JACKIE MAXWELL
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Los Angeles, CA 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? I’m an actor and television host by trade, not a writer or a novelist, so I figured it was either a screenplay or a TV script. Finally settled on the shorter format. 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? Once the idea came to me, I thought about it for months before word one hit the page. Didn’t outline or use index cards or a whiteboard, just started writing. Asked a lot of “what if”s. The idea of a man who can help everybody else but not himself is an old story. Mine journey was a personal one. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? I don’t know that I have ambition as a writer. This story was like a houseplant. It outgrew the pot, which was my small head, so I had to move it. Water it. Let it get sunlight. Maybe it’d blossom. This is the end result. The next time inspiration hits, I’ll probably do the same. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice? Full script. Thought, if nothing else, I’d get some good feedback. Figured that might be a barometer of where I was as a writer and where the script was in that moment. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why? Casablanca, for sure. The Godfather (and II), Raging Bull. Network. TV? Some I love watching, others inspire. Not always the same. Taylor Sheridan’s stuff is incredible. Character first. Behavior. Love that. Dark Winds is fantastic. If you wanna go back, Twilight Zone is endlessly fascinating. Rod Serling was an underrated writer. Requiem for a Heavyweight. Patterns. The Velvet Alley. What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? Tell your story. Make it personal. Don’t be afraid to feel. Your life. The terror. The trauma. The joy and jubilation. All of it. Use it. Don’t try to write for anyone else but yourself. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? As a writer? Just this. Hoping to shoot a POC of Tell Me About It early fall. Thank you for recognizing the script. I’m very grateful. |
