Let's Talk About Notes
As a screenwriter, you will get them... endlessly.
Regardless of who you are, what genre you write in, or what level you are at, you WILL get notes. Potentially a lot of them. NOTES CAN DOOM YOU OR SAVE YOU, or do anything in between. They are also going to effect your brain. Even good notes can make you feel like an idiot. As writers, we train ourselves and hone our skills, and yet our output is for an audience NOT trained as writers. On top of that, if you are working for hire, you're going to get notes from execs who are also not writers and you have to make them work because that is why you got the job. Again, this can mess with your head.
There’s three parts to the concept of how one should deal with notes: how to receive them, how to respond to them, and how to execute them. It doesn’t matter if you are getting them from friend reads and asked for them, or they come from a workshop where you may not like everyone, or if you are getting them from a producer.
HOW TO RECEIVE NOTES— Read them, get mad, do NOT respond, wait 24 hours, read them again. The notes could be anything from a line edit to suggestion to restructure everything, and your first reaction will be BUT I’M THE WRITER! Once they sit in your brain for a bit, ones that are valid will eat at you and you’ll WANT to fix them. If the notes are off, you have more thinking to do.
First, consider the source. Are these notes coming from somebody who is thinking story, or budget? Are they concerned with story arcs, or production needs. A lot of times to get things made, you will have to change things that can’t be done because of time or money constraints. If something cannot be pulled off by production you can change it, or they can. Do you want them making cuts on the day off? (You do NOT).
Knowing the WHY of a note can help you address it. This is often he second thing, find the note BEHIND the note. Many people cannot tell you what isn't working for them without being prescriptive. They may say "I don't like X so let's try Y." As the writer, you know Y is a bunch of bullshit. Instead of getting pissed about Y and fighting with them about Y, instead look to why they don't like X. If YOU can identify that and fix it on your own terms, then you both get to be happy.
Well… usually. There’s going to be some people who just want to make their mark on a script so they can’t point at the screen and tell their mommy “that was my idea.” I’ve thankfully only had this happen to me once or twice, and those projects didn't get made. But it does happen. This is also part the other key factor in receiving notes— Identify truly BAD notes. Not ones that piss you off, but ones that don't work for the story. Also, there's going to be inexperienced people giving you notes-- when execs train juniors and interns, they are encouraged to give notes. This isn't a bad thing, this is how people learn to be better readers or even future writers. But, if you are getting notes straight out of Save the Cat you have to consider if you are breaking a fundamental rule when you know better, or are you getting a note from somebody who needs to give a note for their job and may not be on to anything.
Lastly, if you get the same note multiple times from different sources, you have to consider it. You just do. Notes are rarely coincidental.
HOW TO REPOND TO NOTES, once you've taken all these things into consideration. First-- don't be defensive. Don't be a dick. There are times when somebody is trying to shut you down or belittle you (for reasons you may never know) but most of the time people are not out to sabotage you and think they are helping. If you've dropped your ego and see you are getting actual good notes, you should be excited about doing them. Always lead with this when you respond, it sets a tone of collaboration. Be a professional.
Some of the hardest notes I ever received were from Gale Anne Hurd on Hell Fest— but considering the source, I had to concede she knows what the fuck she’s talking about. AND, once I cracked those notes, it made everything so much better.
That said, you’re of course going to want to push back on some things. If you want the conversation to go well, go into knowing what your non-negotiable are. They should be bigger things about the story and characters. Give them little stuff, not everything will matter. There’s also going to be more drafts to try your way again. Save your fights for the big stuff.
When responding to notes, especially when getting notes from a non-writer, is that you are the only person who can hold this entire story in your head. That's what makes you a writer. If there's notes that truly don't work, this is your ammo to push back. Use the phrase “pulls a thread.” It’s a visual everyone understands. If you tell them "if we do X, then that messes up Y in act 3." Many notes are things people see as small details, but when you point out the butterfly effect, they may retract it.
When it comes to EXECUTING THE NOTES just keep in mind that unless you are on set, there will be another chance to change things. You can fight to get something back later. It's important to keep moving forward. Little things-- do them. Line notes-- create alts. Somebody not following a description? Over-explain, they'll get it, then trim it out in the shooting draft. Hit the Save the Cat pages for the first draft, then move as needed after, no one will care.
Basically-- choose your battles and know, most of the time you'll have to write it their way and show them it doesn't work. Some people just need to see it on the page to then agree you were right before. A lot of the time, you just have to walk people to your point.
And what if they really are destroying your script, ruining everything, and crushing your soul? You can say NO. I repeat: YOU CAN SAY NO. Will you get your way? Maybe. Will it stall the project or get you fired? Possibly-- but do you want to make the thing it was turning into? Granted, if you are just breaking in, it’s VERY hard to say no. There’s no shame to capitulating for a produced credit if you think you can be happy with it. Or you know, go to Twitter and trash talk them after it comes out.
Only you can decide when it is time to walk away.