Look, my central point is this... There are many who believe that you should not say anything bad about a new writer's "work" or he will become discouraged. WRONG! People should be told the truth about what they have written... if it's dysfunctional tripe, filled with typos, written sloppily in uniintelligible slang then tell them that.
There is a difference between pointing out errors and attacking a person's work. Do I think everyone's kid is cute? No. Does that mean I should be insulting their kid? No. The difference between punishment and discipline is that punishment only says what not to do. Discipline says what not to do and shows how it should be done or can be done better. Most people don't like to be pounded on all the time. And especially when starting out, we all make mistakes. It's not about being soft but being firm with guidance.
We all make mistakes. I don't know how many times I've had to bite my tongue pointing out every glaring typo in your posts. Others out there spot them as easily as I do. Does it make me a better person for rubbing them in your face? No. Does it make you edit your writing before posting or just put you on the defensive? I remind myself I'm not perfect. I can blame cut-n-paste, sticky keys, fast typing and a number of reasons for why mine occur. There is a point when picking out issues focus on improving the script slips over into attacking the person or their integrity.
I've had to deliver bad news to writers. I don't sugar coat it but I'm not out to make them want to give up writing either. I try to point out what is a problem and offer ideas or show how it might be done better. I am sincere when I see progress. If I like something, I say that too. And like I said, I can also speak volumes by remaining silent or choosing not to respond. Though sometimes that's due to my own workload.
I joined one mutual script review site and took a week off work. I went through and reviewed EVERY DAMN SCREENPLAY that had been scheduled over the previous 6 months. ...
It's clear that this is an intense passion for you. Most writers write about what they know best, drawing from their own lives. If it's an American site, I suppose that's what I'd expect. If it's a Greek or French site, I'd expect the same. Again, no one asked you to take off that time from work. No one forced you to read all those screenplays. No one said you had to read screenplays you found intolerable. No one, that is, except yourself. In the end, you need to ask yourself why you chose to do it?
I detailed every error on every damn page, that is, where I could understand them. ... I review from tiny scale to grand scale and gave full opinion on plot character etc as well as spelling. ... instead of having my screenplay reviewed, I was told that telling people openly what I thought was "discouraging new writers" and was kicked off site.
People really don't need every detail. It overwhelms them. If they have egregious spelling, I let them know. I may give one or two examples. The same with grammar. It's not my role as a "script reader" to be their proofreader. I point it out. I note deficiencies in structure, dialogue, characters and plot. It's not my role to fix them, just highlight them. I may offer a few suggestions that will make it easier and avoid a total re-write. My role is not to take ownership of their material and tell them how it should be written. Some new writers want that but again the firm side means putting the work back on them. We have some really talented writers on this group. And I learn from reading their works though I couldn't imitate that style. And that's okay. It still inspires me.
The review and comments are not 1% of the roasting that a studio would give these scripts.
Actually studios rarely roast. They simply pass. Studios don't give feedback. They send a nice letter thanking you for your submission but they have no interest at this time. The reader who gets your script needs to assess "Do I pass this up?". Most do not get past the mailroom. Those few scripts that do make it are fairly high caliber so the comments usually aren't acerbic and biting. Heaven knows there are nary a spelling, grammar or format error. Production studios are about 'production' not giving feedback. And for legal reasons, readers are often instructed not to comment except in the most general way. Often, the less you hear, the worse the script. A script that is receiving consideration is more likely to get constructive feedback about how it could be improved and re-submitted. It's important to have a thick skin because of critics and fellow writers, not studio readers.
Studios tend to give more bizarre plot twist suggestions to writers brought on--"Maybe make the hero into an ethnically diverse female heroine about the age of .... (actress they want to lure onto a project)." Script re-invention is nothing new.
My problem with some of those critique groups is they tend to fill with ambitionless writers. Note I did not say "talentless"; some have talent! They want a golden ticket. Rather than take the initiative to pick up a camera and shoot or network with other filmmakers, many simply want to be praised or hang their hopes on winning a contest as their ticket to fame. It becomes an ego coffee klatch. I've frequented various ones like JumpStreet, but honestly the return isn't worth the time invested. I prefer my drama to stay in front of the camera. Most of the critiques aren't backed by industry experience just personal biases. Not to say you can't sometimes get valuable feedback on some of these, just you have to sift through the advice. And when you're starting out, it's hard to know what is the chaff.
We're a fairly welcoming and supportive group here. We only ask that we show each other respect. We can sometimes be hard in our critiques but they shouldn't become personal attacks. Seems like it should be a commonsense guideline of civil discourse but we all slip up.
I'm not being paid to give full literary critiques, so I offer summary feedback and advice. How you choose to approach it is up to you, but do consider your audience here. Some of our contributors are 12-15 year olds. Some are in film school. Many are burgeoning amateurs. We also have a few professionals. This is an international group so not all have a full command of English. So there has to be some leniency regarding spelling and grammar. Most have already made films; they aren't 'wishful screenwriters' but active filmmakers. Their intentions are often to make a script for a film they plan to shoot themselves. We do get people who are simply interested in learning how to write scripts for submission, finding agents, how-to questions, etc. If you make your critiques practical and aimed at producing a festival worthy movie, even if harsh, the audience will be more attentive and appreciative of the feedback.
).) It's just the self-destructive way you present it that I don't think is helping you. Unless you want to keep feeling like you are the only one who gets it and the rest of the world is against you. In that case: keep going steady as she goes. You'll stay in this bitter vicious circle that keeps the fire of your anger alive.
