Interview [Part 6]: Lisa Joy

“Scott, you are the only screenwriting teacher I’ve ever had.” This is what Lisa Joy shared with me when we had dinner together in L.A. last fall to celebrate the recent sale of her spec script “Reminiscence” which Legendary Pictures acquired in a deal worth a reported $1.75M. In addition to her screenwriting, Lisa has been on staff and written for TV (“Pushing Daisies,” “Burn Notice”), created a graphic novel “Athena” which has been developed for TV, and co-wrote the pilot with her husband Jonathan Nolan for a TV series adaptation of the classic 1973 science fiction movie Westworld for HBO in association with J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot, and producer Jerry Weintraub.

I was thrilled when Lisa agreed to an interview, not only because of the mark she is making in Hollywood, but also because she is a genuine human being: smart and insightful, but also grounded and generous in spirit. Yes, there are people like that in Hollywood… and Lisa is one of them.

In Part 6, Lisa shares some tips on the craft of writing:

Scott: How about some craft questions.

Lisa: Sure.

Scott: How do you come up with story ideas?

Lisa: Willing oneself to come up with a story idea, for me, is like trying to will oneself to fall asleep when suffering from insomnia. The very exertion itself seems to chase away the thing you’re seeking. I do find, however, that travel; reading good books… poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction… scrounging about on the internet for odd bits of knowledge; and people watching all tend to trickle into story ideas eventually.

Scott: How important do you think the story concept is to the overall strength and commercial viability of a screenplay, specifically a spec script?

Lisa: I think it’s important to have a story concept that you as the writer are interested and tickled by and that gives you a fun playground to romp in intellectually and emotionally. Aside from that, I try not to think too much about commercial viability because there is really no formula. And if you chase formula too closely — the writing can become formulaic. And no one wants that!

Scott: How much time do you spend in prep-writing and which of the aspects of prep do you tend to devote the most time and focus to?

Lisa: This all depends on a project to project basis. When writing genre, I think it’s important to really think about the rules of the universe and make sure you stay true to them. For character, it sometimes takes me a bit of writing a character before I find their voice.

Scott: How do you go about developing your characters? Any specific tips or tools you find yourself using regularly?

Lisa: Creating a character is almost like getting to know a person. You start with the generic pleasantries, the how-are-yous and observations about the weather. But then you spend a bit more time; you dig a bit deeper; and you get to really know that person — their history, their dreams, their secrets, their fears, their tiny tics and idiosyncrasies… that’s when a character comes alive. After creating a character I also like to step back and ask myself — is this a complete person, do they have surprises and depths within them, have I “stereotyped” them — assigned them normalizing attributes based on their gender/race/socio-economic status/sexual orientation. Stereotypes in life are clichés on the page. Bad in both places. I try to avoid them.

Scott: What about dialogue? How do you go about finding your characters’ voices? How can a writer develop their ability writing dialogue?

Lisa: I think once you really understand a character and what makes them unique — you start to hear their voice in your head. If they don’t have a distinctive voice, it’s probably because you don’t have your character and his or her motivations fully fleshed out yet.

Scott: How would you define theme? How important is it? Do you start with themes or do they arise in the context of developing and writing the story?

Lisa: For me, theme is the soul of a script. It’s the sense or feeling stitched in fine thread throughout the pages. It’s the part of a script that a reader can take away and relate to or apply to their own lives long after they’ve forgotten the snippets of dialogue or plot points of the script itself. I don’t necessarily start with theme, but by the time I’m done — I always have one. And often, writing a script shows me what my theme is and allows me to deepen my own thinking on that theme. Writing becomes, in its own way, a philosophical investigation into theme. Sometimes I go back, once I understand the theme more fully and use it in the rewrite to enrich the scenes.

Scott: What do you think about when writing a scene? What are your goals?

Lisa: For me, it’s just like playing pretend when I was a kid. I go into a scene hoping to lose myself in the thing I’m writing. To be transported into that universe. On the rare occasion I manage to do that, there’s almost always something salvageable.

Scott: What keys do you have to write entertaining scene description?

Lisa: Use words sparingly. Try to make it pop — so that the scene description isn’t the boring, skimmable part of the script. But an enjoyable, humorous, insightful read in its own right. Easier said than done, I know.

Scott: When you finish a first draft, you are faced with the inevitable rewriting process. Are there some keys you have to rewriting your scripts and if so what are they?

Lisa: Coffee. Lots of coffee. And the knowledge that the second draft is the fun part. You’ve done the heavy lifting. Now you’re just burnishing stuff to make it shine.

Scott: What is your actual writing process?

Lisa: If I’m away from writing for too long I start to get depressed so I try to write every day. I tend to hyper-focus when I write or read or watch film or TV to the point where sometimes my husband will say something to me and I literally won’t hear him because I’m too immersed in the work. I think it’s something I learned to do because so much of the writing I did earlier in life occurred in the stolen moments between meetings or classes or day jobs. I had to learn to not be precious about where I was or what time it was, and to just get down to it. One exception to that is I have a hard time writing with music playing or the TV on. Other writers love writing with music. But it just takes me out of it.

Scott: What is your single best excuse not to write?

Lisa: As a producer on most of the projects I write on, one of the biggest distractions from writing is handling all the phone calls, logistics, and meetings that go along with trying to get your script shot and aired. But being involved in production is its own reward — as I get to see my words transformed into something far greater than what I had on the page. And I get to work with terrific collaborators and partners who bring their own expertise to the table. It’s humbling and thrilling but it keeps me very busy so sometimes I have to carve out time to unplug my phone and hold my meetings so I can focus on the writing itself. Also, cuddling my baby is a pretty great excuse not to write.

Scott: What do you love most about writing?

Lisa: I first fell in love with reading because I was a shy awkward kid, and as silly as it sounds, reading book, poems, letters etc. showed me that there were other people out there who thought about the same things I did and felt the same way I felt. Reading made me feel like someone out there understood me. And writing does the same thing. It’s a message in a bottle — a way of communicating with people you may never meet, living in places you may never visit, perhaps even in times you’ll never live to see — but sharing nonetheless, some tiny connection.

Scott: One last question: What advice would you offer to screenwriters about learning the craft and breaking into Hollywood?

Lisa: I guess for me I’m a risk‑averse person. But it’s harder to write if you can’t eat. Or if you can’t afford a roof over your head. So if being a writer means taking a day job, don’t be scared because I’ve done some pretty intense day jobs — if you love writing, you always find a way to carve out time.

Also, I’d also say you’re so lucky if you want to write, because all you need is paper and a pen. If you’re lucky, you can get some screenwriting software, which is about 100 bucks. That makes it a lot easier.

We have very little overhead, and you can write whenever. You can think about the ideas you’re going to write as you sit through board meetings, feed your child, shower, rotate your tires. That is incredibly liberating, the fact that you can just think about it. I would be in board meetings talking about theme park expansion, and in the back of my mind I’d be thinking about the love scene between a quirky agoraphobic neurotic and his nurse.

I’d say the other thing is, for aspiring screenwriters especially, you’re so lucky. You’re so lucky because no one expects anything from you. There are no expectations. There are no obligations.

You get to write about whatever you want. You get no notes. You get nothing. You get to write whatever you’re truly passionate about. You are not on the procedural that you have to take at some point to pay the bills. You are just unfettered you.

You are finding your voice, a voice that will hopefully take you through many years of being a writer. To really, really engage and love that process, really work at it, enjoy it, try to do something fresh. Watch movies and read scripts if you want to, or read anything. Read poems. Travel.

All of this stuff is all going into the great process of writing, the incubation process of it. Then at the end of the day just sit down in front of that blank page. It’s terrifying, the tyranny of the blank page and all the expectations you put upon yourself. But then you turn off the naysaying voices in your head. And you write. Just write.

For Part 1 of the interview, go here.

Part 2, go here.

Part 3, go here.

Part 4, go here.

Part 5, go here.

Lisa is repped by UTA.

Please feel free to stop by comments with any questions you may have. Lisa has kindly agreed to answer some of them. I’ll pass along the best of the bunch.

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