JOANNA DACK
 JOANNA DACK
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Lowestoft, Suffolk, United Kingdom 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’ve always had an interest in horror, but love to combine horror with other genres. I knew I wanted to do a coming-of-age horror. Then, too many late-night shifts, not enough sleep and the premise came to me as I was staring at my computer screen – What if a human baby was found inside the womb of a horse? The idea spiraled from there. 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? This script has been a long process as it was the first feature script I had written since I graduated from my undergraduate writing degree in 2021. I worked on it between working on otherprojects and in total. I started with the premise and let myself write twenty pages off the bat – The crucial moment when Sophie and Colin first find Edin. I ended up submitting these twenty pages to BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Competition whilst working on the rest of the script and was shortlisted. Upon realizing the idea had legs, I completed an outline before continuing to work and adapt the script until finally getting it past the finish line. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? My ultimate goal is the same as many – To make a career crafting complex and captivating stories. I’ve had some initial experience seeing my short content ideas come to life, but want to see more of my scripts realized in longer form content. I also want to ensure my writing makes an impact, including diverse characters that people can see themselves in. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice? I chose to submit the full script as until this point, I had not received an outside opinion on my feature script. I looked into coverage sites but felt that The Wiki Screenplay Contest offered the best deal, with fast turnover time as well as the opportunity to see how my script fairs against other writers. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why? Writer’s always hate this question. I always feel the obligation to say something classical and critically acclaimed – But if I’m being honest, it’s the 2009 horror film Orphan. This film was my gateway into horror. I watched it when I was eleven and became obsessed. Some weeks I’d watch It multiple days in a row. It got me thinking about how horror twists expectations, using the uncanny (a murderous child) to make people uneasy. I’ve been a horror fan ever since. What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? Focus on what you can control. You can’t control what kind of reader you get, whether they love horror or hate horror, maybe they’ve just read twenty scripts and are waiting to go home, they just need to get through yours and they’re done. You can’t control how amazing the other writers who have decided to submit are. All you can do is write your script and send it out into the world (to contests, cold queries, fellowships, etc.) and then forget about it – Do some revisions, write something new. It will serve your writing and your mental health better in the long term. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? I have a few projects on the go at the minute – Including an erotic, TV drama pilot about women selling lingerie in the 60s; An irreverent comedy about communist teenagers accidentally time travelling and killing Lenin; and a surrealist, pastel-tinted horror script about an uncanny girl’s finishing school. |
