If you’re a collaborator, I freakin’ love you! You’re my favorite type to work with.

I’m just like you. I’m sure you love to bounce ideas back and forth. This excites you. It gets your creative energies moving. It fulfills you more than working alone.

But there’s one problem… finding collaborators that uplift you. This is the big void that most of us collaborators face. It’s why you submit your work to screenplay competitions and get feedback. Simply, you crave communication and community. You want to be recognized by your peers and feel the synergy of being huddled around 1 project with a collective vision.

As a collaborator, you have the awareness that you, alone, cannot be the “one-man band.” You make better “music” with the group.

Below I’m going to outline 2 tips today that can help you start accessing the collaborative synergy you desire and get on track towards writing your best work.

1. Know Your Strengths & Weaknesses: A beautiful collaboration happens when different strengths can shine in unison. This requires each party involved to know its strengths and weaknesses. Collaborations do not work when you have 2 identical skillsets jockeying for a position. Like some very beautiful relationships, opposites attract. Being honest with yourself and this will allow you to look for someone with a complimentary skillset.
2. Look For Developers, Not Readers: In other words, don’t just submit to a contest and expect your coverage/analysis to be your development tool. I’ve said this time and again, coverage/analysis/feedback is an appraisal… it’s not a development tool. Collaboration requires someone to read the story multiple times (not just once!) and be immersed in the story. For me personally, I need to read a script 2-3 times to grasp the minutia of the writer’s intent. It’s much less expensive and way more equitable for the long term if you, the screenwriter, invest in a developer who will champion your work, be honest, and push you to succeed. You want someone who can be a sounding board and contribute some creativity.

If you’re a screenwriter who is looking for that creative team to huddle around your work and you’re struggling to find a trusted collaborator, then consider our screenplay development sessions. Whether you’re trying to make sense of a concept, trying to solidify an outline/treatment, or you want the benefits of a team huddled around your screenplay, our development rooms generate MORE great ideas. As a trusted source of development for companies and screenwriters, our technology is the ultimate collaboration tool, and it’s the heart of what we love to do… collab!

If you’d like to learn more, please email us at support@scriptmatix.com and we can help guide you in many different directions.