Despite the long layoff between scripts, Coppola’s writing process has not changed a bit over the years. His most famous method is that once he begins a new script, he never goes back over pages to re-read or rewrite until he finishes the first draft. This unique process, which is often cited by his longtime friend George Lucas as the best rule about screenwriting he ever received, works for Coppola because it frees him of any doubts he may have about the work. « You have a lot of doubts when you read in unfinished fragments' », he explains.
Once he’s about 15 pages into his draft, Coppola will stop and, again, without going back and judging what he’s written, take stock as to where he’s going from here. « I might do a small step-outline from that point to a foreseeable point I’d like to get to, » he says. « Then, after maybe 60 pages in, I’ll do another step-outline that gets me through to the ending. » Though the outlines helps him get organized, he refrains from over-plotting. « I really don’t like working it all out in advance, » Coppola continues. « I want the actual working on it to give me more flavors and allow intervention to take place during the actual writing sessions that I do. »
From the May-June 2009 issue of Creative Screenwriting Magazine.
