TOM C. HUNLEY
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
For the past twenty years, I've lived in Bowling Green, KY, USA. 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? My script was inspired by the novel Lying Bastard, by Clint Margrave. I also have a feature-length version called Adjunct. I'm not a novelist or short story writer, myself. Mostly I'm a poet, author of fourteen collections and a couple of textbooks. 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 worked obsessively on Adjunct, the feature-length adaptation of Lying Bastard, for a good six months. I've only written four or five drafts of the short version, You're Not Alone. I do use index cards, and I write a beat sheet before that. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? As a screenwriter, at this point, my ultimate ambition is to get something made professionally, with someone else directing, producing, and paying the bills. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay contest a full script or "the first ten pages"? Why did you make that choice? It was the full script. It was only twelve pages long, and I wanted the judges to see the full arc. What's your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why? I love The Godfather and The Simpsons for the same reason: because I'm a family man obsessed with family as a subject. My most successful poetry collection, Adjusting to the Lights, is all about my family, specifically about the two kids with special needs that my wife and I raised. What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest as you have? Keep on trying. This is my first contest win. It's far from my first contest. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? My wife and I co-wrote a PG feature for kids last summer. It's called Piper and the Parrot. Log line: Piper and Harper, twelve-year-old band rivals and ex-BFFs, are forced to spend their summer vacation together. Piper is determined to best Harper at flute, but her priorities get flipped when she befriends a sad parrot, temporary muse of muralist extraordinaire Paleo, and the parrot goes missing. |
