AARON CARTER
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 PictureAARON CARTER
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Atlanta, GA

Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a nove?
I believe that the screen, small or big, is the medium with the biggest impact and most reach at the moment. Scripts are how I want to tell my stories.

How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
It actually took me 4 years. I wrote the opening ten pages years ago but couldn’t figure out what to do with the characters I had in my head. I was really concerned about making it a stereotypical heroine vs evil cop vs racism movie. I use index cards, white boards, notes on my phone, pen and paper, everything.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
My ultimate goal is to make a living telling stories that resonate with people. I want to be known as a “writer’s writer,’ and have my work cited as an example of integrity and creativity in the profession.

Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice?
It was a full script. I entered the first ten of a different script before, and it did well, but I didn’t feel like it showcased my potential. I thought the full script would better help the judges feel the story.

What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
My favorite tv show is a british show called “Gavin & Stacey.” I’ts brilliant. Very simple writing, very straightforward story of boy meets girl, but told with incredible skill and warmth. I aspire to make my characters become people, and I feel that show does that and makes the audience really root for everything to turn out great.

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Finish the script! Understand that your first draft is going to be awful. No matter what. But that draft is where you get to know your story, and no matter how long it takes, revise it. Reread it. Revise again. Then when you think your character is someone you could be friends or enemies with, you might have a story there.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
Right now I’m writing a Christmas movie. It’s about a woman who gets broken up with at Christmas when she was 16 and vows to always break up with anyone she’s dating around the holidays. Also I have a project called “Jaded” about a man who was left at the altar and now has to reenter the dating world in his mid 30s. Basically Seinfeld meets Sex and the City.