Some thoughts on first drafts...

I'm writing a couple of movies right now that are both one-step deals, which means that I'm being paid to deliver one draft with no re-writes. Writing in my journal this morning, I stumbled across the following thought:

"These scripts should really just be as bold and interesting as I can make them because these first drafts need to be sufficiently engaging that the studios will keep going on them, with or without me.

I think the trick with these one-step drafts is that you’re basically punting the ball and you just have to kick the thing as hard as you can to get the game going (No, I don't really understand sports). If what you write is engaging, it'll start to live. This is a jump-start. If you play it safe and try to write something that looks like a polished product with all the rough edges smoothed off, it risks being dull. No one expects a first draft they can just go out and shoot, and so that's not the job. The job is to provide the initial spark and pour some petrol on it in the hope of the thing catching fire. The ONLY requirement is to be interesting."