This is great advice. What I like to do while my script is marinating in the drawer is to start working on the story and/or outline of the next script I'm going to write. I find that immersing myself in the next story adds to the distance the two weeks (or a month) that the drawer buys me.

I agree with Steve, this is great advice. I use this in other types of writing as well.

In situations where I have to push out a draft without that two week window and/or review by a professional editor, am always dismayed at some sort of error that I find in my work after letting it sit for two weeks.

Sometimes there are typos that had been right in front of me but that I did not see. they pop out after I've givin my eyes a rest.

When the time comes to read it again after two weeks, print it out in a different font. Amazing what a difference that makes to freshening the perspective! Obviously, turn it back to Courier 12 before letting others see it...

A great advice.

But I would say a month.

Work with another idea in the meantime.

Did you really think we wouldn't notice that this is a cut-and-paste from December 2008?

@Wolf Lahti: I repeat posts from time to time because there are always new people to the blog. As you can see from the comments preceding you, this tip has been helpful information to some folks. But I'll update the post to reflect when it was originally posted.

Ah, but what if the script is already two weeks past deadline and a studio is impatiently waiting to read it? (And perhaps I am being less than hypothetical here) Do you dare send them your first draft?

@Matt. IF you are doing a script for hire on a tight timeline you owe it to yourself to at least have someone read over it for little mistakes like their instead of there or mixing up character names. That way you don't give someone something that is sloppy.