Screenwriting : Attention: Calling Doctor Know It All by Lee Davis

Not disagreeing with you exactly, but I wonder if the metaphor needs tweaking. Maybe the job of a GP script consultant isn't so much to diagnose the disease at the heart of your script -- God forbid it has one -- but to check your blood pressure, listen to your lungs, and if, necessary give you a lecture about basic nutrition and clean living: quit smoking, cut down on the donuts/dialogue, and get ninety minutes of well-paced exercise a day broken up into four cleanly defined acts with a turning point between each one. You know? Granted, if you've got a broken funny bone in your comedy or a chronic muscle weakness in your action film, a specialist might be necessary. But I'd imagine a good general diagnostician has a lot to offer too. I personally like the script consultants who say, "before we do business, send me ten pages and I'll let you know if I can help you". But I assume you're talking from personal experience so, again, I'm not saying you're wrong.

Kerry. If you know a script doctor who's willing to read ten pages before hire, please send me his/her contact info. As for checking my blood pressure, I have a wrist device that monitors BP as well as my heart rate. On the other hand, if getting my script sold requires giving up donuts, I may have to rethink my career choice. Seriously, if curing an ailing screenplay was easy, we could eliminate all the doctors, agents, and Hollywood readers and purchase some form of prophylactic formula over the counter. But, even when you have a mild cough, you need to know whether to buy the DM, CF, or PE, cough syrup. Think of it this way. If you're a dedicated figure skater training for the Olympics, how important is it to find the right coach? Well, serious screenwriters compete at the same level. You can't skate a log line onto the podium. You need to skate a perfect program. And, for that, you need a special kind of coach. Figures, speed skating, pairs, ice dancing -- all have different coaches. So, who knows suspense like AMC knows drama? I've got ten pages for anyone who can guide me to the podium.

Jeez, I hate being asked to back up my claims. I thought we were all gentlemen here. I feel like I've seen the "send me a few pages first" request, but I couldn't point to where I saw it. I occasionally browse consultant sites thinking "maybe I should do this one day", but my fear of spending a lot of money and regretting it has kept me from trying. So in that regard I'm useless. To make up for it, I'd be happy to read your script. I'm not a suspense expert per se, though I've sold two thrillers with suspense elements (one produced, one in pre-production now), and directed one of my own. My price is zero, and I can guarantee you'll get at least as much as you pay for. I might not be able to get you to the Olympics, but I can at least keep you from cracking your skull open on a botched triple-axle. If you're interested, send me a direct message for my e-mail address. And I'll want ten pages first, to see if I'm the right reader for you. :)

If someone doesn't like Italian food, would you ask them to tell you how to make your manicotti taste better?

I feel a good script doctor shouldn't be genre specific, or should at least be putting their feelings on genre aside and analysing a script objectively.

Objectively, based on what? You don't hire a baseball coach to advise a football team. Not even in Little League ball. If you want to play jazz guitar, which music teacher would you hire Andres Segovia, Doc Watson, BB King, or Wes Montgomery?

Yikes. Unfollow.

It's all how you choose to frame your metaphor. Is your genre jazz guitar, or is your genre cool jazz vs. hot jazz vs. West Coast jazz? In which case one single (talented) generalist jazz guitar coach may be all you need.

Lee, I think you're mixing your metaphors a bit. and the reason consultants don't give feedback on 10 pgs for free is...why should we? A good consultant knows how to work in most if not all genres. sure, there are ones we might enjoy or excel at more, but while there are diff tropes to each genre, the basics of story and character, pacing, plotting, dialogue, etc are still the same.

I think he might need to see a real doctor to get that blood pressure checked. The metaphors make no sense because no GP is going to give you a consultation for free. Nor is any other professional. I'm happy to just do my due dilligence and take a punt on someone who feels right. I wouldn't ask them to work for free. if I don't like what they did then I try someone else.

Thanks Cherie. I agree. I wouldn't expect a full-length free read, but a free 10 page consultation makes sense to me. And there are certainly many professionals who offer free consultations. For example, many top-ranked plastic surgeons offer free consultation. And most civil suit attorneys offer free consultations AND if they agree to take on your case, the don't get any remuneration unless they win. Frankly, I'm surprised the script consulting profession doesn't follow this model as I think it would increase business and give them a better reputation among spec writers. And I'm surprised that writers don't demand more assurance that the consultant has the requisite skills to help.

Dan. Thanks for taking the time to write a polite thoughtful reply. I agree with much of what you say, but, my background, which is in marketing, suggests that the consulting business can be improved by increasing customer confidence. Most spec writers say they have trouble finding and affording a good script consultant. I'm simply trying to bring the customers and suppliers together. I agree that consultants probably do not need to stimulate business or increase customer confidence, but I think free consultation is the best form of self promotion. Advertising companies spend a great amount of time and money creating a pitch which is not billed. No matter how busy a professional reader might be, I think giving a prospective customer ten free minutes is a professional courtesy that pays for itself many times over.

Lee, I have a background in marketing as well, and what your saying makes sense for most businesses. I think the discrepancy is based on supply and demand. There are a million screenwriters who need consultants, verses a tiny number of consultants who need writers. The number of really good consultants who can provide deep, insightful feedback, and who are cool to work with, is even smaller. When I was selling advertising for a newspaper, I would see ten to fifteen clients/ potential clients a day. My success rate on them made it worth while. I needed them. In screenwriting, the numbers are absolutely reversed. No one needs me as a writer. There are a million others. Consultants don't cold call writers, so why give up 10 minutes for free?

Gordon. Thanks for your response. As I said earlier, I think it's a question of professional courtesy and customer relations as well as bean counting. There are far more advertising clients than advertising firms and God knows how many of us want to look ten years younger... But, I think this discussion has strayed too far from my original premise which was a question about specialization, not free advice. If anyone wants to continue discussing my belief that screenwriting deserves more specialized consulting support, I'm happy to continue the dialog. For free!

I agree with Dan and Gordon, while there are many consultants out there, there are thousands more writers. i often have more clients than i can handle myself. I will say that doing a bit of free work can be a great way to get more business - but not the way you've laid out. Doing 10 pages of work for every writer would take hundreds of hours and if a writer has already come to you, then they are already interested in being a paying client. so that's pointless. that being said, the way to do free work that leads to more biz is to do it on a grand scale where its actually free promotion. Starting this month, I will be doing 1 free coverage on Simply Scripts website per month. I'm not getting paid, but we will be promoting it heavily and they get thousands of visitors per month who will read the free sample. THAT is how to offer free work to get more business. Not by giving you free notes on 10 pages because most writers are cheap and will take those free notes and think its enough and won't pay for more.

i'm going to go out on a limb here and agree with Lee, well sort of. a good consultant should be able to give solid feedback on any genre. though we're all human and have our natural preferences genre isn't the issue. what is more of an issue is finding a consultant who is a good fit in other ways and it's important that the writer assess what kind of feedback they are looking for and how deeply they want to work. For example have they written an indie/art house or studio spec, are they a beginner or a professional, do they need a lot of nurturing and support or a "no bullshit" (yes, i mean you danny!) approach. do they want to talk process and story or are they looking for quick feedback so they can make a big spec sale etc.... I like the GP comparison. There are a million excellent doctors/ therapists out there but only a handful that speak the same language i do. if i wanted a therapist i would expect a brief consult (10 mins) to discuss their approach in order to make sure we were on the same page. I always talk to my clients for at least 30 minutes before we agree to work together. If someone wanted me to read 10 pages i would likely do that depending on what level of service we were discussing and assuming they were legitimately looking to hire a consultant. I wouldn't give feedback on the pages but would use it to gauge their skill level and get a sense of the premise. It's important to me that the writer and i be a good fit and i'd prefer we figure that out before we start our journey together. If it doesn't feel right i refer writers to other people. As consultants we can all give solid feedback on scripts but as individuals we have unique styles and approach the process of screenwriting in different ways. it's worth taking the time to find someone you can really communicate well with, who gets your vision and will support you in the process in the best possible way.

Well said, Ruth. Although I consider genre expertise to be VERY important, I think that can be established by the 10/10 plan you utilize (10 MINUTES/10 PAGES). Overall, I agree that the most important thing is to make sure that the writer and the reader are on the same page emotionally. I'm putting you in the CONSIDER pile.

I agree writers should certainly do their due diligence and find the consultant that is right for them or their project. and I'm always more than happy to talk to prospective clients or current clients about their projects or goals before they book a consult. that's not the issue. Any good consultant should do that, or be open to that. its giving free feedback on pages where I don't think that's necessary or fair. That being said, no offense Lee, but you're not the type of writer I'd really prefer to work with as a consultant bc I'm not sure you'd approach any consultants comments with an open mind. you seem very negative about the process and consultants anyway so I fear it would be a lose lose situation no matter who you find..

I think giving 10 pages reading for free is unfair. I am a ghostwriter. I would never do a part of the writing for free. If they want to see some of the samples I have written I would just direct them to my short stories blog and show them my portfolio. Rest all depends upon experience and feedback. As for genre specialization, I agree that the reader should at least have an interest in that genre but should also be able to look at it objectively.

For once, we agree Alle! LOL

I agree genre is important, trust is also important my writing is like my baby, I created it and I want to see it married one day but not kidnapped! Once you get feedback also think about that feedback does it make sense. Would you want to watch that movie when made? So those are the 3 things I would think about: genre,safety and logical changes.

Nothin' going on here folks - unfollow.

Regarding a 'free sample', and I don't do script consultations so it's only a suggestion, if I were considering buying a consultation, I'd want the potential consultant to read, and very briefly evaluate, for free, my log line and synopsis (of roughly a page total). For one thing, it lets the potential consultant have a sense concerning whether I can write at all. It also makes clear genre (if that's an issue) and lets the consultant have a rough idea of where the story is going. Like I say, it's just a suggestion. Feel free to 'yell' at me if you like.

Thank you all for expressing your opinion. As I said a week ago, my original point was to suggest the possibility that we might benefit from script doctors who specialize in a particular genre. If you check back, I also said I was willing to pay more for a specialist. I never suggested anyone work for free. In response to my comment about specialization, one writer stated "he prefers to work with a consultant who asks to take a look at 10 pages before they do business." Since that first reply, there has been far more discussion regarding compensation than specialization. Am I the only one who believes screenwriters deserve the type of specialized attention we seek from doctors and attorneys? If anyone else is interested in discussing whether script specialists would help or hurt our profession, you are welcome to pick up the original thread of this discussion. For those who are only interested in monetary arrangements, please move your discussion onto a new blog. Thank you.

Genre speicalization is the way to go. Writing for and writing against genre spice your script. Can you really get help from someone who is not schooled in your genre?

Dennis. Thank you. We're in complete agreement on the importance of working with a script doctor who specializes in your chosen genre. I noticed that you also write thriller scripts. Any chance you know a consultant you could recommend?

Hi Lee, I've been thinking along the same line i'd like to find one too. My second thought is "subtle knowledge" some degree of knowledge that comes with working in the genre. know a source of any good books a genre specific?

Lee, for what it's worth, I do specialize in thriller. My mentor and first boss was a writer/director of over 30 horror or thriller films, and as their director of development, I developed numerous projects for them (a couple my own, mostly not), and worked with Screen Gems, which is where our deal was. I've also been a judge for the Page Awards in the horror/thriller category for the last 4 years. So, thriller is definitely a specialty of mine....but again, knowing how you feel about consultants, I'm not sure i'd be a great fit for you personally even if I AM a great fit for your project.

(Assuming he means genre specific consultants) I tend to agree with Dan. Maybe it exists, but if it does, it's an 'endangered species'. :) One of the best screenwriting teachers/consultants I ever ran across was a working screenwriter who, for pay, wrote exclusively comedy. But things like character creation, story structure, even dialogue to some degree, if well done, cross all genres. If you want to investigate writing in a particular genre, find out the demands of that genre, usually you can find a book which will cover the 'necessaries'. For example, I'm working on a sci-fi script right now and in preparation, I tried a book called 'Writing the Science Fiction Film' by Robert Grant which I found to be generally satisfactory. And clearly cheaper than a consultant. Could I have found a consultant who specialized in sci-fi? Would that have been better than the book? Maybe. I don't know. But sometimes it's good to get going writing and 'WTSFF' allowed me to do that reasonably quickly.

I really don't think you're looking for a consultant. I think you're looking for a production company that's taking open submissions in your particular genre. And in the process offer you notes on making your script more marketable.

Hey Thanks for the information on the book i'll check it out. Orsen Scott Card as a similar book directed toward writing though. . .got some good stuff

Thank you all for your comments. I know screenwriting specialists are out there as I know a woman who only works on comedy scripts. I know scripts are also reviewed by history specialists, lawyers, etc. There are also screenwriters who specialize in certain genres and some of them do consulting as a sideline. Concerning film and managment companies, they tend to have specialists for various types of movies just as book editors work on certain types of books. I'm sure we'll eventually hear from folks already out there who specialize in other genres, even if they accept projects in more than one genre. In answer to the question about books on writing certain genre films, there are a few for comedy. The only book I've read about thriller genre screenwriting is "Writing the Thriller Film" by Neil Hicks. I believe Mr. Hicks has also published a similar book on writing action movie scripts. Danny, please message me if you feel you have the type of expertise I'm searching for.

It was good to read all these posts! My "coach " of a few years back, explained to me what new screenwriters were up against, and said she would never write a spec script again. I saw a couple of the movies for which she wrote scripts in the 90's. I was also told that I might expect to not recognize my script, if sold, once it was onscreen. But I soldier on, as I would rather do this. You can't bitch if you don't try. Oh, and as to references to MD specialists, I have to say that as an RN CCM, with many years experience, nurses are generally more familiar with cross specialty treatment and care information than the patient's primary care MD. But, you can't compare medical care with "scriptcare." A perfected script will not save anyone's life.