SANDON YAHN
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Ventura, 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 a huge fan of the original Twilight Zone TV show. I like stories that come from that type of perspective. Paths We Lead came from my own desire as a writer and the struggles a writer faces and asked, “What if I had a writing software that created what I wrote into reality?” It’s a genie-in-a-bottle premise. At first, I was thinking it would be good as a short script, but as I fleshed out the story it was clear it needed to be a feature script to properly show the hero’s character arc. How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards... whiteboard...or just start with FADE IN? Technically, it took 25 years. My first draft was in the late 90’s and then it went to the back burner for a little while and I went back to work on it about 5 years ago. It started off with a secular perspective and then after I became a Christian I discovered the story already had faith elements to it. I rewrote it with more emphasis on the hero’s faith and how he incorporates that into his career and family life. I use index cards to see how the story is developing. I’m very visual and need to see my scenes staring me in the face. Then I’ll outline to add in more details and then write my first draft. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? As a Christian, my ambition is to create engaging, interesting, and thought-provoking stories that also show the love of God and how we need one another. Scripts are only as good as the producer who makes it a reality for the audience to see, which as a writer is an awesome experience, but it can also be depressing to see your work not being produced. Because of that, I’m also looking at doing novel writing as another avenue to get my stories out to the world. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice? Mine was the full script because I wanted notes back on the entire script. I think this helps the evaluator to see the complete story so they can give better notes within the context of the entire script. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why? The Twilight Zone for sure, but Inception would be right up there as well. I mean, come on, a dream within a dream, and what about that ending? I hope to accomplish that type of storytelling. What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? Trust in your writing and get it out there. I do believe your work needs to be the best it can be, but the reality is that it will never be perfect. It will change and be altered by others because in the end, as a writer you are a part of a collaborative effort. If your friends and colleagues, even strangers, are impressed with your premise that’s a good sign you have something worth writing. Then get notes, rewrite, and submit. Submit to contests that give notes, like the Wiki Screenplay Contest, because if it’s not selected you at least walk away with something to make your script better. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? I’m going to start on my first Western spec script in the fall. I’m pretty excited about that. I also have a sitcom script that is very close to shopping around to that “collaborative” group of people just waiting for my query letter. (insert emoji smiling face) |
