American Psycho screenwriter Guinevere Turner doesn’t want to talk to you, not when she’s writing:
For me, it’s about morning, quiet, solitude and no Internet to plug me into the cacophony until I have written something. Also about not having a conversation with anyone. Which might be why I am single. I have often woken up to a person next to me who says in a sleepy affectionate way “Hey – what are you up today?” and I answer but all I am thinking is “You killed it! It’s over! Now I can’t write today.”
Kelly Marcel said something similar at AFF. She wants to go straight from bed to writing, no words spoken except on the page. If that helps, try it.
Turner points out that writing for TV forces you to rethink your process:
Working in TV was great for me though, because I learned to get over myself and just get the damn thing done. In film, you can lie on your chaise lounge with a Garbo-esque hand to the forehead and claim that you “Just don’t feel inspired today” and get away with it for a bit – in TV you either finish the script when you are told to, or you are fired. And there’s a line of people around the block who are ready to do your job.
I know and adore Turner from Outfest Labs, where we advise screenwriters on their scripts. She’s in fundraising mode for her next project, Creeps, for which she’s offering a range of perks including notes sessions. She’s smart, tough and thoughtful, exactly the kind of person you’d want reading your script.
