There's this old set of jokes that I love, you know the how many blanks does it take to change a light bulb jokes. For instance how many feminists- that's not funny!
How many editors does it take to change a lightbulb?
Are you sure it's a light bulb?
How many actors does it take to change a lightbulb?
One to change it and another to watch and say "I can do that better"
How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb?
Does it have to be changed?
Funny cause it's true! That is our first reaction to most notes- do I need to change it? The answer quite frankly is yes. You don't need to change it into the thing that they are asking you to change it into. You don't need to take their weird solution. And yes most people do offer strange solutions. Overly pat suggestions that feel so tidy it's as if Martha Stewart herself sprayed lavender on your draft and then tidied it up. But you do need to respond in some way.
Why? Because it will engage you in your own creativity. When we bring a script out into the world I believe on a spiritual level we are telling the world we are ready to be in a deeper relationship with ourself. And by world, I mean asking friends to come over and read your script. Getting feedback from me, or your trusted class mates. We have built enough of a community here that if you would like your script to be read it will be.
How does that make you feel?
Excited?
Terrified?
Keep getting notes. Draft after draft. There will be notes that really piss you off... Those are good to look at. There will be notes that seem obvious, look at those too. This is how your draft builds muscle. This is how you get a piece of writing ready. This is what it truly means to workshop something.
