on a novel). From there I pick random scenes to edit, so that I don't have the flow and I don't just end up reading it. It's like reading something backwards. You pick up on things that don't fit right away, as you don't know the immediate context of the surrounding scenes. Once I finish that (usually increases by about 10 pages) I do a linear rewrite where I rewrite the entire script word for word. I play with the word combinations, scene order, etc. Basically, I use the draft as an extensive outline for a new version. It's time consuming but you really get to know the material, so it becomes easy.

I work exactly like the Freak.  I write a quick first draft with all the scenes that I think are nessasary or at least relatively so, then I edit a second draft taking out the crap and rearranging the good or adding better, then a third fixing wording errors, sentences, etc.  Then I read it really carefully and if the images that come to mind aren't the ones I imaged...well, screw that script for now. >_>

I also tend to try and rewrite the entire thing.  This always helps me find a better way to label a discription or change dialouge.  Once I get done reading the first and final are like night and day.