KC BIBO
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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Palm Desert, California

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?
As an educator, I've witnessed many life-changing moments for both children and adults. As a writer, I’ve contemplated their struggles off campus. This story shares the real struggles of being a teacher, administrator, and parent. It is inspired by the hard work educators do everyday as they navigate the complexities of working with diverse groups of people and managing their personal lives. I've lifted the curtain just a little on the world of education and the families of educators. I wrote this screenplay because I love film as a visual storytelling medium and the challenge of screenwriting. 
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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 first draft of Ed Code in 2017. Previously, I taught a high school Screenwriting course that used Robert McKee’s Story as the textbook, so that is my favorite reference. I also appreciate Steven King’s On Writing and recommend it to all aspiring writers. My process includes writing outlines and scene headings, usually within Final Draft, and then building out linearly from there. Once the first draft is set then I jump around based on the feedback I receive. I don’t put deadlines on my writing, and I tend to work on multiple screenplays at one time.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I’m approaching the end of my career in public education, so in a handful of years I’ll have more time to focus on writing and to get a movie produced.

Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice?
Full script. I received notes from a fellow writer earlier in the year and finished working through those so I was looking for more professional feedback.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
Jaws. It’s an outstanding example of building urgency and keeping the audience engaged. The characters are complex and well developed, and it’s genuinely scary. I’ve probably watched it 20 times or more.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Don’t quit. Embrace feedback wherever you receive it. Read every screenplay you can and learn from other writers. Watch movies and talk about them with your friends. Trust yourself, everyone has many unique stories to tell.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
Ed Code is one of four completed screenplays, each written in a unique genre. Revision is a psychological drama about a troubled community college professor who finds a love that saves him. Get Along is a contemporary neo-western about my experience during the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, and parallels a story of immigrant merchants in 1882 New Mexico. Love Letters is a melodrama about a soon-to-retire teacher who takes on his challenging grandson and with the help of his uncle, unites his broken family. You can read them here. I am currently working on two more features and a connected short all set in the Coachella Valley.

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