Everybody likes to sound smart. As writers, we spend a lot of our time listening to other writers explain their concepts in a smart manner. We prepare to pitch our ideas with an emphasis on sounding smart. We want people to think we’re extremely intelligent and capable. This, in itself, is not a bad thing to aspire to.
But when it comes to giving notes, I always say: speak from the heart. If a fellow writer asks you for notes, you need to throw aside your desire to sound smart. Try to force yourself to ignore the voice in your head that talks like a movie critic, and focus instead on the voice in your head that sounds like the movie/TV lover within you.
Because here’s the thing. While a note about how a script’s “theme doesn’t connect to the metaphor and as such fails to accurately synthesize the concepts outlined in the initial thesis of the script” might sound extremely fancy to both the note-giver and the note-receiver, it ultimately doesn’t help to make the script a more effective piece of storytelling.
This is not to say we should turn off our brains when giving notes. But instead we should listen to and speak from the heart. If a particular scene doesn’t vibe with the ‘theme’ but got your heart pumping and left you at the edge of your seat, you should definitely tell the other writer the theme note, but don’t forget to mention how much you enjoyed it.
When I worked as a script reader, that was always my objective: to find stories that made my inner child, the one that first fell in love with movies, jump and hoot and holler with joy. To be smart, in my opinion, is the icing on the cake.
Next time you’re trying to give notes, give your inner film critic a lunch break and speak from the heart!