I've done Scriptfrenzy five times - the target is 100 pages. I write 100 pages. I dunno, probably my journalist training - have to write to length for every article. Did a two pager a couple of days ago for a competition - I'd spent days planning it in my head. It came in at 1.5 pages which gave me some leeway to expand. Having said that cutting is a zillion timres easier than padding - and the result has to be better.

There's no such thing as optimal figures. Not even a writer's block can prevent anyone willing enough from reaching (or methodically seeking, btw) a result. Motto - Write what you MUST. And stick it all up to accidental instinct & cumulative thoughts. First to last.

Agree with Steve - padding is hell. It always ends up feeling like what it is - padding. I always work to a beat sheet/ sequence outline. Nearly always come in at about 115 - deliver the draft at about 105. Just always seems to work that way.

Obviously it depends on the story, but my first drafts tend to be approximately 135 pages. I don't plan my first draft. I usually have only a vague idea and let it rip. I can usually get it down to 120 in the second draft and then aim for 100-110 in subsequent drafts. However, I find myself in a constant battle to create lots of white space on the page, small but dynamic blocks of action and concise dialogue and still keep a complex and interesting story with lots of events and twists and turns without it turning into a behemoth of 200 pages.

Lydia, I had a whole reply to you, but it got eaten. Summing up: One way to cut pages and create white space is approach scene description as poetry, not prose. Fewer words. Strong descriptors. Active verbs. See two posts on poetry and scene description I wrote in 2008: here and here. Also remember: We do not need to write in complete sentences. We can write phrases, even one word to describe a moment. Free from the 'tyranny' of traditional grammar! Another reason to read lots and lots of scripts by professional writers, expose yourself to multiple styles to help inform the shaping of your own voice.

I've found that it gets easier with each draft of a script that I write. I also find that with every new script I start, I write more economically than the previous. It's a learning curve.

I always write short first drafts, right around 90 pages. The first time I submitted pages for feedback I was politely informed that my 9-page scene of two guys talking and squinting at each other was "stupid long". Ever since then I stick to my beatsheet and am paranoid about keeping scenes short. I'll cut about 80% of that first draft and write new pages and get to up around 105. New characters, new scenes. It doesn't feel like padding. I believe it is necessary to create plenty of new stuff to really be considered a rewrite. If all I do is trim scenes and cut pages then it is more like a polish.

Hi Gabe, "I believe it is necessary to create plenty of new stuff to really be considered a rewrite. If all I do is trim scenes and cut pages then it is more like a polish." Exactly. But this approach applies even to very long scripts that must be cut down. It's not just about getting a 140 page script down to 110 by any means necessary. There is also rewriting involved. I'm working on a script at the moment which was at 133 pages. I cut it down to 117 in the second draft but I've now decided to excise the main protagonist altogether and place one of the lesser protags into the centre of the story because I prefer that character and she works better as the engine of the story. This essentially changes the entire dynamic and arc of the script so will require new scenes and new ideas. The next draft may hit 133 again. But I'll trim it back down. But of course, it's whatever works for the individual. You can't force yourself to work a particular way just because a book or course tells you to. It won't feel right and will show on the page.