Queen of Ravens on YT asked: Does unconsciously worrying about what people will think of your writing make it hard to write or give you writers block?
And I’m lucky enough to say no. Mostly because I don’t care what other people think. Because I’m a jerk. And also it doesn’t really matter what other people think if I’m financing/producing the thing.
But I DO have things that get me stuck when I’m writing: is this the right path? do I need this character? why is this happening? what story is this? Basically: the big stuff is so overwhelming to me that I get totally and completely blocked. I’m still learning to chip away at things and know that in the end, I’ll have something good.
When I DO get worried about what people will think, it tends to hit me at the end of the process — when I have to start shopping my script around. That makes everything seem so much more REAL and BIG and IMPRESSIVE. People in the industry with real industry jobs are going to read my work and judge it — yikes. …but.
If I like it, and if I wrote the story I set out to write… that’s it. That’s done. Doesn’t matter what they think or say (unless it’s like, “HERE IS TEN BILLION DOLLARS, MAKE IT, I have a thought”).
So I guess that’s what this boils down to: make sure you love it the way it is. And whatever feedback you get, who cares? You’re happy.
Hi there! I wanted to talk about something a little newer to me and share what I’ve been learning over the last few weeks.
Coverage!
What is script coverage? Very basically, it’s a general summary of the script, usually written by an assistant for an executive, agent, manager, etc. Coverage can also include the reader’s thoughts – what’s good, what doesn’t work, etc. It has, of late, however, become available for newbie writers who want to get feedback on their scripts and do not have a way to reach out to those execs. It’s a little controversial – some people think you shouldn’t be paying for general feedback on your script – and coverage isn’t really the same as ‘notes’.
Notes give you more detail and suggest deeper changes; coverage is basically “this is good, make this” or “this is not for us, pass”.
I personally am still new enough to the writing game that I don’t have a super developed opinion on it. Sites like The Black List or WeScreenplay have certainly helped people crack in; they have also been a waste of money for others. I think your mileage will vary. I have a great group of note-giving friends, however, so I definitely would be using coverage as a tool to get my name out there more than as a way to receive feedback, which is probably for the best.
THAT SAID. I haven’t really sought coverage out until very recently; I submitted to a festival that included coverage for every script, so I received some feedback for The Dog Park. At first, I figured I wouldn’t even look at it – I know I like the script, opinions are a dime a dozen, and it probably doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of the industry. I still believe all those things, but it WAS nice to sit back and read THIS:
Dog Park
by Kate Hackett
Contest: WeScreenplay TV Contest (2019)
Page Count: 33
Genre: Comedy
Analyst: GJ56
Rating: Recommend
Score: 10.00/10
| CATEGORY | SCORE | PERCENTILE |
| Overall Impression | 10.00/10 | (97 percentile) |
| Plot | 10.00/10 | (96 percentile) |
| Characterization | 10.00/10 | (96 percentile) |
| Concept | 10.00/10 | (96 percentile) |
| Originality | 10.00/10 | (96 percentile) |
| Style | 10.00/10 | (97 percentile) |
| Structure | 10.00/10 | (96 percentile) |
| Dialogue | 10.00/10 | (96 percentile) |
| Overall Weighted Percentile | 96 | |
| Note: Percentiles are based on historical data of scores given out by this analyst. |
What worked?
You have a great script! The whole thing worked.
Your dialogue was great and flowed really nicely from scene to scene. Each character had their own voice. It was very easy to read, and I was never confused by any of this. Your action descriptions and dialogue worked well together. You painted a clear picture for me while reading.
I especially loved the scene with the alarms and post it notes. That was very well done, and super creative. I could see it visually, and what was great about it was that there was little dialogue, it was all action, but the comedy got across.
I thought Niemph was a very relatable and likeable character. Her story is all too relatable, and Dan’s responses to her about why he wants to break up were super representative of men as a whole. I related to your story, and I really enjoyed reading it.
I like how you introduced other minor characters such as the mom and friends, but didn’t make it about them. You popped them in to show us that they are there in the story.
The dog park scene was great as well. I honestly flew through reading your script because it was such an effortless read. I really enjoyed the characters and their banter. I read it like Gilmore Girls with their fast-paced wit.
I liked Niemph’s new friends at the dog park too. I like that you didn’t dwell on the break up, and are making this a story about a woman remaking her life. I like that he unintentionally left her with an emotional support dog. Your story has the tone of everything happens for a reason.
So that’s what coverage can look like! And when it’s that good… what a nice feather to pop in my cap!