TAKING NOTES

I get excited when I receive notes. I love to see what others think of my work, what they like, more importantly, what they didn't like and I can't wait to get into my next draft. But not everyone takes notes well. Here's how to do so.

Now some of this will be familiar, especially if you read my previous blog about seeking criticism. But it doesn't hurt to reinforce what I've said before, so here goes.

MINDSET

Firstly, notes are not a personal attack on you as a writer. They are not even a personal attack on your screenplay. They are simply a guide. This is how they should be viewed, as a helping hand and not a nuisance or unwanted invasion you have to put up with. Embrace them.

Never react badly publically to your notes. You might scream and swear vengeance in the solitude of your office, but don't do it in front of the script editor or the reader and certainly not on social media. Be polite and gracious at all times.

THE TWO TYPES OF NOTES

1 - Script Editor - A script editor works for the producer of the show and will work with several writers at a time. It's their job to make sure what the writer is delivering what the producer wants, that it not only fits with the tone of the show as a whole but also the characters and their motivations as well.

A bad script editor will try and rewrite your screenplay for you, even down to individual lines of dialogue.

A great script editor will tell you something's not working and ask you to take a look at it. Maybe a scene doesn't pack the punch the producer was expecting. The script editor will ask the writer to take another look and see if they can boost the scene's impact.

If you get bad, intrusive notes like the first example then contact the script editor, politely inform them how you would prefer to receive your notes and ask them about each of their notes and the reasons and thinking behind them. If they've rewritten a fight into one of your scenes because it lacked conflict, then go back and take another look at it and see if you can find another way to bring the conflict in.

Of course, these are the two extremes and you'll probably find most script editors fall somewhere in between the two.

2 - Reader - A reader works for the writer. It's not their job to impose their version of the writer's idea on them, but to understand what the writer is trying to do and help them toward that goal. They do this by pointing out things the writer might have missed and suggest alternatives for the writer to make their own changes. They will let the writer do the work and will just point them in the right direction.

WHAT SHOULD YOU LISTEN TO?

As previously discussed in the seeking criticism blog, it's advisable to pay close attention to the issues that pop up more than once and to deal with them. The issues that are only mentioned once might not be so important and if you feel they don't work for your screenplay then you can drop them.

Whether you're working with a script editor or a reader it's up to you what you choose to implement and what you don't. Don't be too eager to action every single note. Also don't be too eager to dismiss them all as well. Read them, read them again and then pick the ones you think will work. But remember though, if you're working with a script editor you had better have a valid reason for why you don't agree with some notes and it's always best to discuss these reasons with them before you start your rewrite.

Happy writing!

ACTIVELY SEEKING CRITICISM

Why would you want to actively seek criticism? Why would you want to listen to people telling you where you went wrong and what they dislike about your work? Wouldn’t it be better to focus on the positives? Actually, it wouldn’t and here's why.

If you want to improve as a writer you need to know where you’re going wrong. Actively seeking criticism helps you to achieve that. But it needs to be the right kind of criticism and from the right people. Here are some handy tips to getting the best feedback for your work.

THE RIGHT PEOPLE

That’s right, I said people, as in more than one person. Why? Because when you have more than one person giving you feedback the serious problems with your screenplay will be highlighted by at least two, if not all of them. It’s those issues that crop up more than once which are the ones that urgently need fixing. But who do you ask?

Avoid family and friends. Why I hear you ask? Because they won’t be objective and objectivity and honesty are what you want here. The people you should be asking are your writing peers, those with a bit of experience or training. Three should be sufficient.

YOUR APPROACH

Contact them and first offer to read and give feedback on their work. They will be more inclined to help you if you offer to help them first. Second, tell them you only want to know what’s WRONG with your screenplay and not what is right. Ask them to be brutally honest with you and assure them you can take whatever they throw at you.

IT’S NOTHING PERSONAL

Whatever they say about your work don’t take it to heart. It's not about you, it's about your screenplay. The aim here is to find out what doesn’t work, not to stroke your ego. So keep a clear head and look at what they’ve said and what they mean with an objective eye.

If someone says they hate something, go back to them and ask them to explain why. The more information you have the more prepared you are when you settle down to get on with your rewrite.

COLLATE FEEDBACK

Read through the reports at least twice and on the second time take notes of the points that crop up more than once. These are the main problems with your screenplay and have to be dealt with. Ignore them at your peril.

What you do with the minor points, those that are only mentioned by one of your readers is up to you. I’m not saying they’re not important but they may have only been highlighted because of the reader’s personal preferences, rather than because the screenplay is worse off because of them. However, my advice would be to look at all of your notes, decide which ones you think are relevant and action them.

REWRITE

When you’re finished do it all again. Try to repeat this at least three times, more if you can. The more you rewrite the better your screenplay will be. Don’t be a fool and send it out to producers before it’s ready, it won’t do you any favours.

IMPROVEMENT

Do the same for every screenplay you write. Don’t become complacent with this. If you do this religiously you’ll soon find the problems with your screenplays lessen and the quality of your work will increase rapidly.

Happy writing!

SPINNING PLATES

I'm busy. Very busy. I'm working on four projects, three for producers and one for a competition. All are due this month. It would be easy to tie myself up in knots. But I'm getting stuff done. And it's all down to planning.

The first is due by the 9th. Well actually it's due by the 10th, but I want it done the day before so it's ready in time and there's no last-minute rush. The second, a rewrite of a feature, is due on the 31st. The other two can be done anytime this month, as long as they're handed in by the 31st.

The most important one is the one due on the 9th. This is the one I have to spend the most time on this week. So 50% of my writing will be concentrating on that. That's my mornings taken care of then.

The next most important project is the feature. So 50% of my afternoon after lunch is set aside for that. The other 50% I'll work on one of the other projects, the one nearest completion, to keep it ticking over. There's no point working on all four at the same time. It's difficult enough working on three at the same time. I don't want to be running around in circles worrying about four projects and not actually getting anything done.

When the script with the earliest deadline is done, I can then spend my mornings working on the feature and my afternoons on the final two projects. Job done!

However, if it's obvious I'm not getting enough done on the first screenplay, then I'll drop the third and spend 75% of my day on it and 25% on the feature rewrite. It's important to be adaptable.

So if you're struggling with several projects at once, all with impending deadlines, work out a simple timetable, putting the most urgent ones first and spending the most time on them. All that work doesn't have to be daunting. It's all about priority and not overloading yourself.

Happy writing!