We covered the first two tips on un-mucking your script notes process in Part 1 for improved productivity through streamlining your approach.
Now we’re in the home stretch. You’ve gotten notes at the right time, and from the right people, but now you have pages of feedback to sort through and you’re not sure where to start. How do you make heads or tails of them—especially when they conflict?
This is where your friendly neighborhood mad scientist comes in handy. (Enter ME.)
BAD HABIT: You take every note.
TWEAK: Categorize and prioritize your notes.
It’s time to Marie Kondo your script notes.
Here’s a step-by-step process I’ve tried to be true. Use what’s helpful to your process, and ignore the rest (just like with your script notes).
Compile and reformat
Let’s say you have five sets of notes, all sent to you in different forms. Emailed, directly on the PDF, handwritten, sent by carrier pigeon…
Start by compiling all of the notes in the same format. I recommend typing or copying each set of notes into a different Word doc. Then print out each set of notes so you can easily review and compare them.
Crosscheck and delete
Highlight any note that occurs in more than one set of notes.
Put an asterisk by any set of notes that directly conflict and number the corresponding ones. For example, any conflicting notes on whether you should or shouldn’t have named your protagonist directly after yourself would be labeled as: *1.
And on a final pass here, delete or put a slash next to any notes that you don’t plan on or won’t be applying. Sometimes note givers will provide notes on the way they would write your story, so make sure to pay especially close attention here to any notes that, while well-intentioned, don’t actually fit into the tone and story you are writing. These notes can also be removed and saved in another document, with the source of the note marked so you can reference it later if you need to.
Apply the small notes first
You now have a few thorough and clear sets of notes that you want to apply to your script. Start with the small notes first and cross them off your list as you complete them.
Tackle the big notes
This is where it gets messy. You have notes that you want to apply to your story, but they’ll require a big overhaul. Complicated changes in story, character and structure. If you can apply these notes in your script as is, get to it. But a really helpful step you can take here is to pause and re-outline your story, using the notes as guide rails for the new changes.
It may take a while, but even a simplified re-outlining before applying big changes will help you make the cleanest adjustments.
Consider conflicting notes
This most inevitable aspect of the notes process can also be the most confusing, but conflicting notes are bound to happen. So, here are a few questions you can ask yourself to decide which ones to address and which ones can be chopped:
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And when all is said and done, I recommend highlighting the techniques from this notes on notes process that you want to apply to your own script notes process going forward—and delete the rest.
Happy revising!