One of the toughest things for a writer, once he’s actually got a producer interested enough in his script that money has exchanged hands, is that the next step the writer receives a bunch of notes, “suggestions” on how to change the script so it’s more to the producer or development exec’s liking. I put “suggestions” in quotes, because these are, in fact, directives. Do a rewrite incorporating these changes (ALWAYS on the basis that you’re being paid for this work) or we’ll get another writer who will. Sometimes the notes are good, and if you’re honest with yourself, you realize they’ll actually improve the script. Sometimes they are stupid. Sometimes they’re mysterious and seem to make no sense at all. What to do? First of all, recognize that this is a part of the process. You as a single author are now becoming part of the team that will hopefully bring your vision, or something close to it, to the Big Screen. So take a deep breath, agree to the notes you agree with — and then figure out how to address the rest. What this means is that there is something the producer or exec is after, some quality that makes it more like a movie in their eyes, so that even if their specific suggestion is wrong, there may be a way of addressing the intention behind it. The trick is to find that intention, address it to YOUR satisfaction, and then pretend convincingly that you have in fact done just what was asked of you. But if you’re really stuck, don’t be shy. The producer is paying you. He doesn’t want to waste his money; he wants a good rewrite. So don’t sit in your room and stew about it–ask what the note means! Don’t argue, don’t defend, simply get at what the point of the note is. Then, once you’ve understood it, find a way to address it–even if it isn’t literally what the producer or exec asked for, if it does the job they’ll be happy, and so will you. Another important thing to look for is: WHO is giving the notes? Often you’ll get conflicting notes from different people– so who do you pay attention to? It’s pretty simple: whoever is the power in the room. Who is actually making this movie? If a lower level development exec gives you notes that conflict with those of the studio or of the person paying for the rewrite, give polite attention to the first set, but DO the second set. If there’s a big- name director firmly attached and her notes disagree with the producer’s notes, do what the director wants. At this point, she is the power in the room, and will stick up for the draft that she wants, regardless of what the producer says (and if it gets to be a fight, you’re off the hook, because you just did what the director asked for). But mostly, in all of this, find a way to see your script through their eyes, and understand why they want these changes. In general, these are not stupid people. After all, they bought your script, didn’t they? So the better you are at this, the more control you’ll actually be able to have over the final draft, and the less likely that you’ll see a bunch of other writers’ names on the credits list.