More Eyes
When I write I get so close to my work that it is hard to be objective. Problems just don’t jump out unless I give myself time to step back and get some distance from the project. Having another project to work on makes it easier to leave the project for a while. Just a short break will often be enough time so when I return I can read it with fresh eyes.
Sites like Zoetrope and Trigger Street are good places to go to get “more eyes” on my work. (Links to both of these sites are provided under “My Favorite Links”.) When you visit one of these sites, you will need to review other screenplays in order to submit your work. But in reviewing other screenplays, you will learn a lot about writing. You will see mistakes other writers make and then, as you hone your craft, you will learn to avoid making the same mistakes.
Over time, I have developed relationships with other writers who I trust. We read each other’s work, offer constructive criticism. This is another way to get “more eyes”.
Right now my screenplay “Dreams are Real” is on both Zoetrope and Trigger Street. Receiving reviews is often confusing for me. One reader will love my work and the next will hate it. One person will say, “your characters are so real, I love them” and the next might say “so and so is superfluous”, and then another might say “your characters are flat, I just never felt anything for them”.
When I read things that people don’t like about my work, it is easy to feel defensive. But I remind myself that reviewers invest time reading my screenplay and the comments are meant to be helpful.
So I look at it this way, if one person says a particular character of mine is superfluous, I can choose to listen to or ignore the remark. But if EVERY reviewer tells me that, well then there just MIGHT be a problem and I might have to do something about that character.
Bottom line. I’m appreciative for all the comments I receive. But I realize I’ll never be able to make every reader happy. So I write to make myself happy and hope that every thing else will eventually fall into place.
