Learning to Give Feedback is IMPORTANT

If writers want to get taken seriously by industry pros, then one important skill is learning to give feedback.

Yes, you read that right — GIVE feedback (not just receive it)!!!

The reason for learning how to give feedback is three-fold. It helps you …

• Develop the craft skills to break down stories (which feeds into your own writing)
• Create those all-important relationships with your peers
• Realise your opinion is NOT everything

In short, learning how to give feedback properly is for writers who want to get to the NEXT LEVEL!

But sadly, there’s lots of writers out there who are trying to do this, but screwing it up royally. If you hang around in writing spaces on social media, you will no doubt have seen some of these feedback cock-ups below. I know I have! Let’s go …

1) Highjacking Another Writer’s Vision

Look, we get it – it might seem OBVIOUS to you how the story has missed opportunities, or that writing a story *that* way just doesn’t work. But writers may be too close to their work, which is why they’re asking for your help, **not** your condemnation. Your job is not to give solutions per se, but provide a springboard for the writers’ OWN ideas!

2) Forgetting writing is about DEVELOPMENT

No one can write a first draft that’s top-notch straight off the bat. NO ONE. Sure, some writers will create first drafts that are better than others; others will be absolutely awful. It’s **not** your job then to express surprise or disappointment that the draft is not “better”. This helps no one, least of all the writer. In fact, it’s demotivating.

3) Thinking your job is to FIX writing

We’re back to number 1 on this list again, essentially. Opinions on what “works” and what “doesn’t” are just that – opinions. There are multiple ways of looking at story and characters and forgetting that is a huuuuuuuuuuuge error when giving feedback. But more than this, the best feedback-givers FACILITATE writing, they don’t “fix” it.

4) Not having the vocabulary to explain the issues to the writer

There’s a reason new feedback-givers focus on little niggly things like screenplay format, such as HOW the script looks on the page. They may also focus on strange little details to do with the story – random, tiny moments, as opposed to elements that might actually DEVELOP the story and its characters.

Put bluntly, this is usually because the feedback-giver doesn’t know what s/he is doing. Sure, we all have to start somewhere, but if you want to be taken seriously as a student of the craft? You have to get the skillz – and QUICKLY.

5) Forgetting these are people’s hopes and dreams

Yes, the work in front of you might be awful in your opinion. But someone worked hard on it, sacrificing time, money and more to do it. Remember: these are NOT just spec screenplays and unpublished novels … These are people’s hopes and dreams!!! Forget this at your peril.

Want Even MORE Script Reading Secrets?

If you want to learn more about giving AND receiving feedback, then enrol in Breaking Into Script Reading. We’ll be talking about all these things mentioned in this blog post and LOTS more besides. If you’re interested in …

• becoming a script reader, or
• seeing how your writing is judged ‘behind the scenes’ or
• both!

Then this is the course for you. As ever, the course is on Zoom meaning it’s accessible from anywhere — plus with video replay for a year, you can take it on your own schedule at your own pace if you prefer. (You can ask me Qs and do your homework whenever you like in that time, so you won’t miss out on the interactive part with me).

So, to enrol in the course CLICK HERE or hit the pic on the right.