Screenwriting : Rejection usage by Kimmie Easley

Ya can't hit it ifin' you ain't swingin'; and every swing & a miss puts you closer to a hit.

I don’t. Rejection itself does not fuel me. I learn from it and move on. What didn’t work for one may work for another. ;)))

There's a big difference between 'rejection' and 'criticism.'. Some people don't know the difference and/or can't handle either.

Rejection doesn't fuel, it deflates. Criticism, if taken the right way, can be fuel.

"It's awful." is a rejection. You can't work with that, you have to just move on.

"It's awful because..." is a criticism. It gives you hope, something to work with and work on.

If you tell me there's something wrong with a scene, a character, or the whole darn premise to begin with - I can fix those. I can motivate myself to write something so good that it'll blow you out the water. But I can't motivate someone else to like or even read page one, if they've already firmly decided against it.

I probably wouldn't be human if an accurate rejection didn't fuel me to some degree.

If someone says, "it's good, but not visual enough. Pass", then I'd think about it, beat myself a bit if they were right, and strive to make it more visual. If someone said "you call this writing? What are you trying to say?" (like a past college professor once said), I'd think about, beat myself up a bit if he was right (he was), and strive to make it more clear.

Accurate rejection fuels me in all rejection-related areas of my life - from work to sports to dating to interactions with family and friends - and it's in my nature to take a valid rejection, and use that valid rejection to reflect, decide what to do, and make the necessary adjustments. Failures should always lead to opportunities, right?

Best of luck to you, Kimmie.

Feeling bad about rejection will just lead to resentment and that puts your next script you write in trouble. As Dan said rejection is part of the business. With 100,000 plus spec scripts submitted each year only a handful get selected for the next step.

When I played drum circles on Venice Beach in 1999, a respected player told me I performed better whenever I was pissed. It's like it gives me an axe to grind to prove the perceptions of those people wrong. But that also means I gotta put in the work to get better... which years later... is great!

An innovation professor here in Ann Arbor at UofMich maintains creative friction is needed for the magic to arrive and the lightning to strike.

Steven: an accurate rejection (in any area of my life) should lead to opportunity to improve/change/be better. That's a pretty positive ultimate outcome - if I'm cognizant enough to change, and capable enough to change.

Bill: Rejection can fuel you if you if you accept it, learn from it and move on. I agree with you. However, many people go south with it and it hurts their next script. Or as we say in the program: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Dan- Well stated. It is not what you know, but who you know. Main thing is to just keep writing and keep connecting. Foster relationships wherever you can. It is still a numbers game like most things. The more you do the better your chances.

To me criticism or rejection depends on a couple of things #1 who’s it from? (If it’s a paid reader with little experience - I blow it off) #2 What it’s for - as Laura says - if it’s for the pitch and not the script - it’s not a script rejection. I would bone up the pitch. #3 Is it consistent - if I send the same script out thirty times and it’s READ and rejected - I have to think about a) changing the script or B) moving on

What John Iannucci says is true. If you are consistently getting the same notes, like "the opening scene seems... unnecessary" then you probably should reevaluate your opening scene. But if your feedback is all over the map examine the notes, along with your script and the "problem sections" to decide for yourself which notes are accurate and which ones belong in the rubbish bin with your week old leftovers! And Laura Scheiner also has good advice! If you're talking about being rejected from a pitch... work on your pitching technique. Practice it. If it's a written pitch, then pick ten major points in your script and turn it into a 1-2 page short story. I've had requests for scripts from written pitches. Still working on the selling my own stuff instead of revising other peoples.

I'm reminded of the movie on the moving train with River Phoenix as a young Indiana Jones when he gets told, "Ya lost today kid. That doesn't mean ya hafta like it."

I don’t think I necessarily use my rejections to fuel me. It’s purely my passion for writing and telling stories. The sting of rejection is rough...but nothing compared to how strong my passion is.

They are so meaningless.

I can just imagine how many people rejected Rembrandt.

I know how many rejected Van Gogh. He sold one painting his entire life.

Rembrandt was rejected. He died poor.

The only thing is valuable is the feedback you receive that's maningful to you.

If you don't believe it, don't.

You just have to look at them individually and ask if they make sense. The first few pitches I made for a series I couldn't help but wonder if they were really reading the pitch. Title included the name November, the events start in November and there was a mysterious character named November and the reader wanted to know if November had anything to do with it. ?????? I really couldn't give much credit to their complaints. Finally started getting responses that were more specific and and made more sense so I made changes based on their suggestions. Pitch was accepted and waiting for the second round response.

Being rejected was the best thing that ever happened, because I had the chance to keep rewriting that screenplay..

I sometimes think that what if one day it happens? Someone accepting my screenplay would be great, but it would also be a farewell to a story I lived so much in, to all its characters, like losing a part of yourself.

.

I guess the screenwriting fees we all hear about have a much deeper meaning than just money. No. That's what it looks like at first glance.

"He just sold Space Legends for 1 million $".. But he parted ways with an entire story..

If you are a writer, you care about what you write, it's not like:"Umm, let's write a sentence, now two, oh, damn, now what happens? Right, he gets the gun.. And next? Can't wait to trade this for a new fast car and aParis holiday..".

You live the story. Or it lives you. It is not easy, it is a phase, a part of your life.

And now, it doesn't belong to you anymore. Or maybe it never did.

Maybe a great story belongs to the whole world, like a monument. You were just the first in line, just the "first maker", now get the hell out, let others in line play their part. It's kinda creepy. But I like rewriting all the way. And even if it hurts a bit, I'm not a fool, I'd sell it! Because it isn't just about me. Writing isn't a selfish thing, you know:)

Depends on who does the rejection.

I get some that is really helpful. Some that just write garbage and cash my check.

I try to get a MEANINGFUL rejection and make changes on that. With the latter I happily dump it. Once I was so incensed I threatened to write a yelp review if they refused to get out of my face.

USUALLY a good sign that they are a non-legit operation is if they are on yelp. Nothing against yelp. But choose your critiques wisely.