I have received a lot of notes on my writing over the last few months. I feel very fortunate to have so many helpful and supportive people in my life. The notes, of course, helped to improve the scripts. They also improved my writing skills. Knowing where you excel and where you stink is extremely valuable knowledge! I believe that you need to "go with your gut", but when you are starting out it is good to get a measure of the accuracy of your intuition.
Yet, I had one continuous nagging feeling throughout the process. By the end it was clear to me that I don't give very good notes. I have always tried, but I seem to have fallen short (perhaps here would be a good place to put in an apology to those who have been on the receiving end of my note giving talents). I took notice of the notes I had been given and tried to figure out what made each helpful. I plan to use this information to improve my own skills.
screenwriting
Be Dauntless
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
2 comments:
Hmmm. You don't give good notes, yet the notes others give you have been very helpful.
My experience has been that hardly anyone is capable of providing professional-quality notes. By this I mean notes that reflect an awareness and understanding of both writing qualities and of marketing potential, someone who has considered these things enough and has sufficient experience to be able to separate out personal bias from what one might call Generally Accepted Professional Standards. What I see about 19 times out of 20 are notes based on personal tastes and individual preferences. This is the same as the marketing/opinion group approach that makes the corporate approach so hopeless.
But what do I know? Maybe you've got some really well-grounded people around you providing astute insights . . .
Oh, I agree with what you are saying. I did get notes that were "based on personal tastes and individual preferences". One person would love a scene and the next person would hate it. You have to do a lot of sifting to find the important stuff. But, I had several professional screenwriters give me notes, which may be the reason I received such a high number of truly helpful notes.
Yet, by reading both good and bad notes, I realized that I could improve the notes I give. I do not have the qaulifications to give "professional-quality notes". Yet, I can try to give the best notes that I am capable of giving.
Post a Comment