Weird thing about rewriting: some scenes you write make you laugh each time you read them.

I’m just hoping it’s because they’re genuinely funny, and not just because of my peculiar sense of humour.

But there are some scenes that I now look at with a sense of dissatisfaction. Trouble is, I’m not sure if it’s just that I’m too familiar with them, or they’re really not that good.

Scary thing is, they’re right at the beginning. And I know how important it is to give your characters a good introduction. Scary indeed!

So today I printed out the list of scene headings from Scenewriter (I’m too cheap to have Final Draft) and put little smiley faces next to the scenes I really really liked. The smiles are all around the middle – which bodes well for my act 2 – but I need some really big ones at the beginning.

I was also thinking about what I quoted yesterday about set pieces. I think I’ve got what you’d call a set piece, at least I think it is.

I’m really going to be a lot clearer once I’ve finished this first rewrite and sent the script out to a few people to read. Not decision-makers, mind you. That could be disastrous. No, my script reading list will include:

• Selected colleagues at Skip’s Hollywood hangout
• My fellow workshoppers from the Paul Margolis workshops (including Paul)
• An actor friend who said he could organise a table read. That will be fantastic!

People who know movies, know the industry, and can help me avoid shooting myself in the foot.