You might remember that I recently mentioned an upcoming screenplay project. Yep. It never ends. As soon as I finish the 14 day e-book writing challenge, get my e-book released, and publish the first chapter of my Query-Free Freelancer book here on the site later this month I’ll be starting on my first screenplay. Because of that, I got in touch with produced screenwriter Xandy Sussan (a previous guest on AFW). I’ll be running a sort of ongoing interview series with her here as a professional accompaniment to updates about my own screenplay project.

During one of our email exchanges she mentioned a special “Double Feature” service she would be offering with fellow screenwriter Merrel Davis. Merrel sent over all of the details and he and Xandy took some time to answer my questions. Today I want to share information about this service with you — a story analysis service for both screenwriters and novelists. (Note: I’m not an affiliate or compensated in any way since I know some people worry about that — this just a solid recommendation from me to you.)

Background on the Story Analysis Service

There are actually four services available where you can hire Xandy and Merrel as a team: coverage, development, rewriting, and ghostwriting. The latter two would be more applicable for clients who aren’t professional writers in their own right — which you are — so we’ll focus on the first two.

Coverage / Story Analysis — This service gets you two simultaneous reads of your manuscript, with two coverage reports and a “head to head” report (to give you “a clear apple to apples comparison of both readers’ comments,” as Merrel put it).  You also get a 1 hour phone consultation with both Xandy and Merrel. Between now and May 15th this service is just $300 ($450 after that).

Development Package — The development package is tailored to writers who want a little more help and feedback along the way. This package includes a first read from each reader, a second read and set of notes on your work from both of them, and a third read with notes before the final two coverage reports. You also get five hours of phone (or Skype) consultations to help you develop your story. This Double Feature service is $2000 until May 15th (and $2700 after that).

Check out Xandy’s sample coverage reports for a better idea of what the final cover reports will look like.

Why Hire Professionals for Story Analysis?

Look. Many writers don’t like criticism, but constructive critiques can be vital to a creative professional’s success. The longer the work, the more important I think this becomes (it’s much easier to lose consistency in a novel than a 300 word blog post for example). I asked Xandy and Merrel to share their own thoughts on constructive criticism and why it’s worth hiring people to provide it.

Merrel: It’s important to get an unbiased perspective on your work. When I first started writing, I relied on close family members and non-writer friends to provide me what turned out to be some pretty bunk advice. Family and friends are well meaning; they may offer you platitudes about how “good” your work is. And while it can be helpful for motivation, it is essential to get unbiased notes from someone who hasn’t diapered you.

Xandy: Story analysts are like personal trainers. We’re here to help you achieve your goals for yourself. It’s really the only way to assess where you are and figure out a plan to get you there. Think of it a bit like weight watchers.

Why Hire Two Professionals for Story Analysis (at the Same Time)?

Why you should consider professional story analysis seems simple enough — unbiased feedback could make your final project suck significantly less because it helps you catch potential problems early. But why hire two readers at once? I put it to the pros again:

Xandy: How many times will you get to have two professional, produced screenwriters and story analysts battling it out over your story? That’s the best way to get that big idea. Think of it like your own mini writer’s room. It’s a little smokey, pencils are stuck to the ceiling, but it’s the essence of hashing out a story delivered to you. It becomes organic. You have more than one person to bounce jokes off of; to spark ideas, develop plot lines, and keep track of the details. The better the ideas are, the better your project turns out. Often times, our clients will reconcile our differing opinions – finding a happy medium between us both.

Merrel: We are most valuable to you as a team, so we pass that value onto you. It’s cheaper to book us together than separately. Think of it like going to a doctor and getting a second opinion on the spot, but you didn’t have to make another visit. When we piloted this program last month, our guinea pig writer was super surprised how intimate the entire process was. They were able to reconcile and decide, from both of our notes, what worked for them.

Which Service is Right for a First-Time Novelist?

I could be way off base, but I’d guess we have more aspiring novelists than screenwriters as regular readers here. So I wanted to know what the dynamic duo would suggest for someone in those shoes:

Merrel: First time novelists should do the development package for sure. A first time novelist will most likely have NO outline, and 200 pages of written material that’s unusable. It’s a common problem among first timers to charge into battle with no gear on. The development package allows us to begin our “Rocky training montage” where we whip writers into shape, in fast cuts, to Eye of the Tiger. For me, the development stage is so important, because a lot of first timers have great ideas but aren’t totally clear on how to best present them. They have a notion, and often make the mistake of going too big, and trying to jam in too much. The development option allows them to organize their thoughts, and get an outline done, early so they are on track for the first revision.

Xandy: All levels of writers come to us. For those more accustomed to the novel or script writing process, coverage is the way to go. It’s a good way to get a story checkup, figure out your strengths and weakness and get some concrete ways to fix or elevate your already completed story. Some clients like to book us for coverage to assess where they are, and then book us again for development services if their story is in dire need.

Who Are These People Anyway?

It’s not enough to know that this is a good service. You should know a bit about the people behind it. So here are their mini-bios to tell you why Xandy and Merrel are qualified to provide these story analysis services for writers.

“Xandy is a working, produced screenwriter. In the past, she worked as lead Story analyst for WB & WB Animation, and read for many production companies and studios including Miramax and Jennifer Lopez Entertainment. She has written for WB Animation, Cartoon Network and Disney et al.

Merrel is a produced screenwriter, story analyst and the organizer of Screenwriter Karaoke; a fun and successful writers/screenwriters networking event. He read for clients and production companies around the world. He staffed on series for NatGeo and works currently as a writer / editor for television, documentaries, and web series.”

Final Thoughts

I don’t think there’s any secret that I like honest opinions over coddling “yes you’re wonderful sweetie” comments. So any chance you have to get objective feedback on your work, I would consider a good thing. I have no idea how my own screenplay project will progress, or how long it will take me. I also have no idea when I’m going to make time to get back to the three novels I outlined from 2004-2008 (yeah Merrel, I’m one of the first-time novelists who did take the time to outline thoroughly to hash out problems early, so :P ). But whichever project I finish first, I can definitely say I’ll consider tossing it their way, especially if they’re still offering the Double Feature options.

If you have a project ready for story analysis from a couple of pros, I hope you’ll check out the services. You can order them online through Xandy’s site — CoverMyScript.com.

Xandy and Merrel wanted to share a few closing remarks:

Ultimately, we do this work because it’s important to us to help cultivate and grow craft. We are working writers as well, we feel your pain, but luckily have the tools to make you a better writer, so bring it!