How to give notes to a writer
So, you’ve been asked to give notes on a piece of writing.
Before diving into the draft, make sure you understand what the writer is trying to accomplish — their vision for this screenplay, novel, short story. This will inform the entire process.
When it’s time to deliver the notes, it’s best to be constructive and actionable.
Be constructive
Lead with the positive. Throughout the process, always share what you genuinely loved in the draft. What made you laugh, what captured your imagination, what felt meaningful to you. It’s not only considerate and encouraging but also opens the channel for your feedback to be received.
Build toward the vision. Your notes are here to help the writer fully realize the vision for the project — not to encourage them to create something else. If the goal is to make a spy thriller about nanobots, don’t try to turn it into a courtroom drama about AI. I’ll even throw in a “take this with a grain of salt” if I’m not sure if a note would move them toward the story they want to tell.
Beware interesting ideas. It can be exciting when an idea crosses your mind while giving notes — “Ooh! What if she was secretly working for the other side? Wow! It’d be cool if they went into the forest instead of staying in the cabin.” But interesting ideas can draw a writer’s focus away from the changes that need to be made. Maybe you’re excited by the idea of the characters going into the forest because the story needs more rising tension — that’s your note. It might be helpful to share an idea to clarify a note, but I try to let the writer discover their own way of refining the story. That said, if they ask for ideas, full steam ahead.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. When it’s our job to give feedback, it’s understandable to think we’re more helpful the more feedback we give. Some of us might believe we always have to come up with many notes to prove our worth as note-givers. But it’s helpful to consider that there’s a chance the material is already doing what it wants to do. Be sure that there truly are changes to be made when giving notes, because noting for the sake of noting only introduces doubt.
Don’t look under the hood. You don’t have to know how a car works to give the designer feedback about how it’s driving. Asking a writer to justify the decisions they’ve already made runs the risk of turning a notes session into a sprawling philosophical exploration. If you find yourself talking about what it even means to be heroic an hour into your notes call, you’ve become several times removed from the story and what will actually improve it.
Trust your intuition. Stories resonate with every part of us, logical and emotional. When giving notes, draw from the comprehensive experience you had while reading the draft. Did you connect with it? Let go of your idea of what a story is “supposed to be” — a story isn’t a checklist. And every element of a story doesn’t have to be neatly explained. What this story needs is unique to this story. Go with that.
Without mystery, without curiosity and without the form imposed by a partial answer, there can be no stories. — John Berger
Be actionable
The most effective notes are changes you’re suggesting. Not questions, ideas, negations, or observations. “I didn’t get that he fell in love” isn’t as actionable as “show us the moment he falls in love in the diner scene.” If you find yourself giving a “make sure” note that’s really an observation of something in the story — “make sure there’s a strong redemption arc” — dig deeper to find the change you’re looking for: “I’d like to see her save him at the end in a way she couldn’t at the beginning.”
Focus on understanding. As long as the writer clearly understands your notes, they’ll take care of the rest. Give them handles — examples, hypotheticals — to make sure they clearly grasp your meaning. If you think their revenge story would be more engaging if we see what the lead is revenging, it can be helpful to invoke how well this worked in Kill Bill. Anything to not leave the writer confused about what your note really means.
Don’t use story terms. Instead of relying on commonly used storytelling terms that can feel vague, frame the note in relation to the story itself to make it actionable. Rather than “up the stakes,” try “give her more to lose if she doesn’t get this job.” Instead of “clarify his motivation,” go for “show us why he’s so committed to finding the briefcase.”
Make it short. If you have to express your note as a whole back-and-forth discussion, you run the risk of confusing the meaning you’re trying to convey. It’s best to challenge yourself to deliver the note as concisely as possible: “I think you should make x change for y reason.” Sometimes it takes a little back-and-forth to get there. But the more specific you can be, the better.
Lastly, make it fun. Notes don’t have to be laborious or confrontational. Some of the biggest laughs of my life have been in notes sessions. The fact that you’re discussing something the writer has poured their heart and soul into can be daunting. But that’s also what places notes sessions among the most energizing conversations you can have.
The writing is — I’m free from pain. It’s the place where I live; it’s where I have control; it’s where nobody tells me what to do; it’s where my imagination is fecund and I am really at my best. — Toni Morrison
True storytellers are reaching into the cosmos when they write a draft. When giving notes, your role is to improve their aim so they can reach even farther and capture the sparkling nebula that has caught their eye. The wrong approach can have the opposite effect, reeling them back down to Earth with unfocused feedback that muddies their vision. You hold tremendous power, note-giver. Wield it well.
written listening to “The Ocean” by Chin Cheng Lin