Scott McConnell.
Based in Melbourne and LA, story consultant and producer Scott McConnell has read for companies including Nu Image, The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Hallmark, New World Television, Sundance Institute, and Concorde-New Horizons.
A member of the Producers Guild of America, McConnell has produced shows for Nat Geo, Animal Planet/Discovery, TruTV, Spike and Fox. His credits include 'Live Life and Win!' and the reality series 'Hollywood Boot Camp'.
In this guest column, he offers tips for writers on choosing the right script editor to help develop their project.
Writers need editors. But there are editors and there are editors. Finding an excellent screenplay editor versus finding an average one can be a frustrating and expensive process. The following suggestions raise some issues to be aware of when hiring an expert to help you improve your story. (The tips require that you research any experts you are considering and if possible “interview” them.)
One. Try to learn the philosophy and sensibility of the prospective editor. Every writer/editor has a conscious or subconscious philosophy about life and this includes his literary ideals and preferences. If, for example, you the writer have a positive view of life and your editor has a tragic one, that can be problematic if he edits your story. Similarly, if he likes Jim Carrey hijinks and you prefer elegant Lubitsch comedies, or if he writes special-effects driven horror and you write character-driven adventure stories, these potential conflicts in sensibilities can restrict how much an editor can help you. One way to learn your prospective editor’s philosophical bent and literary tastes is to ask him about his favorite writers and movies. Alexandre Dumas and Franz Kafka do not mix. American Beauty does not meet Don Juan DeMarco. (There are, of course, great editors who can work across many genres and styles.) All editors should respect a writer’s personal values and sensibility and edit stories by objective dramatic criteria, not by their own personal tastes or philosophy.
Two. Often editors have genres they prefer to edit or are more expert in. And while many editors can be generalists able to edit many genres, sometimes you don’t want a comedy guy to edit your action thriller. So, ask your prospective editor if he has any specialties in the types of stories he edits or has genres he prefers not to edit.* Also, some editors might be expert in specific aspects of stories, such as structure, characterization, or dialog.
Three. Before working with an editor try to know what you need. Do you feel that your script’s structure is off, that its conflicts are one-note, or that its characters are one-layered? Or that your story is clichéd or your characters unlikable? Knowing what is working and not working in your script will help you interview your editor to learn if he’s the guy you need. If you want a long-term relationship with a script editor, it can be valuable to ask yourself what you need to learn as a writer. If, for example, you are weak at creating deep characters ask your expert how to deepen characters. If he’s good, he will clearly tell you what deep characters are. If he’s great, he’ll show you how to create complex and captivating characters.
Four. Many editors can read a script and understand what is wrong with it. There are some editors who can fix scripts at a much higher level. They can give solutions to your story problems. And even when an editor makes a “bad” suggestion of how to fix something in your story, this advice can still be valuable. When editors propose such “bad” solutions they have often correctly identified the specific nature of a problem in your story and learning this information you are now better equipped to find the right solution yourself. There is wisdom in the adage: Ask the right question and you’ll get the right answer.
Five. Listen to what the expert focuses on during your preliminary conversation with him. First, there are red flags to be aware of. Be wary of talk about what the script buying market is looking for, that your script will never sell, that you must write this genre or that type of character to sell, and so on. Who really knows what will sell or get produced? And always remember that your story is a dramatization of your values and ideals, not your editors’. (Do keep in mind, however, that a story with a Nazi, Communist or ISIS hero, for example, is gonna be a hard sell.) When vetting an editor also notice if he relies on jargon like “plot points” and “save the cat” or speaks in vague clichés or focuses on formatting. Reading a book on writing does not an editor make. There are also positives to listen for when vetting your expert, some of which are noted in the following paragraphs.
Six. As with hiring any expert, whether a dentist, lawyer or computer technician, do your homework and due diligence. Ask for references or testimonials. Check out his experience and qualifications. Read his writing about writing. He will most probably have articles, blog posts or film reviews for you to read. Check out any fiction he’s written. The findings of such research can be revealing but are also tricky to judge. A good writer does not always a good communicator or editor make. And a bad writer might have an excellent understanding of how story works and be a skilled communicator. I believe, however, that generally it is better if your expert understands writing as a writer, that is, from inside the writer’s head and not as some professor analysing writing from the outside. And as noted earlier, a high-level expert can show you how to do something, for instance, create individualized dialog, and not just recite what is good dialog, though this can also be helpful.
Seven. When you meet with the editor, does he listen, or does he know everything and like to hear his own genius? Can he answer your questions with simple explanations and can he explain writing issues using the principles of good writing? (The more conscious an editor is of the principles of good writing, the better he can spot them, or their lack, in your writing and explain them to you.) Is this someone you can spend a lot of time with? Is he professional? Don’t, however, expect any expert to know everything but some will amaze you with their incredible experience, knowledge and perceptiveness.
Good premises in your search to find the best script editor for you. Please don’t ask any prospective editor all the above questions (especially if the editor is a serious player with acknowledged skill), but I hope these notes will help you vet any script editor you are considering. If this editor reveals himself as brilliantly knowledgeable, objective and skilled, he’s worth every hard-earned dollar you’ll pay him and your stories and writing knowledge will improve. The road to writing good stories is often paved by a conscientious writer working under the “lash” of an editing master.
* I like to think that my own specialty as an editor is helping a writer during the early story construction stage to devise and integrate characters and central conflicts.
More tips from Scott McConnell are here.