I’ve been a total hypocrite about notes
I’ve been writing my own scripts for just over two years now and planning to produce and direct a short that I’m happy with in the summer. The notes I’ve received have been genuinely helpful to make the script what it currently is.
Something I’ve been doing lately is giving notes on another screenwriting sub (which I hope have been helpful to writers). Some of the replies I’ve seen from writers to other readers starkly reminded me of how I used to react to notes when I first started out and honestly I feel like a complete douche.
These people are reading scripts for free and giving notes to help strengthen a script or tell a writer that something or the whole thing isn’t working. I’ve realised that a lot of notes are given because something isn’t being clearly communicated on the page or just generally weak and getting defensive or explaining a choice reaffirms that said thing isn’t effectively doing what it’s meant to.
I know some notes can be given based on taste but if ten different people are telling you something isn’t working it probably isn’t.
I think this realisation has seriously helped me as a writer and to help me remove myself from my work in order to look at it through an objective lens.
Happy writing everyone!