Quoted from Scar Tissue Films I think you've misunderstood. He's saying that no matter how many drafts you've actually written, the one you send in should be labelled your first draft. He's saying that you should pretend that you can knock out work of your highest quality on your first attempt, rather than telling the truth and showing them it's taken you 3 years and 22 drafts to get to that quality. At least, that's what I took from it. So you send them your best work (the seventh draft say) but make sure it says First Draft on the cover.

I like your take on it.  That's why I'm a rube.  

When you submit a spec to your agent it has the TITLE, NAME and DATE.  It's usually the date you send it no matter if you wrote it three years ago.  Newer is better.  No draft information at all because it will just gum things up.

If the agent sends it to a company it reads:

TITLE
NAME

A MONTH DATE
AGENCY/AGENT

If someone buys it the script becomes WRITER'S WHITE and then if they want changes before putting it into the production pipeline it is WRITER'S WHITE REV. (DATE).

It's not even so much someone cares that you've written 12 drafts of the script.  They are going to replace you with six other people anyway so why should they care.  They do care that you're going to confuse someone.  Say, if someone in wardrobe sees a SECOND DRAFT and can't figure out what the heck they're looking at.  Is it a writer's draft or a BLUE revision or some other strange beastie?  And how much time do they have to waste trying to find out.

My understanding of that was just that any spec you send in to anybody will always be considered your first draft no matter how many times you have re-written it at home. Once it is out there and being read it will be labelled as the first draft, i.e. it will be the first draft that anybody has seen. That way it can be document controlled properly and once you have an option agreed then you will get notes and instructions for the second draft. Or probably much more common you will lose control and it will be sent to some hack for the second draft while you count your money and hope that enough of your spec remains the same so that you can keep your credit!

I don't think there is anything more to it than that, I don't think it is about pretending you can knock it off first go.

Isn't celtx for free ?

I've been using it and now I reached a point where I can't write anything else after that ...

Celtx is free.

You need to be online to convert the file into pdf.

PrimoPDF 4.1.0.11

PrimoPDF is a handy and lightweight utility that converts just about any file type to a PDF by using the source program that created the file and its Print command. The conversion process is quick and efficient, bolstered by a clean, simple interface. The included security features allow you to wrap your PDF in 40-bit or 128-bit encryption, and there's PDF merging and password protection, too. The user also can restrict editing to basic interactions such as comment-making.

Primo's size is surprisingly large for such an unobtrusive app, and it's absolutely necessary to launch the read-me file at the end of installation, since the application loads no icons and leaves no other visible traces on your machine, except in your Start menu's All Programs.

Quoted from Murphy My understanding of that was just that any spec you send in to anybody will always be considered your first draft no matter how many times you have re-written it at home. Once it is out there and being read it will be labelled as the first draft, i.e. it will be the first draft that anybody has seen. That way it can be document controlled properly and once you have an option agreed then you will get notes and instructions for the second draft. Or probably much more common you will lose control and it will be sent to some hack for the second draft while you count your money and hope that enough of your spec remains the same so that you can keep your credit! I don't think there is anything more to it than that, I don't think it is about pretending you can knock it off first go.

Exactly. I get a funny kind of feeling now when I read all these links on "How to Write for Screen" this and that and the other... There is a whole ton of information out there and you could become so bogged down by theory and doing it right that you feel like you've got a heavy weight on your chest.

I often think, "Well, if I read enough books about screenwriting, I'll certainly be well qualified to write ANOTHER book about screenwriting,   but I'd still be an amateur by my standards, UNTIL, I can beat out a script every week and lose track of what year it is and see my work take shape on screen. A professional stops thinking so hard and just does it very naturally because it's all, (knocks on the noggin) up here...

...and there's no pretending to yourself or anyone else how long it's taken you to write something. It doesn't matter unless you're working a deadline. And there should be deadlines, even when there aren't, you know. (Probably giving Bert a headache) Anyways, beware of spending too much time reading about it and just do it.

Sandra now resumes with her work in progress. She wavers, hesitant now, and gives a sideways glance to Syd Field's SCREENPLAY, sitting pretty on her bookshelf.

Nah, not right now.