Comments on: Feedback – A Thought

By: d f mamea

d f mamea — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:12:16 +0000

regarding thank you gifts… food is always nice.

but i’m food-oriented. like our Dog.

By: Lyse

Lyse — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:36:39 +0000

This person is a writer, director, and has been in the gaming industry for a long time (my script is set in the virtual reality gaming world). He’s also a creature designer, and an amazing artist (digital and real). I could have happily spent more time looking at his work and listening to his stories, except I was aware that I had this one meeting to discus my script, and wanted to make sure we did that. I was VERY, VERY lucky to have him interested in the script at all. He’s been really good to me, and all out of the goodness of his heart, (no fee) and a mutual friend connection. He’s asked me to stay in touch, and to be sure, I will do that! Which reminds me… I must send a thank you gift! What to send… what to send… ?? Any ideas?

By: d f mamea

d f mamea — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:58:17 +0000

i’m curious, Lyse: was this person a fellow scribe or a script consultant (or editor or whatever)? did they cost?

i look forward to my post on giving feedback, too!

By: Lyse

Lyse — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:29:04 +0000

It was actually a three hour meeting. The first hour was a reacp of his life’s work, which he felt he needed to share with us, and honestly, I found it really facinating, even though I did check my watch a few times.

It took me longer to recover from the meeting than the meeting itself. Much wine helped.

I look forward to your post on the art of giving feedback. :)

By: d f mamea

d f mamea — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:12:03 +0000

bet it didn’t feel like two hours, right?

giving feedback takes a skill – not unlike writing – of thinking how best to be constructive or helpful with what can be unwelcome information. (mm – should keep that thought for a post.)

as for taking feedback – hey, we’re only humanoid. and if we were to stab everyone who said anything nasty about our work, the world would be a less interesting place.

By: Lyse

Lyse — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:02:01 +0000

I recently had a 2 hour session which was all about me talking it like a man. But it was two of the best hours I will have spent on my script. This person giving me feedback had three typed pages of notes for me. I instantly thought “holly cow! There’s not that much wrong with it!” and “OMG! he spent A LOT of time thinking about my script out of the goodness of his heart.” Through a few of the first harsh comments (he did NOT start with anything he liked, but jumped right into what was wrong) I did feel that flight or fight instinct rising. But then I found that I got engrosed in his comments, thinking about how I could fix things, how what he was saying was DEAD RIGHT. And if I did manage to address even half of these notes, my script would be taken to the next level of goodness. Our meeting turned into a brain storming session, which was completely exhausting, but exhilerating at the same time. We dreamed up crazy things the future will hold (my script set in the future) and philosphphised about life to come, and how this could come into play in my story. Basically, it was AWESOME. I am forever in his dept. I did take the feedback persoanlly in that regard. Not that it was an attack, but that this person cared anough about my story to give it such time and thought. That’s personal. And now that I’ve finished my rewrite, I only hope that it’s done his efforts justice.

I think giving in depth feedback (good, or even better not so good) is a true gift.

By: d f mamea

d f mamea — Sat, 30 May 2009 00:45:25 +0000

i’ve a very fine line somewhere in my head where i’m okay when people say I didn’t like it because…, but if the feedback begins with the dread words I think you should…, i have to consciously think, Don’t. Stab. Them.

how feedback is phrased is really important.

but i acknowledge that, for myself particularly, i should take my lumps Like A Man.

By: Sean M

Sean M — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:17:35 +0000

Feedback is hard. But necessary. I’ve been getting more into understanding the need for and wanting to give feedback over the past few years, because it’s a way that we all develop.

I reckon the person giving feedback can make it easier by opening with the good stuff, and by asking the key questions/raising the key points, rather than making too many evaluative judgements.

But I reckon the person receiving feedback has to go through the mental shift you’re describing above. It’s not about you, it’s about the work.

But that’s a hard shift to go through. I’m not there yet myself – one of my most vulnerable spots is in receiving feedback…