Feedback Practices
in a Discord Screenwriting Community
In this assignment I conducted literacy ethnography
by observing the practices within the #screenwriting channel
of the Movies & TV Discord server. I focused on how members use feedback to support newcomers and maintain community norms around the craft.
Focus
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How feedback in the channel teaches genre conventions (formatting, structure, dialogue).
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How more experienced members act as "sponsors of literacy" by sharing tools and setting expectations.
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How the group's talk, resources, and jokes made it a discourse community
Data
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Walt and MrCorf feedback thread​ - early script feedback focused on formatting and structure
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LilShawty and PixelPoet1307 thread- concept-level feedback focused on characters and emotional stakes
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Milo Interview- a regular user reflecting on how giving and receiving feedback helps him "learn twice"
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Pinned Save the Cat Beat sheet- reference for story structure and common vocabulary
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Matteo and Koncept feedback thread- feedback about outlines and treatments
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Liquid Fox and GhoulishJoe Feedback thread- discussion about inciting incidents and character development
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Bill and Matteo thread- regards stylistic choices and onomatopoeia
Key Concepts
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Swales- Discourse community: shared goals, communication channels, expert/novice roles, special lexis or terminology
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Brandt- Sponsors of Literacy: more experienced users (like MrCorf or Matteo) who support, regulate, and shape how newcomers learn
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Kanuka & Anderson- Online knowledge construction: online spaces where people test ideas, respond to each other, and build understanding
Coding the
Feedback
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Instructional moves- direct teaching of format, structure, or craft (e.g. sluglines, acts, outlining)
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Supportive moves- encouragement, affirmation, welcoming newcomers ("core idea is strong," "would love to see where you go with this!")
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Reflective moves- comments that prompt writers to rethink their choices or notice patterns in their work
Feedback
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Move beyond a "snapshot" and define a project focus
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Look for patterns in the feedback threads instead of looking at each artifact in isolation
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Use Swales, Brandt, and Kanuka more strategically, to explain what is happening in the data
Revised
Excerpt
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"Swales helps explain how the group coheres around shared goals, the lexis, and the general positive social vibe. Brandt helps me to understand that users like Mr.Corf and LilShawty act as literacy sponsors, who shape and guide how newcomers think, write, and participate in the channel. Kanuka and Anderson show how knowledge in this space is collaboratively built. Across every thread, feedback acts as the engine of literacy. It is where norms are taught, where identity is negotiated, and where screenwriting knowledge moves around and circulates. The group’s discourse is not shaped by a hierarchy like in a classroom, but by patterned, reciprocal and positive exchanges that teach members how to write, and how to belong in a social group. "
