#26: Re-Write Part II - Feedback
It's the half year anniversary of Creating Comics! The Art + Craft. Thanks again for reading. Today we continue our discussion of re-writing. Some might say this is where the REAL work is done in writing. Last week, I talked about the kinds of things I do immediately after finishing a first draft, things like acknowledging the achievement, getting away from the work for a bit, and doing some things to improve craft. This week, I'm going to talk about the importance of getting feedback on your work, and how best to use that feedback to make your script better. So let's get into it.
One of the best ways to improve early drafts of a story is to get some feedback from others. While getting feedback is something you should certainly do, first a warning. You cannot rely on others to make you the writer you want to be. YOU have to develop your own internal editor. YOU have to learn to objectively evaluate your own work with the same critical eye you apply to others. YOU have to do the real work, sitting your butt in front of the keyboard for hours on end to make your story sing. Getting feedback from others does not free you from the responsibility of learning to edit and revise your writing.
Now that I've gotten the disclaimer out of the way, let's talk about the value of feedback. Unless you're writing solely for yourself (which, if you're writing comics is usually not the case) you need to be sure you're writing to entertain an audience. Getting an outside perspective on this is often necessary. It's much better to get feedback at the draft stage prior to publishing, filming or having pages drawn. I learned this the hard way this year.
I sent my script for ICE: Interrogation Control Element to artist Damian Couceiro without getting any objective feedback on it. He did wonders with the script and drew gorgeous artwork. Prior to submitting to Zuda, I sent the script to an editor, thinking perhaps it just needed a dialogue polish. However, after getting notes back from the editor, I realized that I needed to insert two additional pages to establish the antagonist in order to grab the audience within the first few pages. This cost me more money, and would have been cheaper had I figured this out PRIOR to having pages drawn. Lesson learned: Get your feedback at the script stage.
There are two types of feedback I want to discuss. I feel both have their place, but you should know their strengths and limitations.
Feedback from Family and Friends - When you're just starting out, it's hard to find people excited about reading a first draft of your scripts. So, what do we do? We turn to the people in our lives who love us and can't say no. I've heard some writers advise completely against this. I say, go ahead. Just recognize what this feedback is and isn't.
Getting feedback from mom or your buddy Chuck is good for the old ego. And you know what, you just finished a first draft and you deserve a "thattaboy." Hell, you've created something. You've put something new into the world that didn't exist before, and there's no reason you shouldn't have people that care about you have the chance to read it and acknowledge it. So get your slap on the back. And occasionally, an idea or two about how to make it better. (My mom, as it turns out, has a great knack for proofreading. And I, as it turns out, have a great knack for typos.)
This kind of feedback is also good for getting the everyman's reaction. Human beings are hardwired to recognize a good story when they read or hear one. If something is supposed to be funny and they laugh, you've probably done your job. Likewise, if something is confusing to them, you probably were not clear enough. Sometimes it helps to watch them as they're reading. If they're turning pages and engaged in the script, that's a good sign.
However, friends and family often have a tough time providing one thing in their feedback: honesty. If a reader cares about you and has a stake in your emotional well-being, you can't expect total honesty from their critique. Most often, rather than getting what they truly think, you'll get what they think you want to hear. And that won't help you one bit. Also, most of your friends and family aren't writers in the genre or format that you are writing in. Just because someone has seen a few movies or read a few comic books doesn't mean they can ably critique a script for either. Therefore, family and friend critiques are a poor means to get serious, actionable suggestions and solutions for improving your script. For that, you need a professional.
Feedback from Objective Professionals - I use both the terms objective and professionals loosely here. To a certain extent, we all have subjective biases that color our opinions. And by professionals, I simply mean someone who has done what you're trying to do. Want feedback on a comic script? Find someone who's actually written a couple of them. If you're just starting out, you're probably not going to get Brian Michael Bendis to critique it. In fact, I know you won't. But try to find someone who is both more accomplished than you and has no reason not to give you honest feedback.
Now, there is a drawback to this kind of feedback. See, these people have zero stake in your emotional well being, and thus they may give you their best Simon Cowell impression. So, if you know you can't handle someone tearing your work to shreds in a seemingly cold hearted fashion, don't try to get this kind of feedback.
However, if you're not ready for this sort of grilling, you're not ready to have anything published either. If you think it's tough getting negative feedback from an editor who is looking at your work with an eye to make it better, how are you ever going to deal with feedback from the readership at large? Again, it's better to be eviscerated in the draft stage when you can still make changes, than publish and have the world trash your work.
What feedback from objective professionals can provide is a strong road map for an improved rewrite. People who know the medium of comics can point out specific suggestions about what works and what doesn't and often can propose solutions to the problem areas. For this reason, this kind of feedback should be sought out.
Want to see the best example of this kind of objective feedback on the web? Check out the Friday column The Proving Grounds over at Project Fan Boy. Started by editor Steven Forbes, who I've worked with and would recommend, and recently taken over by writer Calvin Camp, each week writers send in scripts that are evaluated with no punches pulled, and then discussions about the work take place. (Calvin's accepting scripts for free editing, so take him up on the offer...be a brave one.)
After the feedback - LISTEN! Humans are defensive creatures by nature. Upon hearing criticism of your work, your baby, your instinct will be to come to its defense. DON'T. Don't try to explain what you were trying to do. Don't make excuses. Just listen. Remember, the whole reason you are writing is to stir an emotional response in another. So shut the hell up for a minute and listen to the feedback someone is giving you to find out whether or not you honestly achieved that goal.
And when you listen, do so with the understanding that what you are hearing is one person's opinion. And that their opinion MAY be right. Not that it is right. But that it may be. And because it may be right, rather than defend, ask questions to clarify. Ask things like, what lines didn't work for you? Would it be funnier/scarier/better if I tried ____? Which character do you think needs the most work? Which scenes go on too long?
Try to distance yourself from your work a bit. Remember, the feedback you get isn't on YOU. It's not even on your abilities or promise as a writer. The feedback is on the specific work you placed in front of the reader. That's it. And at this stage, YOU KNOW your story needs work. Getting feedback is one of the best ways to identify those areas you should focus on improving and to assemble a game plan for a re-write.
NEXT: The Re-Write - Part III - Killing Your Babies
Tyler James is a comics creator residing in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He writes and draws Over, a romantic comedy online graphic novel updating every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He also writes Tears of the Dragon, an epic fantasy webcomic. His work has been featured at Zuda Comics, and includes Interrogation Control Element, a political action thriller, and Super Seed, the story of the world's first super powered fertility clinic. When not making comics, Tyler works as a game designer and content producer for a software company.
Contact Tyler directly at tylerjamescomics@gmail.com, keep up with him at his blog, or follow him on Twitter.
Previous Columns
1: Big Goals
2: Resolutions
3: The Great Idea
4: Research Part I
5: Research Part II
6: The Killer Pitch Part I - The High Concept
7: The Killer Pitch Part II - The Synopsis
8: Pay Your Artists
9: Zuda Comics- A Tale of Five Submissions
10: Creating Great Characters Part I (Or Why Wolverine is Everywhere)
11: Creating Great Characters Part II (Or Why Wolverine is Everywhere)
12: Structurally Sound- The Beginning
13: Your Reputation
14: Structurally Sound- The Middle
15: Structurally Sound - The End
16: Your First Con
17: Beat It
18: Memorable Scenes
19: Mailbag
20: Comics Dialogue - Part I
21: Comics Dialogue - Part II
22: Baltimore Comic Con - Part I
23: Baltimore Comic Con - Part II
24: Is It Worth It?
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