Skeleton Writing – The Bare Bones with Flavor

Have you ever seen a photo of a skeleton or seen one in person? I have and just like anthropologists, scientists and coroners, you can create a profile of your character from the bare bones with flavor.

What does that mean?

I’ve read many screenplays in my consulting career and still amazed how much description a character gets in the first pages of a screenplay. And most of the descriptions are irrelevant and don’t move the character’s arc or story forward. Not good.

It’s important to remember to give your characters a visual description – the bare bones with adjectives we can see in our minds. Then build your character, step by step, scene by scene, dialogue by dialogue, action by action based on those initial characteristics. This method brings your skeleton to life and it will be a compelling one.

Your work includes cutting unnecessary words and replacing them with more interesting ones. Use a thesaurus.

I can’t tell you how many times within a script I read: ‘He turns and looks.’ Boring. Why don’t you say, ‘His eyes widen. The mob loses control. His body shakes.’ Clear, visual with reaction. We know he has to do something. All done with bare bones exposition. It has flavor. If your character looks and turns, so what?

I’m also dismayed at the constant use of passive verbs in the many scripts I read. ‘He is sighing’. ‘She is looking’, ‘They are walking’.

Fugget about it. No one will get past your first few pages let alone option your work.

This is Writing 101.

Look at the skeleton of your character and gradually build him up. Take the time to imagine who your skeleton is and create a profile. Let us learn with you about your character on his journey to achieve his goal.

Most of you know all this already but many of you still don’t take the time to really know who your character is. It takes a while for those anthropologists, scientists and coroners to create their profiles and you should too, before you wonder why your work is not selling.

Don’t be lazy. Cut out the excess words. Use vocabulary that’s immediately visual and moves your character’s plot. That’s writing the bare bones with flavor that will give your skeleton a compelling story. I guarantee, only then, will your skeleton scream “I’m alive!” and buyers will hear it.

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The Interviews – Anatomy of a Short Film – Part III

Do you include interviews in your preparation to write a screenplay or book of any genre? I do but not all interviews are easy or easy to get. But I’m a big believer that one little stated tidbit, significant or not, just might change your perspective in a split second of how you’ll approach writing your topic. And that’s exciting!

I love interviewing. I ask a lot of questions. To anyone. Anywhere. All the time. My dad told me long ago I should have been a lawyer. He still tells me but I digress.

The easy part of interviewing when researching your topic is simply contacting a writer of an article you read or another kind of source and dig a little deeper into what the writer already stated. After all, the that writer has done the research. And these kinds of writers always want to talk about their published work. Or in the case of my thriller script, I simply picked up the phone and had a 5 minute conversation with a police detective to verify proper procedure for a unique situation regarding a restraining order. For my project, ORBS, I’ll get interviews and firsthand experience with the flying lights when I visit locations renowned for their constant presence. I can’t wait. You can’t write more effectively than first-hand experience.

But what if your topic is someone else’s true story? Here’s the thing…when it comes to interviewing for a true story, it’s not that easy, especially when it’s a sensitive topic as suicide or attempted suicide, broken relationships, murder, medical neglect, abuse, etc.

People don’t like to be questioned…there are secrets, discomfort, exposure and these days, danger in what may be revealed. But there is also joy in being able to open up about buried feelings, to be credited for revealing facts about someone you love that will help him or her.

But there is always…fear. The stomach of the interviewee tightening, the brain wondering if the true story will be accurately portrayed or if too much is being said, the heart palpitating that this is just too personal or painful and will my loved one be angry with me? Let them process these feelings, give them time and don’t push them to respond to you. They will eventually.

I’m currently interviewing key players for my next project – a true event. It’s an inspirational story. You’ll tear up. It’s a very personal story and it’s not mine. So far, my interviews are fabulous, honest, emotional, factual, detailed. But it took longer than I wanted to finally get 2 of 3 key people to consent to an interview. I admit I was nervous they would decline, that maybe it’s too difficult a topic for them to talk about and fear they may be perceived negatively. But, after I explained they are very important people in the life of their loved one, that the story must be told accurately, and sharing a couple of questions I would ask, they felt comfortable and agreed. Patience IS the key.

I share with you below the most effective steps to get, conduct and conclude an interview:

1. Introduce yourself, preferably in person. This starts a relationship. Give them your card.( I made it a point to attend an event specifically to meet the family of the individual
whose story I optioned). Phone is the next choice.
2. On your initial or follow up call, explain what you are doing and what you would like to ask them.
3. Inform them they will be videotaped so that there will be no discrepancies in what is said thus avoiding the “I didn’t say that” declaration. This is why it’s always best to
interview in person more than writing/recording phone conversations.
4. Set the date, time and location where they will feel most comfortable
5. Let them know they will need to sign a release form (there are many sample forms to choose from online) that allows you to use their words, likeness (i.e., as character) and that
you have the right to alter dialogue or actions to fit what’s best to tell the story. I call it creative license but I explain to the interviewee that sometimes reality doesn’t
always translate well on screen. I have never had a problem with anyone signing.
6. Write out all your questions you want answered and don’t forget to take them with you.
7. When taping, just have a conversation. Let them speak. They will tell you more than they planned. Your questions are just a guide. Don’t overdo it.
8. At interview’s end, thank them and ask permission to contact them for a follow up or clarification. Make sure they have your contact info. Then leave.
9. They may request a transcript and/or copy of the video. Get it to them ASAP.

Have patience during the interview process. They’ll talk. You’ll get what you need and you’ll have far better story to tell than what you originally thought.

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The Option – Anatomy of a Short Film – Part II

What’s the best way to secure an option, especially for a true story? With patience and a vision that matches the essence of not only what you see but what the true character sees and wants to convey.

Let’s first talk about patience. I once had to wait eight months to renew an option I already had with a script ready based on a bestselling book. Long story why this happened but patient? I had no choice but that doesn’t mean I didn’t constantly pace across my floor in front of the phone cursing all that time. After all, two years had already been put into this project and waiting for the renewal to move forward was hard on my brain to work on other projects but I did.

Ultimately, it turned out the author never mentioned he didn’t own all the rights to his own book plus he was pissed off a studio didn’t immediately buy it. Deal over and, interestingly, so was the author’s career. You can’t hide things. As you must know, the truth always reveals itself in time. It’s difficult working with egos and people who don’t know how the business of film works. Some things are just not meant to be. You just gotta be patient and move on.

Which is what I did with my latest project: a short film option with signatures to produce write and direct. Finally. Patience paid off.

There were delays securing the rights to this true event in the life of an extraordinary, intelligent, creative man. One: he had a brain bleed of some kind and, as one of many results, it’s difficult for him to read. What does that mean? It means he relies on trusted friends to read contracts, lengthy emails, etc. for him and report and/or advise. Not always a good thing because sometimes it may become a “what’s in it for me” syndrome or the reader(s) just don’t understand the contract (which is why I advised them to have an entertainment lawyer review it which did not happen.) After some time passed, my Executive Producer intuitively knew one or more ‘readers’ might be delaying this without the knowledge of my optioned man. And thanks to my Executive Producer who wrote a couple of emails, my subject called and I signed the deal.

Ah, Patience!

But the deal occurred for a more profound reason: My subject and I were in sync on several levels:

1. We share the same vision of how his story and character should be portrayed.
2. I agreed to his script approval (an unusual stipulation). He deserves that and sometimes you gotta give.
3. We share the same inspiration to tell his story.
4. We know this story will help others. It’s so extraordinary.
5. We know that how we came together to tell his story was simply meant to be.

Patience and a shared vision in both character and story. Success.

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Passion Pitch

How many requests do you get for a script read from your pitches? I get a lot now. Why?

Passion.

It’s that simple if a producer, manager, agent or financier is looking for your genre.

What is passion? It’s being excited about what makes your story unique and why audiences will not only love it but relate to it. And you MUST convey that passion.

I’ve attended many pitch events as well as pitching via phone, fax or email and I almost always get a script request. That’s because I exude passion in my speech and language. But it took a while to really know how to do it and I’ve learned a lot.

At events where I sat at a table with a group pitching to one or more producers, what I often notice is how monotone writers are when pitching their story. What do I mean by monotone? It’s starting your pitch the same way as everyone else: Title, genre, “It’s about…” without any compelling change in voice level or adding a unique phrase with excitement that really engages their listeners or changing your serious facial expressions.

Here’s an example: At one event table with 5 of us pitching to one producer, I was the third to pitch. This producer heard all pitches before commenting on each one but he didn’t go in order. When it was my turn, he looked at me and said: “I’ll come back to you.” Uh oh. Not good after hearing his comments to others: “You don’t seem excited”, I could hardly hear you,” “I’m not sure you know your story”, “What excites you about this story?” ugh.

To backtrack a moment, the project I pitched was a Shakespeare rom-com adaptation. First of all, the name Shakespeare is an immediate turn off because it translates as expensive period piece which is not a popular genre. With preparation help from the brilliant producer and pitch guru Gary Shusett, I opened my pitch with the idea that I had partnered with the most famous author in the world who loved my idea about adapting his work in a way that had never been done before. Of course, the producer wanted to know who my partner was but I didn’t tell him until I revealed what was unique about my project: that this was a contemporary (and I emphasized ‘contemporary) adaptation set in New York where many of his characters finally meet each other for the first time. “I bet you want to know who the author is, right?” I asked with a teasing smile. His eyes lit up. Of course he did. I revealed it was Shakespeare and he laughed just as he should for a rom-com pitch. Then I really turned on the passion with my next line:

“How great is that????” I said with excitement, throwing up my hands. “We always see an adaptation of only one of his plays but his characters have never met! But they will now!” His eyes lit up.

When the producer finally came back to me to comment, my anxiety rose: “I loved your pitch and your project but we’re not looking for rom-coms.” Heart sag on my part. He continued. “But I love your passion. It was natural and your excitement made me excited. I will remember you. You should all learn from her,” as he pointed to everyone.

Even though he did not take the project, he will support it in some way in the future even if it’s by word of mouth. By the way, I did get a known producer attached later at that same event.

This passion can also be found in written form by choosing words that fit your genre (i.e. you must make people laugh if you’re writing a comedy without having to tell them it’s a comedy) and use out of the box phrasing like I did with “How great is that???” that will pop out, excite and engage your reader.

Yes, pitchers are nervous including me. Apply your nervousness in positive, excited pitches by changing your vocal levels, facial expressions, gestures and unique pitch beginnings. You all want to pitch well and sell your project (and that does come across all too often) but if you lack passion, no one will be passionate about your project.

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Outline of The Jigsaw Puzzle

Do you outline your screenplay or story before writing it? I do but not always. I think outlining is an art unto itself and found it to be just like putting together the whole picture of a jigsaw puzzle.

I love doing jigsaw puzzles. I see the whole picture on the box and it’s just a matter of juggling the pieces around to make it work. I’m sure you can see the analogy to the outline process. But everyone has their own way of doing them. Here’s my way:

I start with the straight edges…the absolutes. The straight edges of my outlines are the opening scene and the last scene. Those are my absolutes.

I write down a first scene that visually pops, introducing my main character, location and tone of the genre. This scene sometimes includes the protagonist’s goal and/or conflict as well.

The last scene, my other absolute, is where I want my protagonist to end up. This scene identifies that the character’s goal has been reached and where it’s taken the character to imagine what happens beyond the finished edge. The protagonist has become what the audience rooted for all along.

Now it’s filling in the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to get the whole picture.

I re-read my first scene then list all the possible actions, reactions, unique obstacles and emotions the protagonist could experience to complete his/her arc and reach her goal. I usually end up with an average of 80 possibilities, some of which are completely outrageous. Thank God because those outrageous ones quite often turn out to be those unique actions, reactions, obstacles and emotions that make the story stand out.

Then the fun begins…fitting those listed pieces, arranging and rearranging them to complete my picture with a convincing story and character arc.

Once the puzzle is complete, wow! You can actually get a sense of the big picture. Writing the first draft will be easy and knowing where and how your character ends up, you will see what pieces fit and what pieces don’t belong in the picture.

I haven’t always done outlines but sometimes I’ve needed to and realized that putting puzzle pieces together, figuring out what goes where, problem solving, asking questions and being so detailed (to the annoyance of family members) is what I love doing. Even though my dad always told me I should have been an attorney, all this figuring out stuff has been a great satisfaction in life for me especially when I see the masterpiece of my own jigsaw puzzle.

Take time to make yours.

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Anatomy of a Short Film – Part I

Have you thought about writing, producing and/or directing a short film? I have and starting the project this week. With the current economical disasters, doing a short film is a fantastic venture to invest in, especially for those who want to break into the biz.

Short filmmaking will allow you to be credited as a writer, producer, director and be recognized as such all over the world and it starts like everything else…a dream and a great, compelling story. This is Part I of my adventure into making my first short film: the story and script. (I’ll be discussing all elements of making a short film in future articles.)

Although I’ve always been involved making major theatrical films with a side trip into a TV newsmagazine series, I never really considered doing a short film…until a couple of weeks ago when the most extraordinary true story fell into my lap. I took it as a sign that there’s an unexplainable reason that it’s me that must bring this inspirational story to the world and it’s an exciting opportunity for me to put a director’s hat on for the first time.

Want to know what it is? That’ll have to wait as I’m in the middle of securing the rights.

I’ve studied a lot lately about making short films and have watched several in the past few weeks, especially Oscar winners. The basics are the same as in features: you need a script, financing, crew, etc. But I believe that a short film is actually harder to write and must ultimately be written and filmed with a coherent, visual, meaningful, tighter story line than features (meaning there’s less flexibility to flush out story and character in short films).

Notice the word ‘story line’ is singular. That’s because in a short film and even a short story, the primary focus is on one character, one story, one complete arc, one event in a short amount of time. Sure, other characters are usually involved whose arcs can also be complete but, in a short film, it’s rare to see a secondary character with a complete arc unless it’s helped out by the protagonist.

So, as I begin writing my short film, I know that I must, unfortunately, discard so many magical, beautiful elements I want to include in this story. After all, I want my film to be 15 minutes or less. Better for festival consideration. That means, ideally, a 15-25 page script with money to spend in filming extra “potentially necessary” scenes that may be needed in editing. (I’ll be talking about financing and all other elements in future articles.)

The short of it all is that because of time limitations in a short film, your characters cannot save the world like they do in full-length features. But, they can save themselves from a moment of danger or potential death in a quick decision within a few minutes of story line that will inspire us to help save our world from disaster.

Interestingly, writing a short film script has helped tighten my feature length scripts. I encourage you to take a look at doing a short film project as one way to break in to the biz and heighten your talent in tightening your longer scripts or short stories.

I’d love to hear your comments on your experiences with making short films.

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Motivations vs. Traits

Do you know what your character’s motivation is and what combined traits are attached to convincingly have the character reach his/her goal? Hope so. If not, there’s no character arc, sensible action or reason for an audience or reader to care.

Motivation = Goal. Most writers already know that a character needs a motivation (a goal) and must use the most effective character trait combination to help the character reach that goal with an audience rooting for him/her. But it’s not an easy task to do that and something I struggled with in my early days of writing.

When you begin to write a screenplay or novel, you know what story you want to tell and at least who your protagonist is. You also know how you want your story to end – the protagonist reaches his/her goal.

So, before you start writing, make a list of what motivates your character by answering these key questions: What is your character’s goal? What is the one thing your character wants and will get by the end of the story? What goal does your protagonist have that takes him/her on a journey where nothing will stop him/her from getting it?

Here’s some suggestions:
Love
Success
Acceptance by peers
Save the world from disaster
Invent an antidote for all cancers
Achieving their dream career like writing

Now these are general suggestions but they are goals that motivate. Whatever the goal is, your characters must reach it by story’s end and they will, regardless of their obstacles, if you give them the right trait combination.

Traits are adjectives and there are plenty in a thesaurus and the Bible. You must ask yourself what kind of person your character is. I’m not talking about profession although you would probably know what you want your character to be. I’m talking about personality. Are they:

Driven? Relentless? Lazy? Creative? Witty? Courageous? Indispensable?

Whatever 2 or 3 traits you use for your protagonist, it is something inside each trait (action, reaction, etc.) that will lead your protagonist to reach his/her goal. And you must be consistent and the trait must make sense.

In addition to your key traits, you must have your character’s fatal flaw listed. What is a fatal flaw? It’s the one trait that will make or break your character. If you are stuck on determining a fatal flaw and other traits, start with the 7 deadly sins (the flaw that must change) and their opposite traits to achieve:

*Pride – change to Humility (Does she pride herself in helping others so much that she neglects her own needs – getting by with very little – hiding her true self – thus an obstacle to finding love?)

*Sloth – change to Diligence (Does he just go along with the flow, ignoring his own feelings? Denying his anger perhaps? Doesn’t take sides in a fight between colleagues? Overlooked in a job everyone knows he deserved?) Fearful of not finding love? He will have to take action and risks which will lead him to achieve his goal)

*Wrath – change to Patience (courageous but always right – perfect – upset she’s not getting what she wants – a yes or no character – avoids criticism – She must accept the imperfections of the world, in people and herself)

*Gluttony – change to Temperance (does he resist everything? Avoids being alone with himself – Constantly distracted: avoids commitment – no wonder he hasn’t yet achieved his goal)

*Envy – change to Kindness (Jealous, angry that others have a richer life – life or death for her – extreme emotions – loves the drama of life – self-pity – no laughter – well, that’s all got to change. She must appreciate life around her and what she has and be happy with it, realizing the world will still be there for her…)

*Greed – change to Charity (That’s easy. Who wants to be around a greedy, selfish person except the person? Who would want a lover like that? Who wants to work with someone who just keeps everything to himself? The character will have to open up, open his window instead of keeping it shut if he is to achieve his goal and actually find out what he’s missing out on)

*Lust – change to Chastity (a lust for everything: power, love, control. Not an easy character to get along with – doesn’t want to share. Ugh. She loses a lover, confident in her fight to get him back her way, gets things done and goes after what she wants – determined – could be a good thing in the long run but she needs to learn to compromise and stop resisting that her way is the only way even though she may be fighting for a good cause)

Did you notice how several of the traits not only intersect each other but different combinations result in different ways of reaching goals?

Are the flaws and traits you choose the best choices for your character to heroically reach his/her goal, in life or death, and not be hated for it? Hope so.

If not, resolve the motivation-trait battle and let us root for your character and relate to your character’s conquered journey of change.

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Listen To Your Words

Do you ever read your words aloud with a group? I do. It’s essential whether it is a book or screenplay. Why? You’ll hear everything good and bad in your work: pacing, dialogue rhythm, wordiness and you’ll get great feedback regarding characters and everything else from potential audience members and readers.

One of my first scripts was an adaptation of a New York bestseller – a historical biopic set in the 1920s, a beautifully written book, clear and visual characters and action. I was in heaven! It seemed so easy to adapt into a screenplay and I knew mine was great when finished until I heard the script read aloud.

Before I get into that, let me give you an idea how I set up this reading event. I had about 28 roles to cast and needed readers to do it for free. So I made a list of all my associates, friends, actor friends, actor friends’ friends, wannabe actor friends, wannabe actor friends’ friends, wannabe friends of actors, etc. From that list, I highlighted the names I knew to be great readers then eventually, through process of elimination per availability, etc., the script was cast (although I combined small roles to 2-3 individuals).

Scripts were sent out to each reader ahead of time (costly snail mail back then but now it’s the free PDF version. Phew!). Sending readers the script ahead of time gives them the opportunity to highlight their dialogue and practice, take notes, etc. if they want. I don’t worry about ideas being stolen as there’s not much I can do about that except make sure the script has already been sent to copyright and the WGA which, of course, mine always are.

So why should all these people agree to read for free? Many reasons.

1) I’m a great cook and I have a huge buffet ready to be devoured after the reading.
2) Actors want roles (and they may mention the script to an agent, producer, director or other connection).
3) Non-actor readers get to meet actors and could be extras in the film.
4) Good practice to read aloud.
5) People love being a part of these kinds of events: meeting new friends, connections and being part of a
creative experience.
6) It’s always a laugh to see the ham come out in all of us – an escape from reality.
7) We learn about how to make our writing the best it can be to sell.

The day arrived and cast members filled up my living room (which thankfully spilled out on to a deck), drinks in hand, and the reading began. I was the narrator.

By the 5th page, I knew that I was in trouble. Exposition way too wordy and slowed the pace. I got bored. A lot of dialogue felt unnatural, held back, words/idioms inappropriate for the era, not progressing the story, boring. Lead characters were too one-dimensional.

This was not what I heard when I read it aloud to myself. It was horrifying to go on but we did. Afterwards it was clear I did a lousy job adapting this book. I didn’t get to the essence of the story, what it was really about then focusing on telling THAT story. On the positive side, there were many praises for specific scenes, visuals and conflict but I knew what had to be done.

This reading experience was the most effective lesson I’ve had in screenplay writing. (BTW, the enthusiastic kids who read my soon to be published children’s book THE POET AND THE PAINTER aloud, made sure I sharpened it up with word choice and kid actions).

I will always conduct a group reading for my writing and, trust me, whether the writing is good or bad, everyone will need a lot of food and drink thereafter.

So eat, drink and listen to your words!

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Logline Fogline

Isn’t it hilarious when writers complain about putting their stories they’ve spent at least a year on into a single sentence that’s supposed sell it? I think so and I’m one of those writers. Sometimes I feel I spend more time on that one sentence aka Logline, than my book or screenplay. But, that sentence is more important than your project and you know why: it sells your project.

Everyone has their own way of writing a logline and so many of us don’t have the foggiest idea how to do it effectively. In fact, it’s mind-boggling to sift through all the different ways screenwriters, consultants, etc. suggest you write one and I suggest you research and read everybody’s suggestions. One might click for you.

The most common logline suggestion or rule I found was that your concept must be easy to express in a single sentence. Single sentence? Definitely. Easy? I don’t think so.

As most of you know, your logline must include your protagonist, his/her goal, and the obstacle/conflict to overcome – the antagonist. The essentials. But where’s the beef?

Writing rules seem to change all the time. The majority of writing teachers emphasize starting your logline with your protagonist preceded by an adjective, i.e., A burned-out lawyer, A paranoid tiger, a disabled carnival barker. I’ve always supported this format but, while doing so, it nagged at me. Why? I realized this was not a unique format, at least for me. I was bored with my loglines and, if you’re bored with your own stuff, it’ll be boring to others.

Some suggest starting with the word “After”: After a paranoid rat discovers…then something happens. Nope. Not for me. Too common. Something else that’s commonly used in a logline is the phrase “…only to find out that” or “…only to learn (or discover) that”. I’d avoid those, too.

Okay. Here’s the disclaimer. One logline format may work for you and not others and not all loglines need to follow the same format for each project.

I want a vibrant, energetic, compelling logline and found I wasn’t getting it with the above formats. Then I read a book: THE VISUAL MINDSCAPE OF THE SCREENPLAY by screenwriter Bill Boyle (available on Amazon). I don’t recommend books unless I feel they are exceptional and this one is, especially his take on Loglines in Chapter 15 titled The Kinetic Logline.

Bill Boyle studied hundreds of loglines and researched why he got excited about only a few of them. Here are four of his points that stood out for me regarding the loglines he liked:

-“…they expressed a sense of kinetic action in the way they revealed their story. They hit the ground running by beginning with an action verb.”

-“They also drew me into their story by expressing through a descriptive adverb the inciting incident and their character’s fatal flaw.”

-“Each logline ended with a realization of sorts. It was either a realization on the part of the protagonist’s Inner Journey or a realization of discovery on the part of the reader.”

-“A great example of this is the logline for The Full Monty:

Driven by financial despair six unemployed steel workers become strippers to make ends meet and, in doing so, find their own self worth.

Mr. Boyle explains why this logline is so great: “It begins with an action verb that sets the logline in active mode right from the outset; a kinetic energy is in place. It follows with a descriptive adverb that describes the fatal flaw and inciting incident. It includes the inner and outer journey and ends with a realization.” Then he breaks it down in his easy to use Kinetic Log Line Template.

That logline format clicked for me. It includes it all as a logline should. It excites me and it will excite a buyer. Find one that excites you.

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Feedback Redux

Have you ever received conflicting feedback on your script or book? I have. One loves your characters. Another doesn’t. One finds it convoluted. Another doesn’t. Drives you crazy, right? So, what to do?

I have never received consistent feedback on any script. Nicholls Screenplay competition sent me 2 complete opposite viewpoints. I didn’t win.

A screenwriting teacher I trust once referred me to a consultant. What I got were comments like I shouldn’t do an ensemble comedy. Huh? What was Love Actually or Midnight in Paris? I had too many characters. Huh? Have you looked at the cast lists at the end of most movies? I had a 3rd of those listed. Your main character doesn’t show up for 18 pages. Huh? He’s almost in or referred to in every scene. Her answer? I missed that. Huh? Did you even read it?

That taught me a simple lesson. Research your consultants. Since I can’t use myself, I make sure that any consultant that reads my work, script or book, has not only written one but sold one and has experience in production. I would probably ask what their major was in college. Well, not really but don’t put it past me.

There are many effective, experienced consultants out there. But, and I know you’ll do this, make sure you find a one worth the price you pay. Are 1-2 pages or 2-3 pages of feedback thorough enough for the money you pay? I hope so and I hope it’s detailed enough. I don’t like limitations. Makes me feel the hour’s up at a psychiatrist’s office.

Just make sure you’re getting your money’s worth, that your choice is the right fit for you, and always get more than one feedback.

If feedbacks conflict, don’t get frustrated. What I found with the above-mentioned nightmares, is that even though most of the feedback was rubbish and conflicting with each other, they each had a few sentences that were absolutely right in criticism and suggestions. They pointed out elements that I or any friend or fellow screenwriter missed.

So I just took those few bits and pieces from each feedback and rewrote the project which ultimately improved more than 100%.

That’s what I want you to keep in mind with conflicting feedback. There’s always a piece of gold somewhere in the mush.

By the way, I’d like to suggest an additional type of feedback: a table read. I always have a buffet dinner waiting for friends, actors, etc. that agreed to read a role in my script sitting around my living room. This isn’t to get the regular feedback of the essentials which come up anyway, this is to hear the pace of the story: Are the short descriptions still too long? Is that dialogue necessary? You get the idea. To hear it is so fun and essentially valuable.

The bottom line is you always need feedback. They are all valuable whether you like it or not.

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