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All writers need feedback-whether you write screenplays, corporate videos, TV commercials or poetry-feedback provides the perspective of someone not so deeply immersed in the script. Of course, not all will be helpful. Some comments will make you reexamine what you've written. On occasion, feedback will be right on the money. Other times, you'll wonder why you asked.
How do you distinguish between such comments, whether from well-meaning friends, industry professionals, or fellow writers? What feedback helps you hone the work? What feedback will lead you down a blind alley?
First, let's look at feedback that's right on the money. A good example comes from an article on Tony Kushner and his adaptation of Angels in America/Perestroika for HBO. In an interview, Kushner said: "There is one scene... ...that never really, really worked onstage. The first or second time that we sat down, Mike (Nichols) said, ?I don't get this scene.' And I said, well, why not? And he said this thing that no one had ever said before about it, that it violated the kind or weird metaphysical rules that existed in the play. And that made it possible to radically alter that scene."
Of course, the fact the feedback comes from Mike Nichols certainly carries its own hefty weight. But the most telling detail is that Nichols put his finger on something Kushner was already displeased with. He did not solve the problem for Kushner-but his insight motivated the playwright to reevaluate. Such feedback may be among the most constructive: commentary that reveals a shortcoming, yet does not instruct the author on how to fix the problem. Only the writer can make a major adjustment to the work, whether it's a single scene or an overarching issue.
By contrast, be distrustful of feedback that takes the form of: "Here's how I would have written it." Only you know the story you're trying to tell. The goals and concept underlying a corporate communication. It's counterproductive to revise based on someone else's vision. It doesn't mean the feedback's totally without merit. But I'm always distrustful of this response. Too often, it leads to a "blind alley."
The optimal mindset is to be open toward criticism or comments. Rejecting all feedback outright is counter productive. And don't automatically assume that because a particular viewpoint comes from an industry pro that it's more valid than the input from your wife. My own spouse is a voracious reader. (It is with a certain chagrin that I admit she reads much more than I do.) Recently she provided an insight on the first draft of a play that was right on target. Again, she didn't tell me how to fix it. But I've been ruminating on the issue ever since. I now have some ideas to try out.
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