 For Authors: July 09, 2014 Issue [#6424] |
  For Authors
This week: The Note Behind the Note Edited by: Jeff  
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"Some writers enjoy writing, I am told. Not me. I enjoy having written.
-- George R.R. Martin
Trivia of the Week: The Dewey Decimal System divides publications into ten primary "classes" or subjects: 000: Generalities, 100: Philosophy, 200: Religion, 300: Social Sciences, 400: Languages, 500: Pure Sciences, 600: Applied Sciences & Technology, 700: Arts, 800: Literature, and 900: History & Geography. Isaac Asimov has the distinction of being the only reported author with writings in all ten classifications. Some would argue that it's only nine since his contribution to the Philosophy (100) classification was only a forward to someone else's book rather than his own work... but he has authored entire books in each of the nine other classifications making him one of the most diverse writers in history, whether you count that final category or not. 
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THE NOTE BEHIND THE NOTE
I was originally going to write a different article for this newsletter, but there was such a great response to the last one I wrote on handling feedback that I thought I would do another one in the same vein and save the new topic for next time. 
In the last newsletter, "For Authors Newsletter (June 11, 2014)" , I talked about some different types of feedback and framed it in the context of whether we, as authors, need to address every note we receive. This week, I'd like to take it a step further and look at what screenwriters call "the note behind the note." The phrase comes from the fact that screenwriters are often asked to address notes from a lot of individuals. Unlike traditional publishing where you're dealing with an agent, an editor, maybe a publisher... in screenwriting, the life of a script might involve feedback from dozens of different people: agents, managers, producers, creative executives, directors, actors, studio heads, etc. And since motion pictures are such a collaborative medium, it's not uncommon to get a lot of nonsensical and even downright useless notes from people who just want to feel like they have a hand in the creative process. I've worked on projects where the notes have been as inane as "I think he should drive a sports car instead of a pickup truck" to as downright infuriating as "He should have a sidekick that follows the protagonist around so he has someone to talk to."
It's not unusual for a screenwriter to do multiple drafts (sometimes upwards of ten or twenty) in an effort to address the pages and pages of notes that they receive, dealing with issues both large and small. And it can be difficult because you're trying to maintain the integrity of your characters and story without offending multiple people who may or may not have as good a grasp on the impact of their suggestions as you'd hope.
When it comes to addressing notes (and specifically rejecting them), it always helps if you have a concrete, detailed reason for why the note has been considered and disregarded. "I appreciate the suggestion, but he really needs to drive a pickup truck because there's a critical scene where he transports Grandma's rocking chair to his daughter's house and I don't think he could fit the rocking chair in a Miata" sounds a whole lot better than, "No, I'm not going to make that change." A lot of times, this is a simple way to get reasonable people to understand that maybe their idea was well-intentioned, but you're making a creative choice to go in another direction for a specific reason.
But what happens when you get the guy who says, "No, it has to be a sports car!" There are times when sticking to your guns and refusing to make a change could cost you a job or a paid gig if the person making the suggestion feels strongly enough, is particularly unreasonable, etc. and stands in the way of you being paid for your work.
When situations like that happen, I find it's helpful to try and understand the note behind the note. Or, more simply, looking for the underlying reason why that suggestion was made and seeing if you can find another way to address the note in a satisfying way. For example, is he dead-set on that sports car because it has to be a sports car? Or is the sports car a symbol of something? Maybe the note behind the note is that he wants that sports car because he feels like the protagonist is a stereotypical country boy and needs some flair. By trying to understand and clarify the note behind the note, you might be able to come up with a suggestion like, "The sports car thing isn't going to work because of the whole rocking chair situation, but I understand what you're saying about making him less of a stereotypical country boy, so how about if instead he's always talking about a culinary apprenticeship he had in New York and would go back to in a second... or what if he has a really modern design to his home and decor instead of a ranch house? Then we get the sense that he's got more to him than just the stereotypical small town country boy and we avoid the pickup truck issue."
In the sidekick "note" above, if you really don't want to create a whole new character to tag along behind your protagonist, ask yourself what the note is really saying and try to figure out an alternate solution. Is it because your protagonist seems withdrawn and unsympathetic? Is it because you're not conveying enough information about his thoughts and feelings? Is it because the storyline is boring and needs some additional interaction? Depending on what you assess the note behind the note to be, you might be able to achieve the same results not with introducing a largely useless character, but by having your character open up more to other existing characters, or showing his emotions in more tangible ways, or by putting him in situations where he's more dynamically interacting with the story.
We all want to improve as writers. We all want to write the best possible versions of our work. But that can't happen if we just dismiss notes we disagree with straight out of hand and don't give any consideration to what impact those suggestions would have on our work. We can't grow as writers if our response to any suggestion is either, "No, that's stupid," or "You just don't understand what I'm trying to do." Even if you do ultimately end up discarding a particular note, it's worth the time to consider whether there's a note behind the note... a larger reason why the suggestion was made. If you can think about notes in that larger context, it will not only open you up to find exciting and possibly better alternatives to what you've already written, but it will also help you respond thoughtfully and respectfully to the person making the suggestions. If you write something like, "You know, I really thought about your point and ultimately I decided to keep it the way it is because _____" or, "Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't follow it exactly, but it did give me a great idea that really improved the piece in an unexpected way" sound much better than outright dismissing any suggestions they may have made.
Next time you receive a review or feedback on your work, consider challenging yourself to find the note behind the note if you disagree with a suggestion. Ask yourself why the reviewer is making the suggestion and what, if anything, you could do differently to achieve the same result and address the same note in a different and more satisfying way.
Until next time,
-- Jeff
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I encourage you to check out the following Writing.Com items:
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"His name is Aldo Cesares." The computer voice told me.
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There dwelled within the dark and dank labyrinth of a nightmare, a spooky so terrifyingly scary, it sent screaming from an elderly woman her withered Christian soul. The victim of the deadly nocturnal assault was a sixty-eight-year-old woman named Edith Loudermilk.
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Feedback on my last newsletter about addressing notes:
Remembering  writes, "This is one heck of a newsletter. Thank you!"
Thanks! 
~A.J. Lyle~ writes, "Hiya, Jeff, I had to stop and let you know how much I loved this article. You did such a great job addressing the issue of receiving reviews with grace, even when the author might not agree with the reviewer. I also liked how you pointed out that even a published author receiving feedback from other published authors only implements 25% of the suggestions offered. Suggestions are just that, and as authors, we must decide for ourselves if we are going to take the advice of others. Again, great article. We also need to keep in mind that no one is perfect, so not every suggested correction is correct. Keep up the amazing work, Jeff. "
Thanks for writing in! 
bane1 writes, "I loved the Jim Butcher trivia. He lives in Independence, MO which is only about 45 minutes from where I live. I hope to meet him someday at a signing (preferably him standing in line with my new #1 best seller in hand, wanting my signature... I can dream can't I)."
Best of luck with your writing! Hopefully you'll have a whole line of famous authors lining up at your own signing!
Quick-Quill  writes, "I came to WDc with a lot of insecurities and a thin skin. I was upset at what I thought were harsh reviews. After taking a reviewing class and other classes I began the process to become a better writer and that meant putting on the ARMOR. I read the reviews, suggestion and critiques with a different set of eyes. The heart was protected but the desire to be the best writer I could be. That meant to grow I had to accept my limitations. The points you make are so important to becoming a good writer and reviewer. This NL needs to be put into everyone's NL folder and re-read when you get a review you think is harsh. Is it? take out the words that are filled with personal thoughts and leave the ones that will strengthen your writing and your thought process as a writer. I'm a soon to be published author because of Wdc. I can't thank those people enough."
Great to hear about your upcoming publication! And I totally agree that part of the process of being a writer is receiving and processing feedback; whether from alpha readers, editors, fans, etc. at some point in your career, you have to open yourself to feedback and you have to wear the appropriate attire (armor!) for the occasion, or it's going to be a rough ride.
Ben Garrick writes, "Jeff-- Your comments in the 6/11 Newsletter are among the best I've ever seen on your chosen subject. I'm short of time at this moment but you've given me material that helps coalesce some topic thoughts that've been floating around in my head. -- Ben"
Wow, thank you so much for the kind words! I really appreciate them, and I'm glad I was able to help!
Elfin Dragon-finally published  writes, "I think this newsletter really brings home the point of not just reviewing but responding to the reviews we get. I know that I'm trying to write a couple different types of novels and every review I get (whether it's for my poetry or chapters for my novels), I do my best to read, consider, and respond in a timely manner. And as you mentioned, I may not agree with some of what the reviewer said, but many times at least some of it I can use to revise my work. I've never had a review in which I couldn't use any of it."
That's a great attitude to have. Even if a review is particularly blunt, critical, etc. there's almost always something to be learned from it. We can't grow as writers if we just write off negative feedback as a waste of time or as someone just "not getting it."
blue jellybaby writes, "Brilliant newsletter! I really appreciated the way you split up the review process and looked at it in terms of things that are generally very useful to consider and those which it may be more a creative discontent. I've struggled with this and still do but I found this helpful when thinking about what advice to take."
I really appreciate your feedback, and I'm glad you enjoyed the newsletter!
penn writes, "If I blend this with AJ's segment of Patrick's newsletter, we really get a sense, not only of what reviewing is about, but what receiving reviews is about and responding to reviews as well. This is really valuable stuff."
Thank you for the kind words!
jdenningberg writes, "I've had people re-write entire stories in their 'review'. The changes they suggested I make would change the tone and voice of the story completely and kill off my character. But I think you are right, we all have to be careful in what we say or how we say it. You'll get the truth from me about how the story effected me or if it worked and I'll offer suggestions, but that's what they are, suggestions/observations. But I like it when authors write back and defend their characters. I tell them good for you. I gave you my thoughts, but it is YOUR story and voice. I usually think about suggestions and if it works for me, I'll make changes."
That's one of the most important things to keep in mind when weighing feedback, IMO. A lot of times the reviewer may not understand what you were going for in terms of characterization, theme, etc. and don't realize that their suggestion would cause another problem somewhere else in the piece. One of the things I like to do with feedback is look at the note behind the note and ask myself why they made that suggestion and what caused them to make it. A lot of times I find that I discover a weakness in the piece that I can fix... just not necessarily in the precise way the reviewer suggested.
Joy  writes, "Great NL, Jeff. Very insightful. I especially liked the part about grammar "don'ts" that are actually okay in certain stylistic situations. So many readers/reviewers get caught in the canons of grammar and disregard the artistic license of the writer."
Thanks, Joy! And I totally agree. Whenever I review, I try to avoid making technical suggestions unless it affects readability. I prefer to stick to the clearly wrong corrections like, "That should be a question mark instead of an exclamation point," and "You need a comma there."
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  writes, "Your own opinion on your things comes first. Everyone else comes later, if at all." (Submitted item: "'Til Mossflower is Free" )
It's important to remember that it's your work, first and foremost. If feedback is taking you in a direction you don't want to go, best to ignore those instructions.
brom21 writes, "I found your newsletter very helpful. It has been a habit of mine to give complete power of my works over to the reviewers no matter what they say. I treat them as the final word with my writing. Sometimes they will give linen by line replacement content and they say it is wrong or awkward. There are instances where they are right on but other reviews are indeed subjective. Thanks, I feel much better and confident."
It's definitely a trap many writers fall into; over-correcting or over-revising to try and accommodate multiple opinions. That road often ends in frustration, though, either when you lose a sense of ownership over your own work or when you receive conflicting suggestions and need to figure out which ones to address! Good luck with your future revisions!
Nadine writes, "I think this is partly the reason that I haven't posted any of my writing on here as of yet. I don't know how it would make me feel if readers didn't enjoy the world that I am trying to create. Something I need to try to get over though if I would like to make this my future lifestyle/career."
Receiving criticism can be a tough thing to deal with, especially since not everyone is particularly nice or helpful when they criticize. Something that helps me is to keep reminding myself not to take criticism personally. Ultimately, it's about the work not about me as a person, so no matter how mean or critical the comments, it's a response to the writing... and I can always write something else. It also helps to remind yourself that not everyone is going to like everything... so if you get some criticism you can always shrug it off and say, "I found one of the people who didn't like it. That's okay."
DB Cooper writes, "When PublishAmerica requested I change the title of my anthology they made my anthology much more inviting. I stumbled across an excellent title that had never been used before."
You must have read my mind, because this week's topic is about titles themselves! Sometimes the suggestions of others can really make a significant improvement in your work.
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