Critique the material, not the writer
Toph Eggers penned a 3/9/12 article in Salon entitled, “Hollywood’s worst screenwriter strikes again.” Here’s how it starts:
The screenwriting community is a pretty affable one. Because we exist on the extreme margins of the film community; get fired and re-hired without remorse; take abuse from cast members, executives and directors alike; and generally get used to having our words mangled and abused more than playwrights, novelists and journalists combined, screenwriters tend to go easy on each other.
At least publicly. In the privacy of our minds, there’s deep, deep wells of jealously, resentment and bile swirling at all times. Still, it’s pretty rare for this to boil over into a feud. Which is why I’m shocked as anybody that I, of all people — since I’m barely even technically a screenwriter, with only three paid gigs to date, none of which has seen the light of day — should be the one to start one. But extraordinary moments call for extraordinary measures. Tough circumstances have forced my hand.
So I hereby declare that, in no uncertain terms, the screenwriter Steve Koren has done me and others irritable harm and must be stopped from any future movie-script writing endeavors at all costs.
It doesn’t matter how aggrieved Mr. Eggers was by his experience of being forced to screen A Thousand Words. Or if Mr. Eggers intended his article as a piece of satire. His article is just bad form.
First assuming Mr. Eggers has taken one or more writing classes as part of his education, did he not grasp one of the basic guidelines of creative give and take: Critique the material, not the writer.
Moreover the article demonstrates a lack of understanding about the craft of filmmaking. Major Hollywood studio movies are a collaborative effort and primarily director driven. Who knows how many writers worked on the movies Mr. Eggers mentions. Who knows how many suggestions that ended up in the final cut derived from the actors, producers, studio, etc. To lay the blame for a movie’s quality solely at the feet of one writer is simply flawed logic.
Worse Mr. Eggers himself acknowledges the “abuse” screenwriters routinely receive in Hollywood. Then why in heavens name would he — a supposed member of the tribe — choose in a very public way to heap even more abuse on a fellow screenwriter?
Does he think the people involved with A Thousand Words including Steve Koren set out to make a bad movie? Does Mr. Eggers not think they are having an understandably dour several days surrounding the movie’s opening weekend, and that the appearance and timing of his article will only contribute to Steve Koren’s discomfort?
Finally what if Mr. Eggers is fortunate enough to get a major movie produced? And what if that movie turns out badly? Doesn’t it seem like Mr. Eggers has set himself up to be skewered not only by movie critics, but also by other screenwriters who will remember his attack of Steve Koren?
All in all, the article not only reflects badly on Mr. Eggers, it comes across as a poorly conceived idea in the first place.
For the record, here is Toph Egger’s IMDB page.
For more of the article, go here.
For all that, the article’s appearance does raise a legitimate issue: Is there a way to discuss movies we don’t like in a manner that respects the filmmakers involved, and especially in public forums like this, the screenwriters? We can learn things by analyzing stories gone awry. Is there a humane, reasonable way of doing that?
Honestly I don’t know if there is. And I’m not sure the risk is worth it because I don’t ever want GITS to become a place where flame wars prevail.
It takes courage to be creative and go public with the fruits of our creativity. I always want to honor that spirit because it is worth honoring. My default is to spotlight dynamics, principles and practices that help writers write better and create stronger stories. However I am willing to discuss ways to dissect stories that don’t work if we can find a way to do that which does not demean the writer, their hard work, nor their creativity.
Feel free to provide your thoughts in comments.
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