Ask Phil: Bad at Taking Notes

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Dear Phil,

I love screenwriting, I’m excited about the scripts I’ve written lately, and I’m starting to get some interest from managers, but I’m having a hard time taking notes. Of course, the ones I agree with are easy to take, but with the ones I don’t agree with it seems like no matter how much I try to explain why they won’t work the note giver is never convinced. I’ve tried to apply notes I don’t agree with just to avoid this situation but it feels dirty, like I’m knowingly making my script worse. I’m also concerned I’m coming off as a jerk when really I’m just passionate about my work. Is it possible to get better at this?

Signed, Bad at Taking Notes

Dear Bad at Taking Notes,

To cut straight to the point, yes! It is possible to get better at this. And recognizing it’s a problem that you want to improve is the first step. So congrats on getting started.

There are real and practical ways to improve the process of taking notes, but before that I think it’s important to address the emotional component. When we get notes on a script, even though we know consciously the notes are about the script, we can still feel unconsciously like the notes are about us. We hear criticism about our script, and we feel like it is a criticism of us. And our reaction to criticism of us is often to say, in so many words, “No, you’re wrong”. We explain why the note is wrong, and why our way is better. We can easily get defensive, which is not the direction we want to go in. Nobody likes to feel like it’s my way or the highway when it come to creative choices.

This kind of binary yes/no approach can create an antagonistic environment. If a producer feels like when they give notes to a writer all they get back is reasons why the notes are wrong, that might make the producer feel like they don’t enjoy working with the writer. On the other hand, if a producer feels like the writer they give notes to actually hears them and appreciates where they’re coming from, that producer might enjoy working with the writer.

Notice I didn’t say a producer only likes writers who take their notes, because if it were that easy we’d just take all the notes and be done with it. That approach often leads to a worse version of the script than the one we originally wrote. So the trick here is to make the people giving us notes feel like we hear and appreciate their input, but not have to make any changes we don’t want to make. It’s a balancing act that takes time and practice to get good at.

And here’s how you do it: When you sit down for that notes session (or get on the phone, or log into Zoom) remember that you’re there to listen to the producer’s (or manager’s, or agent’s) notes. Not to convince them why they should retract their notes or see things your way. They want to be heard. To that end, the purpose of this meeting is to take down their notes and make it clear that you’ve heard them. You’ll write everything down, ask questions to clarify, and then, after all the notes are given, explain that you’re going to get to work right away. Then leave!

This separation is important. It’s unrealistic to think that the notes can be given, agreed on, and figured out how to be applied in one meeting. You need time to let the notes settle. Especially if you don’t agree with them. And what you’ll do next is get to work. Break down the notes, apply the ones you agree with, and for the ones that you don’t agree with come up with a reason why you didn’t apply them. Be prepared for a producer to ask “Why didn’t you cut the chase sequence at the end of the second act?” and to explain why. Anticipate the producer saying “I thought we were going to make the heroine more likable” and be ready to explain your reasons for not agreeing.

And now we come to maybe the most important part. After you turn in that next draft, the one with all the pretty revision marks, sit back and relax. Go for a walk, hit the gym, play some video games, eat some ramen, play golf poorly, whatever you like to do when you’re not writing. Don’t anticipate their response. Let the producers read the latest draft and then come to you with their thoughts. Sometimes we assume that our investment in and reaction to notes is on the same level as our producers, but often they are not. The producer who gave you a note to make the heroine more likable likely isn’t stewing about it all weekend like you did. And you don’t need to remind them about it at your next meeting. They might not even bring it up. If they don’t, it means they probably think their note was addressed or didn’t notice it wasn’t, or even that they forgot about the note completely!

If producers get sticky about a note you didn’t agree with, explain why you didn’t take the note, but don’t try to explain why their note was wrong. Explain your feelings about the note instead of trying to prove to them why they should feel differently about it. By sticking to your side of the equation you will avoid confrontation, and this can make it easier for others to change their mind instead of feeling like they’re being backed up against a wall and must defend themselves and their note.

Taking notes is hard, but try to remember that the process is supposed to be collaborative. Make producers feel like you hear them and want their input, with the knowledge that you don’t have to make any changes you don’t want to (although sometimes we must do exactly that — after all, it is a business). Don’t get caught up in an argument trying to prove the validity or lack thereof of a note one way or the other. Be the writer producers like working with, the one that makes them feel good about having their notes heard, even if you don’t always apply them.

Therapist and screenwriter Phil Stark answers reader questions about topics at the intersection of screenwriting and mental health. Got a question for Phil? Email him at starktalktherapy@gmail.com