Home Contact Biography Works Media News

Jane Recommends
Who Hates Whom / Bob Harris

Who Hates Whom: Well-Armed Fanatics, Intractable Conflicts, and Various Things Blowing Up A Woefully Incomplete Guide by Bob Harris

"The geopolitical equivalent of scorecards that get hawked at ball games. Only Bob could make a user’s guide to our increasingly hostile world this absorbing, this breezy, and—ultimately—this hopeful."
~ Ken Jennings, author of Brainiac

 

Jane in Print
Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe, edited by Jane Espenson

Flirting with Pride and Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives on the Original Chick-Lit Masterpiece, edited by Jennifer Crusie and including Jane Espenson's short story, "Georgiana"

Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon's Firefly, edited by Jane Espenson and Glenn Yeffeth

 
Jane in DVD

Jane in DVD

Now Available:
+Battlestar Galactica Season 3
+Dinosaurs Seasons 3 & 4
+Gilmore Girls Season 4
+Buffy: The Chosen Collection
+Tru Calling
+Firefly
+Angel: Limited Edition Collectors Set

Jane in Progress

 

Home » Archives » November 2006 » Bite three = more cheesecake! Bite four = too much cheesecake!
[Previous entry: "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place is Totally Overrated"] [Next entry: "/duplicate entry deleted/"]

11/15/2006: Bite three = more cheesecake! Bite four = too much cheesecake!


Having friends who are willing and able to give you notes on your scripts is a hugely valuable thing. Especially if they're good at it. But there is a certain note that you should be very careful of. The "more like this" note. Sometimes someone will say "I love it every time Character A insults Character B. Put in more of that." Or "All your action stuff is so great. I wish there was more."

It's really tempting, of course, to go chasing that praise and to add more of the thing they like. And sometimes it's a good idea. But lots of times, the reason they love the insults, or the action, or whatever, so much is because there's exactly the right amount of it.

It's like cheesecake. You don't know you've had enough until you've had too much.

This is one reason to keep some fresh eyes in your stable of friends-who-can-give-notes. If you've plumped up some part of the script in response to requests, the people who requested more aren't going to be likely to read the rewrite and say, "Oh. You were right. Now there's too much." They've got a bit of ego invested in the note now. So a fresh reader is going to be really helpful. "Gahh!" they may say, "Too much cheesecake!"

Lunch: a tuna sandwich from the gas station. It sounds bad, I know, but it's a really good gas station.


 

Get Blog Updates Via Email

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

 

Links
Walt Disney Writing Fellowship Program
UC Berkeley
Jane recommends you also visit BobHarris.com

 

Home
Archives

November 2006
SMTWTFS

Valid XHTML 1.0!

Powered By Greymatter
Greymatter Forums


Home | News | Works | Biography | Frequently Asked Questions

Site design Copyright © PM Carlson
This is a fan site owned and operated entirely by PM Carlson with the cooperation and assistance of Jane Espenson. This site is not affiliated in any way with Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox or ABC.