Then I go back and start tweaking. Rewriting. Moving things around. Layering one story line on top of the other. And this all takes a long time. Even when I'm finished, I know it's not. I know I'll go back tomorrow and think to myself, How did I miss that? That sounds horrible. Or, suddenly new voices, new turns show themselves that I hadn't seen before, hadn't even a clue for.
I just had the delightful experience of working on Mill 6 Collaborative's The T Plays in Boston. In one day, in less than twelve hours, you have to write a finished ten-minute play. What made it so scary for me is how that is the antithesis of how I work. I know most writers write more slowly than that, but I'm really a nitpicker. But rewriting was not allowed, or not substantial rewriting (your actors would have either committed suicide or homicide, one of the two.) So, what I wrote stayed what I wrote.
And when I finally saw the play produced--it was called Striking Out the Peanut Man--I was happy. Very happy. The director's hand was clearly seen, and the actors nailed what I wanted to say. But I still walked out thinking, what I changed the ending slightly, like this? Or, what if I changed that?