RAVEN PETRETTI
​

 PictureRAVEN PETRETTI
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Jersey City, NJ.

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?
This pilot is based on my introduction to caregiving. I helped care for my father, who had Alzheimer’s, for 4.5 years. We didn’t have a typical journey with my dad since my mom was also sick at the beginning. It was one hell of an entry, and the journey afterwards, which was also incredibly funny, sad and dramatic lent itself to a series vs. feature. There was too much to unpack in one go.

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 a very detailed 12-page outline for this piece. It included beats, stage directions and a lot of dialogue. That took a little bit of time, but it was well worth it. It only took 72 hours to realize the whole script.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I have a number of marketable series under my belt in addition to my finalist piece, The Compound (ugh on that title — it’s getting changed per your reader). I’d love to sell my light sci-fi rom-com Bridget & the Boy-Bot (a January 2025 Finalist), TC, and Rent-A-Mom to anyone who will actually develop and shoot it. If ya know anyone, send ’em my way. :) 

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. I thought it was fully realized enough to submit the whole thing.

What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why?
I’m a big fan of Legion and Fargo. Fargo because the writing is superb and every season is something new. Legion because it was like a fever dream — Noah Hawley is the bomb, the acting was great, and it was just pure fantasy. Better Call Saul is still holding my number one spot. I’d say that’s because of the writing only, but the acting in that show was through-the-roof good. Also, I tend to like repeat franchise creators like Hawley, Gilligan, and Gould. That’s who I want to be when I grow up — but with boobies. LOL.

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Do it! Especially with a contest like Wiki—but don’t do it just to place. Enter because you’re open to outside feedback that can help get your script to a place where it’s undeniable. We’re not able to do that ourselves in most cases. At least that’s what I’ve found. Trusted outside voices go a long way in making a script whole. My TV pilot went from 37 to 44 pages based on the feedback I got from Wiki—and I thought I was done when I submitted. It only got better.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
​I’ve got a short film called Beast that’s shooting this year. It’s a proof of concept for what will be my fourth series idea. I’ve made a few shorts before, but I’ve never wanted to see one of my scripts come to life more than this one.