DOUGLAS WILKINSON
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 PictureDOUGLAS WILKINSON
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Lubbock, TX - USA

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 novel?
The core idea came from a vivid dream I had where my own young daughter was suddenly ten years older. It completely rattled me, and it was one of those dreams I couldn’t shake. I initially started writing it as a novel, but pretty quickly I realized I was seeing the story in my head way more than I was narrating it.

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?
I wrote the original draft in about three months. After that, it sat for a while as I took the time to really learn the craft of screenwriting. The version it is now took roughly a year of rewriting, refining, and tightening, figuring out what the story truly wanted to be. As for my process, I usually start with a strong sense of the story playing like a movie in my head. All the pacing, visual beats, and emotional turns all come first. I’ll have a loose roadmap in mind, but I tend to discover the finer details as I write.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
To be completely honest, writing is a creative outlet for me. I don’t sit down with the expectation that a script has to end up on a screen somewhere. Of course that would be awesome, but it’s not a driving force. My real ambition is to tell stories that feel honest and meaningful to me. Stories I’d want to watch myself. If those stories eventually reach an audience beyond my friends and family, that’s a huge win. At the end of the day, I write because I need to, and because I love the process of bringing a story to life.

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 entry. I already felt confident in the hook and trusted that the opening would make a reader want to know what happened next. More importantly, I believed in the story as a whole. I absolutely see the value in a first-ten-pages entry, but for me, this was a story meant to be experienced in full. I wanted it judged on its complete emotional arc, not just its opening moments.
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What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
The Princess Bride, hands down. I’ll stop and watch it every single time it’s on. It’s just such a complete story. It has adventure, tension, romance, humor, and real heart, all perfectly balanced. It never talks down to the audience, and it never forgets to be fun. As for television, anything Taylor Sheridan is an automatic must-watch for me. His work is character-driven, grounded, and unafraid to sit in moral gray areas, which really resonates with how I approach storytelling.

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Don’t stop writing. The script you’re working on right now might not be the one that wins, but your next draft could be the one that pushes it over that edge. The Returned went through eight drafts before it won Best Screenplay. Also, learn to listen to coverage without taking it personally. Notes aren’t a judgment on your talent; they’re tools to help you sharpen the story.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I’m currently in the final drafting stages of a true-crime Western that I’ll be submitting to contests soon. It’s a very different tone from The Returned, but it’s another story I’m excited to share once it’s ready.