Turn your pages into a brilliant screenplay

The old cliché "all writing is rewriting" is true, and here's why: An idea in your head is intangible — but on the page it's suddenly very tangible. All the holes and gaps are right there on the page. Until you're a master of the craft, it's virtually impossible to spill a masterpiece instantly out of your brain and onto page. Rewriting is a fundamental part of the process — a professional always rewrites.

Unfortunately, as you change one detail of your script, it affects every other area, opening up a potentially infinite array of possibilities with no objective "right" answers. The starting line and the finish line are constantly changing throughout the process.

That's why we've completely reinvented the whole approach to rewriting. In this empowering phase, you'll move step by step through every element of your screenplay, leaving no stone unturned. You'll go from the broad "big-picture" elements to the narrow "fine-detail" elements to virtually guarantee a screenplay that works.

The striking simplicity of this phase's design ensures that you'll never get "lost in the middle" of a rewrite, and will always have a clear path to completion. It's been designed to give you full creativity flexibility, while always keeping a clear sense of direction, even as the ground shifts beneath your feet.

The Strengthen Phase has
3 Movements:

1. Inspect and Analyze Your Draft

   You'll begin by taking an objective look at your current draft to identify its strengths and weaknesses. You'll determine exactly what you've got and identify exactly what it needs to be, and discover a whole new system of astonishing power that will guide you through the entire rewrite.

2. Strengthen the Elements

   With a clear target, you're ready for the meat of the rewrite process. Here, you'll move through every element of your screenplay from broad to narrow — from "big picture" to "fine detail". You'll be wide open to new ideas and fresh creativity, while always staying on target to the finish line. As you gradually master the process, you'll be able to instantly adjust your thinking even as your story changes, making the rewrite process fluid and intuitive.

3. Review the Audience Experience

   Lastly, you'll review the audience experience to determine objectively when your draft is "solid". Since there are no "right" answers, you'll discover a new objective way to decide, and the exact steps to take to finalize a screenplay that's precisely the story you wanted to tell.

When you've completed the Strengthen Phase, you'll have a solid draft of your screenplay — ready to polish and convert in the Tweak Phase into a screenplay they can't put down.

Plus, you'll have an extraordinary approach to rewriting that pinpoints with laser accuracy exactly how and where to fix any problem that will ever arise in all future projects.

Some of what you’ll learn, do, and master in the Strengthen Phase

It would be impossible to list everything included in this phase, but here's a small taste of what's in store:

• Why your first draft will never be "brilliant" (and how to use that fact to show you the way forward)
• The attitude shift required at the start of any rewrite (it's an entirely different creative experience requiring a whole different approach)
• How to see what's in your draft objectively without judging yourself (there are no bad screenplays — only early drafts)
• How to use your first draft to identify what your new draft needs to be (once you grasp this, rewrites will be swift and effective every time)
• How to use those stray ideas you had during the Apply Phase (you might be surprised at the serendipity)
• Why enjoying the rewrite is the secret to a professional career (hint: anyone can spit out pages; it takes a pro to turn the mediocre into the extraordinary)
• The six layers of every screenplay (a powerful new framework that will encompass everything in your script)
• How to use the six layers to ensure a tight story that works (when you get how they're connected, it will make your rewriting fluid)
• Where in your first draft you've already hidden the solutions to your biggest problems (you'll never read an early draft the same way again)
• How to use the unexpected solutions your subconscious has given you (your brain is designed to continually ignite your own creativity)
• Why you'll never get lost at any point during the rewrite (the system gives you your bearings)
• How to push forward to completion even when it gets challenging (this tiny mental adjustment will change your whole approach to writing)
• How to choose between the infinite creative possibilities (having many great choices can be as difficult as having none — but there is a way to know which way to go)
• How to let unlimited choice inspire you rather than overwhelm you
• How to analyze your draft objectively (yup, objective and still creatively free)
• A simple system for planning your rewrite (and the misconception that sends most writers spinning in circles during the rewrite)
• Why your left- and right-brain must work together (it's essential to the creative process)
• How to determine how much work your project needs (this is one of the ways your work will speed up each time you use the system)
• What to do if the "big picture" needs a complete rewrite (and why you should never "start over" on a Page One rewrite)
• How to pull a more effective story out of a weak first draft
• How to pinpoint and solve structure flaws (without formulas or rules)
• How the pace of your story reveals the areas that need attention (understanding this leads eventually to intuitive mastery)
• The underused way to dramatically enhance every element of your project (you'll be glad you were paying attention in the earlier phases)
• An enormous array of tools for making every scene picture perfect (pick what you need and save the rest for later)
• An extremely comprehensive dialogue improvement process (after this, you'll be loved for your dialogue — the reader might think your characters are in the room)
  
• How to redesign your characters to make audiences love them (more character options than you ever thought possible)
• How to find the hidden cause of areas that "just don't feel right" (it's like seeing an invisible layer of your story)
  
• How to see your story from an angle that gives you more story (this is probably a perspective you've never considered before)
• How to know when a scene needs to be cut (even if it's a brilliant scene)
• How to deal with the trauma of cutting a scene you love (hint: it won't be so bad when you know you can write brilliant scenes at will)
• Why most writers get "lost in the middle" (and how to avoid it)
• How to predict exactly how a producer will respond to your story (and how to use that revelation)
• How to experience your story through the audience's eyes (you'll find magical solutions to story problems)
• How to expand your view as your story expands (you'll be ready for the new challenges even as the ground shifts beneath your feet)
• The secret way to guarantee you're on the right track (and what to do if you're not)
• How the system's design makes a solid draft guaranteed (this is the ace up our sleeves that makes a pro career inevitable, if you just keep doing the next step)
• What defines a "solid" draft, and how to know you've reached it (and how to see it clearly when you've been over these words already)
• How to know when you're ready for the Tweak Phase (the answer is surprisingly simple)
• How to see complex solutions in minutes, and blast through the steps of the Strengthen Phase in days on every future project
  
  ...and we haven't even scratched the surface!
  
  
  

We turned all that
into this:

The entire rewrite process, step by step.

Believe it or not, there's never been a step by step approach to rewriting before (we know — we searched high and low to find one! The closest we've seen are is where they focus one by one on all the different aspects of screenwriting [such as "characters", "dialogue", etc]).

But here, you'll step through a brand new rewrite process with unlimited creative options and a clear path to completion, watching your earlier rewrite work flow into the later work. We'll leave no stone unturned, so you can have total confidence that you can always fix any trouble spot you have. You'll never get lost in the middle of a rewrite again.

 

The Strengthen Phase can be used as a stand-alone rewriting system. But because it builds on everything presented in the earlier phases, writers are strongly encouraged to start with a screenplay built through the Focus Phase and written using the Apply Phase approach.

When you're done here, you're ready for: