Notes on Notes, Part 1

[My search for the ultimate title continues, with thanks to the creative contributors who've weighed in so far (see post below) and meanwhile...]

Unavoidable truth: one writes to be read (in the screen trade, one writes to be produced), and thus inherent in the tacit contract between writer and reader is an understanding that on some level, the reader's opinion matters (it certainly matters when said reader may be paying for what you're writing).  Otherwise, why not just write for your own edification and leave it at that? 

You could, if you're say, J.D. Salinger, decide that you don't give a rat's ass what anybody else thinks of your work and stop showing it to the world at large, but that's a very distinctive brand of confidence born of having written The Catcher in the Rye, and not having to like, make a living from your current work.

Assuming that Mr. Salinger is not a Living RomCom subscriber, I address these brief ruminations to the rest of us, thinking that there may be among you other poor souls, in addition to myself, who have to grapple with that scary-but-benign specter known as notes. 

I should acknowledge here that as a studio analyst, personal script consultant, and writing teacher, I give other people notes for a living.  I'm posting these thoughts both for the edification of other writers and to remind myself of some basic note-taking principles, since it's a lot harder to take notes than to give them.  (That a subplot in the novel I'm presently revising has to do with a writer taking notes and applying them to his project is a po-mo meta-irony that has not escaped me, not that it helps.)

#1: It's not about you (or, Consider the source)

Come to think of it, even old J.D. Salinger had to deal with notes, in a sense; critics at the time of its publication evinced dissatisfaction with his novella Seymour, An Introduction -- for the record, inarguably his weakest work -- and Salinger's response was surprisingly immature: he didn't take the notes, but instead took his toys and went home [So there!] and has published nothing since, while reportedly continuing to write.  One wonders just how happy this has made him, over the past 50-0dd years.

Seems to me that Salinger got tripped up on a fundamental misunderstanding re: the "notes" his novella received.  Evidently, having believed his good press, he took his bad press very seriously.  It looks like he took the notes personally.  Bad idea!

The thing is, you are not your work, no matter how invested in it you are.  The work has a life of its own, and it's been written to a purpose.  The best defense against misunderstanding the inherent truism here (you write to be read and/or to be bought) is to remember that it's not about you.  Consider the source: who is reading the material, and what is their purpose in reading it?  What do they want from your work?

I know -- weird notion, this stepping outside your own POV.  Because generally, there really is only one thing a writer wants, when he or she hands in a draft: we want to hear that it's wonderful, it's perfect, and that we don't need to change a thing. 

This never happens.

Opinions are like opposable thumbs -- everyone's got one or two of them, and subjectivity is the coin of the realm, so it stands to reason that Reader and Writer will not necessarily agree on how complete a supposedly completed draft may be, or how effective. 

Thus, the experienced writer comes to understand that the basic rule in taking a note is simply to take it, no matter how outraged one may feel about it; you write down the note, and if necessary you say something noncomittal that sounds amenable ("That's an interesting idea" is a time-honored, fail-safe thing to say that says nothing, while inferring potential agreement).

Then, after the fact, after you've had a stiff drink and/or gone to the shooting range, i.e. done whatever venting exercise you deem necessary to regain your sanity, it's a good idea to put on the shoes of the reader, so to speak, and determine -- unless this has already been made explicit -- what the reader is really asking for and why.

Screenwriters work in an industry where the ego is all too often at the wheel, and we too often experience what we could call the Lightbulb issue (Q: How many development executives does it take to screw in a lightbulb?  A: Does it have to be a lightbulb?).  So sometimes a note is merely an excuse for a Useless Executive to piss on your project, as a dog marks territory.  Depending upon the power dynamic (i.e. how much you really need this gig) you can deal with such nonsense as you see fit; one useful response when faced with a truly absurd Lightbulb suggestion is, "Interesting!  Um... and how does that solve the problem we're having, exactly?"

More often than not, the Exec is actually trying to be helpful -- helpful, that is, in accordance with his or her specific agenda.  If they're a studio exec, they have very different needs from a given project than say, an indie producer has.  One of your jobs as a writer is to understand why your reader wants what they want.  Railing about the seeming insanity of a note, or resisting its logic simply because it's not what you had in mind, is wasted energy -- unless, of course, you're ready and willing to pull a Salinger: have a hissy fit and walk.

Awful truth about the development process?  More often than not They (this infamous They who don't get it, who are morons, who have no taste, etc.) are not, in fact, idiots.  They're entitled to their opinion (especially if you've paid them for a consult, or if they own the project in question), and if you've signed on with them, we have to assume that you (being no idiot) have a reasonable idea about who you're dealing with and what their agenda may be.

Realizing that you are not what's being critiqued, and that you must know the nature of the source of the critique, is crucial to your understanding of how to go about solving the problem -- hopefully in a way that will satisfy you both.

Especially because -- I have learned this the hard way -- notes can be deceptive.  Even the most well-intentioned and intelligent note, in fact, may not at all address the real nature of the problem under discussion.

Tune in next time as we posit principle #2: Look beneath the note, and wind up with a third principle that will hopefully keep our wee writers' brains from exploding, when faced with the dreaded (but sometimes friendly) monster that is Notes.

 

Comments

[Martine]

"Quebec Bill" ???

[writergurl]

Ha! I got notes from Scriptshark when my script was selected as "script of the Month" on Triggerstreet. Frankly, the notes baffled me. I wound up getting my script (which is a romantic drama) compared with Gone with the Wind and Brokeback Mountain and THEN it was recommended that I NOT do a "thriller" (there was NO element of "thriller" in it!) and write it as a romantic comedy instead!

My reaction?

HUH?

Guess it just goes to illustrate the old adage... you get what you piy for. (My coverage was free.)

;)

[writergurl]

*pay for*

[mernitman]

Martine: Okay, you've stumped me -- who is "Quebec Bill" and what is he saying about me?

WriterGurl: "Brokeback Wind!" Now THERE's a title...

[binnie]

Isn't "Quebec Bill" a character in one of the scripts that illustrates your current blog post? I LOVE HIM!
Jet lag. Red-eye...

[E.C. Henry]

Timely post, Billy, as I just got some notes on a new script I've written.

Thanks for the J.D. Salinger history reminder, too. A lot of being a writer involves INCORAGING others to play with your toys, not giving them an easy out to dismiss your work.

As a amature, pre-pro writer, getting notes/coverage though services and script contests what I find most frustrating is the failure by those critiquing my work to properly identify the theme and universal appeal I'm striving to acheive is. If writer and reader can't agree on that, a reader's STORY suggentions aren't building towards the climax the writer is trying to bring the audience to. Point: when traveling with a partner their needs to be agreement where you're going on the map, or else chaos results.

Most times I feel like the people who read my work read part of it then it's like their own imagination takes over, and a story of different kind emerges, and the one I started with falls by the wayside.

(Sigh)

Ah, the frustration of dealing with fellow creatives...

But I do love the feedback. Writer's write to entertain. You can't script someone's honest, spontaneous reaction to something they've just experienced. Differences of opinion happen. I just need to to develope a heathy, professional, way of dealing with the critism that being a writer brings.

So keep 'em coming, Billy. This sponge is always looking to soak up a little more of your wisdom.

E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

[Scott the Reader]

Sometimes the best stories aren't the ones you start out with.

I've been on both sides. I've had people read my scripts, who helped me realize that there were better, more effective choices for the plotline of the script than the ones I was making. Others were just... wrong.

And hopefully I've helped other people see more of their story's potential as well. Though it's important for the note-giver and -taker to realize that, at the end of the day, it's all about the story that the writer wants to tell.

[chris soth]

All my work is perfect.

JD Salinger

(keep up the good posts!)

[writergurl]

As long as it's not "broken wind", I think we'll all be fine...

:)

[mernitman]

Thank you Binnie Holmes -- Another mystery solved.

Yes, isn't strange EC how everyone, to some degree, sees their own movie in everyone else's movie...

Scott: Absolutely. "The story the writer wants to tell" is the phrase all readers should bear in mind.

Weird, JD, but you sound just like Joe Eszterhas.

WriterGurl: Or "Broke and Winded."

[jess]

written notes tend to make me dizzy and usually cause me to slip into a coma for a day.

but the notes I get in school, such as:

"this sucks." "lame" and "that was sweet without having an ounce of smart in it"

usually send me to SEEK things to INDUCE a coma WITH.

[Martine]

I had never heard of "Quebec Bill" and was surprised to see the name in the illustration (the screenplay page) you added to your post.

The only Quebec bills I knew were more of this type:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/bill101/