I took a screenwriting workshop recently with Lex Gigeroff and it was excellent and inspirational in a lot of ways as Lex presents in a very dynamic and engaging manner.
Two important points that I took away from it which I have always believed is the importance of being open to constructive feedback and doing multiple drafts of one’s screenplay.
As Lex pointed out, even the most advanced writer has to deal with feedback and changes and be open to it all. He certainly is and he has quite a background in writing for television.
Lex also talked about writing the screenplay out fully on the first draft and then putting it away for a few weeks and not looking at it. Then, going back to it and taking it out of the drawer and going through it again. this can be done several times and it really does work as the person has a different perspective when they have not looked at what they’ve written for a while. Writing something great, takes writing, time and reflection, writing, more time and reflection….
If you are a screenwriter (doesn’t matter the level), please share your thoughts on your writing methodology and how open you are to constructive feedback. How many drafts do you do for you scripts?
cat
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May 20, 2010 at 4:22 pm
maelstrum
Hi Cat!
Blog, good idea!
On reflection and criticism in screenwriting, both are important, but they can be more difficult to come by than one might think!
Criticism is always a good thing. Accept that and you’ll take a huge step toward enjoying the collaborative nature of most scripting. Few writers have the luxury of writing only for their own productions. To make the most of criticism, however, there are two things that make criticism easier on a poor writer’s ego…
First, expect different levels of criticism from different readers. If you give your script to your mom, don’t expect comments on structure or technical issues. Expect any non-writer to be confused by all that INT/EXT, MOS, or whatever other stuff isn’t found on a prose page. Give your script to a fellow screenwriter, however, and expect a more technical response to your work. Everyone has something to contribute, but, you do yourself a favour if you’re active in the process.
When you give your script to anyone, chat with them first about what type of feedback you want. Non-industry readers respond really well to a series of questions they know they can answer: Which characters did you like/dislike? Which sections dragged for you? Was the ending satisfying? Would the first ten pages make you want to read the rest? Ask they to jot an asterisk on the edge of the page anywhere they found themselves thrown out of the story you were trying to tell, anywhere they were confused or didn’t “get” something. Emphasize that you aren’t asking them to fix any problems, or even justify why they put that star there, just indicate where there might be something to disturb the read.
Industry-saavy *writing* colleagues can answer different sets of questions for you. Be specific if you have specific questions. Be specific about what you expect overall. Do they need to bother fixing your typos, or can they concentrate on other things? They’ll understand when you ask if dialogue is fresh, or “too on the nose.” They’ll have a good feeling for where specific things should arise in a screenplay, have suggestions for reorganizing scenes, eliminating the “telling” parts.
On a second, different, level, if you’re getting “notes” on work from potential industry partners – actors, directors, producers, execs – who are, in effect, purchasing options or producing your work, remember that, while not writers, they all bring something to your resource table. If they make suggestions, ask questions they’ll understand to ensure you “get’ what they’re saying. An actor can help develop better dialogue, get you to the “showing” parts, and tell you when characters take a sudden U-turn that an audience might not have been prepped to accept.
All criticism is a gift.
Few people who take the time to read your work want to beat you up.
Remembering to take all criticism in context – who is offering it, and their perspective, AND that it is always an opportunity to strengthen the script, AND that you don’t have to apply everything you hear to your work – only what works for you, will make it easier to be objective about comments.
Reflection not only makes it easier to revise a script, but to get the most out of criticism. Let criticism settle for as long as realistically possible before jumping to put it to work. Sometimes, your first instinct is still right. Give yourself time to balance the alternatives before choosing.
Reflection is made easier in the drafting process if you have more than one project before you at a time. Working on your next project gives you the same sort of distance time does. It can also make you more productive and prolific. If morning is your best creative time, write new scenes then; use other parts of your day (or night) to address the first script. Having more than one iron in the fire at a time has the additional benefit of giving you more “babies” to care for. An “only child” script arouses your defensive instincts more than a script that is one of several in progress. Sure, you should be excited and invested in every script you write, but, you can manipulate your emotions a little if you can bring that enthusiasm to bear on several projects and not see criticism as an assault on your one script.
Cat asked how many drafts are average. Of course, there’s no rule to revisions. Over time, however, you may find it useful to approach each revision with a particular goal: strengthen dialogue in one pass, attack structure separately, hack away the dross when you’re feeling particularly positive about your overall plot. Approaching drafts with an overall plan makes the concept of gutting 120 pages at each go a little less daunting.
Of course, every process is different, so some, all, or none of this might apply to your individual project – hopefully though, you’ll find something in all this that makes the process a little less overwhelming!
Ngaire Genge
May 20, 2010 at 4:35 pm
nbfilmcoop
Thank you Ngaire, this is excellent feedback from a writer’s perspective.
June 3, 2010 at 8:17 pm
Gretchen Kelbaugh
I agree with the comments from both Cat and Ngaire. I’ve always tried to keep at least two screenwriters in mind to offer exchanges of scripts with. It’s time-consuming to give detailed notes, so it shouldn’t be something you ask lightly. Every time I ask for a read-through, I always offer to do the same.
For non-industry people willing to read a feature screenplay, I keep it simple. I ask readers to please note two things: boredom and confusion. If you can eliminate both of those, it must be fairly good. If they’re ticked off with something, that’s good to know, too.
I go through stages of being critiqued that are similar to grieving: shock, denial, anger, depression, and finally, (if the reader is good) acceptance. By the time I’m ready to incorporate those criticisms that I agree with, I’m excited to improve my script.
June 8, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Sandy Mackay
Great comments- i think this idea applies to all writing- fiction, poetry, songwriting, even grant proposal writing, if you have the luxury of time to put it away for weeks.
I agree too, with requesting criticism. “hey that’s great” won’t create improvements, but someone pointign out your typos will!
Can I send this blog post over to the Writer’ Federation?
June 8, 2010 at 7:14 pm
nbfilmcoop
Thanks for inputting Sandy, sure send it along.
best,
cat
February 18, 2011 at 9:02 am
Kory Blosser
Hello! This post could not be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this write-up to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!