DREW ATCHISON
 Drew Atchison
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
I currently live in Atlanta, Georgia. 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? There’s a real life story about a serial killer named The Toy Box killer who was caught. Right before he’d agreed to give up the location of his victims, he had a heart attack and died. That ended up being the main inspiration for the idea: how far are you willing to go to find your loved ones who are gone, what will it take and what will you do when that hope is taken? It just felt like it fit better as a script with the medium and the way that the visuals played out. 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? The first draft of Those That Stay was written in about a month. Then I went back and completely rewrote it through February and did edits throughout. Usually, I do a basic outline and a beat sheet, then for some a timeline. I visualize the world and how we got to this point in the story. But once I start writing, I try to stick to the beat sheet and the timeline the best I can but a lot of the time I end up changing things as I go. That’s what makes it so natural and fun because even though I can think through everything, there’s always something that comes to me as I’m writing. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? My ultimate ambition as a writer is to create and tell unique and fun stories. Getting my ideas out there and having them seen by people and hearing their reactions, that’s what’s always been my end goal. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice? I’ve submitted to Wiki scripts a few times now and I’ve almost always done the full script. My mindset has always been if I’m going to submit something, I want everything to be on the display. I’ve had the pleasure of reading scripts for contests and companies and I’ve learned that while the first ten pages can make a script, it’s the whole thing that brings it together. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why? John Carpenters The Thing. One of my favorite films and Carpenter is one of my favorite directors. There are many reasons why I love this movie: the great use of the suspense, the body horror, the practicals, the lines. But something I like about this movie a lot of horror movies don’t get: the characters make human and realistic mistakes. They think someone is the thing, shoot a man and end up killing a human. It’s a very human thing to happen and in a horror movie, that’s huge. And the ending is one of the best movie endings of all time. “Why don’t we wait here a little while? See what happens?” I actually have that line on my bulletin board. What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? There’s the tried and true answer of don’t give up. But something I’ve come to accept is to always be open to change. It’s hard and tough but change is always good for your script and story and characters. Because like with how I write scripts, even if you think everything is set and you have it all planned, something will always surprise you. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? I always have a few stories in the pipeline. I have another thriller about a reporter who’s trying to write a big deep throat style story but is threatened to stop. It’s about passion and do you pursue your passion or rely on safety? I also have a horror short story I wrote recently about a vampire who gets imprisoned in a coffin and slowly degrades over time. It’s a take on vampires and how we perceive them. |
