I sent one of my screenplays to a friend and I will soon be getting notes. Every part of the writing process is hard for me, and whatever part I'm working on always seems to the hardest. I'm aware of this. I enjoy pushing through. I know that writing is rewriting and I have come to love getting notes from trusted colleagues. If I have a favorite part of the draft process, the feedback part might just be my favorite.
Of course, I know my scripts aren't perfect. Hard work on my part makes them good, but they can always be better. But after expending so much creativity sweat, sometimes it seems like that first draft should be perfect. And even though I know it's a first draft, if it is perfect something is seriously wrong in the universe, there is a little part of me that when I hand it off to get notes, I believe that my only feedback will be that it is great, they love it, it's perfect.
Any good writer knows that this all-positive, nonconstructive feedback is the worst kind of input. It helps no one, and certainly doesn't help the script. I want to know what's not working in the script. Yes, it's nice to hear the good things, and they should always be included with constructive criticism, but it's hearing the bad stuff that will ultimately make the script better. And I want it to be better. Yet, every time, my stomach drops a little when I start hearing the laundry list of dislikes and aspects that aren't working. Until that moment, it might have been perfect. And now it's not. But I will fix it, make it better. Maybe someday, someone will think it's perfect.
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