Let’s Talk About Rejection

Well, first of all, it sucks! Really, it does. We know. We’ve been there. Many times. We’re all writers, too.

The reason we wanted to bring up this not-very-fun subject is because we got quite a few disappointed and/or angry emails after our 5/31 deadline from writers who had hoped for, and/or felt they deserved, a “consider.”

Yeah, we know. We’ve all felt the sting of rejection a million times. Part of the job description. And inevitably our egos kick in. We worked hard on that script. Surely the reader missed something or just didn’t comprehend it at all!

So, here are some thoughts on dealing with rejection that you guys will hopefully find helpful.

One writer pointed out that while some of the notes resonated with him, he was still shocked at not having received a consider because he regularly got considers from another coverage company. We understand. CI considers are “real world.” In other words, the marks a screenplay would likely receive at an agency or production company. And our readers are also “real world.” Writers and development types with years of experience in this business.

See, it doesn’t help you if it is any other way. Yes, it feels nice when we get lauded for our efforts. It strokes our egos. And, frankly, this is partly why many of our competitors hand out so much complimentary coverage–it’s a great way to get people to come back. But it doesn’t help you progress as a writer, and it doesn’t help you get a script across the finish line so you can kick open the doors of this business.

And isn’t that the actual point?

We said partly. The other part is that, frankly, some of their readers may not really know what they’re doing. Around 80% of applicants who work for other coverage companies fail our test.

So how should one react to coverage? Well, best bet is to maybe set it aside for a week or three. We’re all human, and so our initial reaction is often something along the lines of: This person has no clue! F*ck them!

Eventually, after we calmed down a bit, we reread the coverage and make a list of the notes that make sense and X out the ones that don’t. But we always make sure to give a fair hearing to the notes we disagree with the most, since often that’s where the real heavy lifting needs to happen. Sometimes we’ll reject a note out of hand simply because it seems hard and we really don’t want to rewrite all of Act 3.

And thus we have our action plan for the next draft – even if we still think the reader is an idiot.

All well and good.

That said, is it possible one reader may like a script more than another? Of course! Will one reader bump on something that another overlooks? Sure! Could one reader have been grumpy while writing the coverage while another was in a good mood? Absolutely! Can the same script get a “pass” from one reader and a “consider” from another? Yes, yes, yes. No matter how much we try to standardize things, for better or worse, readers bring themselves, their perspectives, their strengths and weaknesses, and their opinions, to everything they read.

The truth is, our fates as writers are always in the hand of a flawed human being, aka the reader.

But see, here’s the thing:

The conclusion–pass, consider, recommend–is not really important.

Here is what is: using the notes that resonate with you to improve the script and your craft. Keep honing and toning until the passes are few and far between. Heck, the two CI principals have been at this for a combined 65 years, and it still takes us upwards of 20+ drafts to get a consider.

Writing is rewriting. And every coverage is a step along the way to a consider. Use it as such.

Happy writing!