Dealing with Negative Feedback

If you've ever received negative feedback from someone, I understand how painful it can be. You've worked so hard on your script and get two pages of harsh notes in return. Believe me, I've been there myself, and I'm going to help guide you through this!

Don't take things personally

Everyone's a critic and you can't please everyone. Film is subjective and believe it or not, even the produced films in the industry get negative feedback. When you're going through the feedback, take everything with a grain of salt. What is the reader trying to tell you? Are they just simply saying, "This is the worst thing I've ever read." or are they being constructive with their feedback?

I once had a reader who only read ten pages of my script and stopped reading and they had a bunch of questions, which, if they kept reading, would have answered their questions. Did I take the feedback personally? No. Was I hurt? No. Did I give up? No. I just kept writing and send my scripts somewhere else.

Film is subjective

Like I just mentioned, film is subjective so just because someone doesn't like your script, doesn't mean it's bad. I've read scripts I wasn't fond of, but I still came into the script with an open mind and provided constructive feedback to the writer. I'll admit, I've read the same stories over and over, and it can be exhausting! However, when I find myself in those types of situations, I always mention to the writer, "Make your story different than anything that's been made." For example, if you have a film that takes place during World War II, best thing to do is make your story stand out from every other World War II film that's been made.

That being said, keep on writing and don't give up. You can do this!

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