So you just got notes. Now what?

Every writer looooooves getting notes on their work, right? It’s our favorite part of the whole process. You spend months fine-tuning a screenplay to get it to the point where you don’t want to jump off a building at the idea of showing it to people. And you did it. You got there. In your eyes, it’s the best it’s been and maybe could ever possibly be.

But, you’re not a crazy person… You know notes are coming at you. Whether it’s from a trusted friend or writers group, a coverage service like this one, a manager, a producer, a competition, whatever. You tell yourself you’re ready for their honest, hopefully helpful feedback, but deep down, you want what we all want. To be told you did a good job. To be told it’s perfect. To hear the elusive, nigh-impossible “No notes!”

But that doesn’t happen. You’re told your baby isn’t perfect and needs anything from fine-tuning to a complete overhaul. It’s tough to hear, but you’re determined to get back to work. You’re gonna make this script sing!

But notes can be overwhelming. It’s hard to know where to start and what to do. In your mind, it took this long to make all the pieces fit together like a puzzle. And now someone is saying to take those same pieces and make a different picture? Or to add some pieces, take out some pieces, and still make a beautiful image.

In this post, let’s talk about how to read notes, how to approach them, and how to attack your rewrite.

The first instinct every writer has when they get notes is to get defensive. Lord knows I’m guilty of this. It doesn’t matter if my reader is my writers’ group, my parents, my managers, my agents, or the producer I’m working with. The reflex of “What the hell are they talking about?! They’re going to ruin my script!” is knee-jerk and, in my experience, unavoidable.

Let yourself feel that. Don’t show anyone you’re feeling that, especially if they’re paying you or your career relies on their work, but it’s okay to feel it. Take the notes with a smile. Ask questions, but don’t push back. Thank them, tell them you’ll get right to work.

Read the notes once and then… Walk away. Take a stroll around the block. Play a video game. Watch a movie. Take an anger nap. Let the notes start percolating in the background of your mind before you even think about opening the script or the notes again. Time is a balm to the sting of notes.

By the time you sit down to get back to work, you’ll (hopefully) be able to look at the notes more objectively. Okay, so the script isn’t as perfect as you thought. But, as they say, writing is rewriting. So you get back to work.

Now, the very first thing to keep in mind when you actually start your rewrite is this: This is your script. Your name is on the cover. Your script should always reflect you on the page. There’s a reason that this, out of all the ideas that circle around your head, is the one that you just had to get out. Don’t let anyone’s notes take that away from you. Don’t let their feedback completely destroy your passion for the story.

Feedback can sometimes be overly prescriptive. By that, I mean the person giving notes may often suggest solutions to the issues they point out. Sometimes, that can be very helpful. But, much of the time, their solutions don’t reflect your writing or your story.

Am I saying ignore those notes? Absolutely not. What I’m saying is, “Look for the note behind the note.” If they’re suggesting a solution, odds are, it means there is a problem that needs correcting. But that doesn’t mean their answer is the right way to solve it. Attack the issues with your own voice in a way that most benefits your story.

This is also a handy rule when multiple sets of notes conflict, which you’ll run into a lot. Most of the time, it’ll be different readers proposing different solutions to the same problem. If that’s the case, great! It means there’s a problem to solve, and it’s up to you to choose the right solution.

But sometimes, it will be considerably more confusing and frustrating. Someone hates a scene or a character, and it’s somebody else’s favorite part of the script. What do you do then?

In the initial feedback stages, there’s no rule that you have to take every note. Especially when they conflict. A lot of writers get into trouble when they take every piece of feedback they get and end up with a hodgepodge script that has lost every element that made them passionate about the script in the first place.

It’s important for a writer to know how to take a note. But, it’s just as important to learn that you don’t have to take them all.

Are there exceptions to this? Unfortunately, yes! Screenwriting is a collaborative job. Outside of the industry, only the dorkiest of movie dorks (such as myself) read a script for pleasure. The only way 99% of people will ever see your script is when it’s a movie. And we don’t make movies alone. We work with producers, directors, actors, and crew to bring our movies to life. We work with managers and agents to get the script to all those people.

If you want to write movies, you have to learn to play well with others. If that’s not you, I dunno, go self-publish a novel.

When you’re writing professionally, there are going to be times when the notes are less optional and more, “Do it or we’ll get someone else who will.” And in those circumstances, you could quit, sure, or you can take on the challenge of making those notes work to the best of your ability.

The one thing to remember when you’re developing a script, at whatever level you’re at, is that the notes process is there to make your script the best version of your script it can be. But ultimately, it’s up to you to do that work.

Ready to get to work on your next rewrite? After Fade Out has multiple services designed to help you wherever you are in the process. Check out our services page, and pick the one that’s right for you.