Weekly Inspiration & Advice: What Disney is buying, hyper-efficient writing and the top 5 unexpected scenes

Dear Storytellers,

Where I’m sitting in Brooklyn, New York and in many parts of the world, it’s a transitional moment. We are moving from summer break to school days, from work-from-home back to office life, from summer to a crisp and colorful fall.

This year, the transition feels even more poignant, because many folks are returning from a year of at-home isolation to a communal or commuting life again. All of this means that we have an opportunity to enact some changes in our daily routines.

Whether or not your circumstances mandate a change at this particular time, you can take this moment to assess your situation. Is there something that you can intentionally alter about your writing or professional practice that could help you take on your work with renewed aplomb?

I encourage you to reconsider the time of day that you work, or your location, or changing your creative environment (even if that means moving your desk to another side of the room). Have you ever looked into the principles of feng shui to see if your workspace is best aligned with your productivity?

You might be surprised how a small change in your routine can both literally and emotionally impact your perspective, bring fresh ideas and affect your work in positive ways.

Meanwhile, read on below for insights and writing tips from the storytellers of the Sundance network.

See you on the page,

I don't really turn to movies and screenplays for inspiration so much. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but usually they inspire feelings of dread, anxiety and inadequacy—like, why didn't I think of that and why am I not a better writer or more prolific filmmaker? So, for me, it's visual arts. I'm a sucker for a James Turrell or Gerhard Richter piece. I've been lucky to get to know Jennifer Steinkamp as a person and as an artist; anything she does is aces in my book. Lately, Henry Taylor's portraits have been inspiring me, especially the way he does so much with a brush gesture, an implied expression. All in all, I like crazy, difficult art. You know when you go to a museum gallery and they have a shoe box filled with an unspooled VHS tape and no explanation? That's my jam. MOCA's famous for that; it's like they have open hostility toward their guests. Everyone Instagrams Kusama's Infinity Rooms but nobody's trying to take a selfie with an erased deKooning.

What is your overall mandate and vision for the work you acquire or produce?

It is obvious for me to say that it needs to "feel Disney." While there are some generally acknowledged guardrails (i.e. no violence, curse words) and a family target audience, we also make a wide range of stories including but not limited to fairy tales, science fiction, action adventure epics, family comedies, inspirational dramas, etc. If I had to distill a few qualities across all those categories, I’m always seeking out originality (have I seen this before?), heart (does it have the power to universally evoke emotion?), humor (does the story create joy and laughter?) and most importantly, quality (will the best version of this film be something the studio can be proud of for many years to come?).

What types of scripts or work are you currently looking for?

As of late, I’ve been looking for unique ways into genre films. I grew up loving buddy cop movies (i.e. Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours) and heist films (i.e. Ocean’s 11), but those movies don’t work well for a family audience. I lucked out a few years back when I heard a great pitch from a screenwriting team, and we’re now making a clever detective mystery using a famous Disney duo in a heightened world that allows us to lean into a lot of the tropes and themes of a particular genre.

How does someone get a script to you and at what point in development do you want to see it?

Typically, material comes my way through a rep (manager or agent) or producer, and ideally someone with whom I have a pre-existing relationship. This might come across as a frustrating barrier to those trying to break into the business, but I’d encourage everyone to look at it as a valuable step in the process. Getting any project produced in the film business requires finding champions. Each of these champions contributes to a project in different ways. It might be a creative solution to something you don’t see (and should fix before sending to a buyer). Or, it might be connecting the right material with the right producer or executive that best gets a project off the ground.

As for when, this wholly depends on the project. Some projects make sense to closely develop with a partner at the studio or producer (high concept tent poles often benefit from having collaborative partners), and others, a well-executed screenplay best sets it up for success (for instance, the emotion in a drama might feel stronger as a script than in a pitch).

Do materials other than a script help you? What are you looking for in a pitch?

I’m a fan of writers having some kind of visual aid on an iPad or Powerpoint. Showing headshots of an ideal actor for each of your characters makes me visualize this person throughout the pitch. Same goes for locations, etc. As for what I’m looking for: a great idea, dynamic characters, exciting story and consistent tone from someone who I believe can execute their vision. (This last one requires a sample of writing in advance that shows the breadth and depth of their screenwriting skills.)

Now that my older kids have left the house, but we have a toddler, I have to be hyper-efficient to find the time to write. When I was single, I could write from 10-2 every day, but now I leap on every half-hour I can. I also know by now that writing is really thinking about writing, so instead of checking my phone, I take a breath and mull over the problem I'm working out on the page that day. Usually, or at least if I'm lucky, the muse will find me. I will write the idea on my phone or in the journal next to my bed, wherever they find me. Then, when I sit down to write, I already have the spark for that day's work.

After a whirlwind day in Rome with Joe Bradley, Princess Ann returns to her royal duties and a final packed press conference, only to be surprised to find Bradley amongst the reporters. Despite having fallen in love with him, she is concerned he may not feel the same and instead will expose her escape and their escapades. Yet, in words only she will understand, "We believe that your highness’s faith will not be unjustified," he reassures her of his love. Stiff, detached dialogue can achieve emotional resonance when properly set-up.

Must your characters change? Yes! But your characters are not a hat trick. They can’t just magically transform from one scene to the next. So, how can you create believable change on the page, generated by your characters’ choices? This week, try writing a change in your character into a scene using one of these tactics:

BEFORE AND AFTER: What is your main character’s BEFORE and AFTER? If we understand your character’s baseline when your story begins, we are prepared for that to change. Try employing the inciting event as an imperative for your protagonist to change; once it occurs, there is no going back.
INCENTIVES: Write a scene using the "carrot and stick" game. Some of your characters may need to be lured and some need to be poked, some may need something bigger than a stick to get them going. Give your character incentive to change in a scene.
ASK QUESTIONS: Change makes gain. Let your characters question their choices and let the characters around them do the same. Write a scene that demonstrates the idea that the moment your character (especially your protagonist) begins to alter their behavior, responses or beliefs, everyone and everything around them in your story gains momentum and urgency.

Things to think about:

Your overall narrative demonstrates your character’s evolution, their "need" to change, so let’s source some Carl Jung (renowned psychologist and author) for insight. While your character may need or desire change, they can’t escape what Jung called their "one true type." In other words, your character can remain true to their inherent qualities: feisty, over achieving, cautious, etc., and still move toward a change of heart, in their relationships or actions.
Jung points out: "You are what you DO, not what you SAY YOU’LL DO." We, the reader and audience will best understand your character’s transformation in your narrative through ACTIONS.
Sometimes change is just permission for your character to do things differently. That could mean an apology from your stubborn, know-it-all-character; an act of bravery from your usually shy and fearful character; or a boundary breaking (even death-defying) feat from a character prone to analysis before action.

For more prompts in a live setting, join our free Writers' Cafe each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.