Knowing When to Stop Rewriting

THE PLAYWRITING SEMINARS > WORKING > EDITING > STOPPING

'Until a script is ready for a director, it is self-defeating to give it to him. If it is not your play yet, you can't blame him for making it his.'

-- Terrence McNally

This is probably the hardest decision of all for a writer. But there are two Key Questions that can help . . .

Do you feel in your gut that you're still making progress?
Do you have an idea for a new play that's burning to be written?

If the answer to the first question is No or Maybe, it's time to check the spelling and ship out the Submissions to theatres.

If the answer to the second question is Yes, then as the folks at Nike say, Just Do It.

It's especially important to move on to your next play if the one you're revising now is the first you've written. The amount you've learned from writing this first play is probably far greater than you realize. And you'll only see the proof of that in the next script.

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