TOM WHELAN
Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Although I currently reside in Pennsylvania, I am a Nevadan. The only time I ever really feel at home is when I’m wandering around the mountains and valleys of the Mojave and Great Basin Deserts. 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 project began as a poem about an old cowboy from my hometown. As a child, I remember him walking by our house every Sunday on his way to drink coffee at the Main Street Café. Bowed legs, cowboy boots, Levi’s, Stetson hat. His image is etched into my mind. The poem was a catalyst. I developed it into a song, which became a short story, then a book and finally a screenplay. While I was writing about the cowboy, another character showed up. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. She inspired me to write the screenplay I recently submitted to Wiki. 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 write for two hours, first thing in the morning, every day. I started eleven months ago on the current script. I love poems because they are seeds for stories. I wrote the poem about the old cowboy three years ago, followed by the book and screenplay. Then, about a year ago, I wrote a poem about a feeling I get when I enter a sacred place in nature, a place where the Native American Spirit still lives. This poem informed my recent character and story. When I begin, I write whatever is on my mind. There’s some image, feeling, experience or fantasy that’s driving my imagination. I want to capture that image before it flies away. Once I begin writing, the image takes on a life of its own. When the next image comes, I write about that one. I keep writing until images fit together in a sequence. That sequence of images become scenes that build into a story. What is your ultimate ambition as a writer? I want to create a great story. Was your entry at The Wiki Screenplay Contest a full script or “the first ten pages”? Why did you make that choice? I shared the story with 100 people, a process which included an interactive table reading with an audience and focus groups comprised of book clubs. From this, I knew I had a good story, but I also knew I needed help with the screenplay. I found Wiki. In July, I submitted the first 10 pages in two categories, TV and Feature. The script made it to the semi-finals in both categories. Based on the feedback I received, I edited and resubmitted the full scripts the following month. This time, both scripts advanced to the Finals. Now, after studying Mr. McCullough’s book, The Hollywood Screenwriter (Don’t do what I did, do this first!), my goal is to submit a script the judges can’t stop reading or talking about. What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show...and why? From my childhood: Lost in Space and Gilligan’s Island. Fifty-five years later, I can still remember scenes and episodes. From my college years: Kung Fu. I loved the philosophy, Kwai Chang’s quiet confidence and the Old West motif. Recent: The Night Agent. The series couldn’t follow more closely the Three Act Structure as described in The Hollywood Screenwriter. The story also exemplifies the 10 episode limited series I am striving to write. Another series would be Messiah, for similar reasons. Timeless: The Lord of the Rings. Because it’s the Lord of the Rings. What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have Read Mr. McCullough’s books. Write the story you know. Get ten of your best pages together. Submit. Get feedback. Rewrite. Submit the full script. Get feedback. Rewrite. Repeat until you succeed. What else are you working on that the world needs to know about? In addition to writing the script, I have been writing and producing the soundtrack. |
