At producer and story analyst Karel Segers’ site, The Story Department, Jeff Kitchen discusses how to cut nonessential material by starting with the object of the script, the final effect that demonstrates it, and working methodically back to the beginning.
“… A dramatic plot in any genre should tend to have good cause and effect such that the first event causes the second, which causes the third, and so on through to the ending. Then you have a good forward flow and you eliminate dead spots that can lose your audience.
“You can create this tight plotting by working backwards from the ending, building from an effect back to its cause, thereby constructing an unbroken chain of events that helps keep the audience on the edge of their seats….”