You Got a Rejection, Now What?

You’ve written (and re-written) your screenplay and have decided it’s time to unleash it upon the world. You query and find a producer/network exec/studio exec/agent interested in reading it. You send them the script, wait weeks, maybe even months, only to receive what you dreaded receiving—a pass.

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This week’s post was inspired by a consulting client of mine, let’s call her Liz, who wrote an absolutely charming screenplay (which I’d love to direct) and I offered to send it to the VP of Development at one of the studios. 

After about a month, I received a rejection email from the exec letting me know she was passing because her ‘team’ felt the story lacked conflict and felt too ‘busy.’  Those were the extent of her notes, and when I passed them on to the writer, the writer responded asking me how much she should take the notes to heart.

It’s a tough question to answer.

Typically, I tell writers that if you get the same note from at least two people, you should listen. T…