Interview: Nikole Beckwith (2012 Nicholl Winner, 2012 Black List) — Part 6

Nikole Beckwith’s original screenplay, the gripping drama “Stockholm, Pennsylvania” won a 2012 Nicholl Fellowship and a spot on the 2012 Black List.

Nikole was kind enough to agree to an interview and we had a probing conversation about her background, her award-winning screenplay, and her unique insight into the craft of screenwriting given her background as an actor, musician and playwright.

Today in Part 6, Nikole provides more observations about her approach to the craft of screenwriting:

Scott: We have to talk about your dialog which I just thought was so entertaining and engaging in “Stockholm.” Each character had their own quirks. There was this off kilter dynamic at times, especially between, especially between Leia and her parents, a cross between like they were walking on egg shells and then these sudden shifts in subjects. It’s just really, really entertaining. Obviously it comes across that you enjoy writing dialog. Is that something you were born with? Is that something you feel like writers can develop? What’s your take on dialog?

Nikole: I’m not sure. I think it’s just, like I was just saying, kids grow up inventing dialogue. It’s 90 percent of what kids do. Whether you’re making two dolls talk to each other or two stuffed animals. I used to make a barrette talk to a pencil. We’ve all done it. Maybe for some it’s just a lasting love affair.

But writing also feels like eavesdropping to me, in a way.

Right now, in trying to explain this, I feel like my characters are so much more articulate than I am. I’m just so jealous of them. Right now, I’m just so jealous of them. [laughter]

Scott: What about theme, how does that emerge?

Nikole: I think it definitely evolves over time. I’m sure that there are things that I carry around with me while I’m writing and they emerge on their own, I don’t say, “I’m going to write something that explores identity.” That’s all I do, immerse myself in it. I’m pretty sure I said the word immersed 95 times in talking to you today. [laughs]

Scott: That’s one of my favorite words, seriously. I use it all the time with my students. I say, “You’ve got to immerse yourself in the story universe. You’ve got to immerse yourself in your characters.” That’s so much of what writing is about, isn’t it?

Nikole: Yeah. The proof is in the pudding.

Scott: What’s your actual writing process? You hinted at it, that you’ll keep your ass in the chair from nine to five even if nothing is showing up. Do you write in sporadic bursts? Do you write every day? Do you work in private? Do you go to coffee shops?

Nikole: If’ I’m working on something specific I’ll do it every day. I’ll write every day until I’m done, even if I do go three days without any new pages. I’ll do it every day. Then the time in between projects is mostly my thinking free thoughts. Now I might get to a point in a story where I’m trying to move into Act Two or I’m trying to figure out how to close the story, so I might take a couple days to ruminate but I’m actively thinking about the script. I’m going for walks. I’m eating an ice cream cone, but I’m thinking about this one problem.

I give myself weekends off. Saturday and Sunday I tend to sleep late and go to restaurants and stuff. I have a regular weekend.

Then the in between time, when I’m in between projects or I’m trying to decide what I’m going to commit to for however long it will take me to write it, that’s my thinking time. I walk around and try to figure out what’s going to move me enough to commit to spending X amount of time writing something.

Scott: What’s your writing space?

Nikole: Mostly I was writing at this coffee shop near my house called “Building on Bond.” I would have like two meals a day there. Sometimes when I was really poor I would bring snacks and order coffee. They were incredibly generous to let me get away with that. A year ago I got a dog. Now I write from home. I got a desk and a chair and a whole very “writer‑y” set up that I love.

Scott: Are you thinking about TV at all?

Nikole: Yeah, definitely, because television is really rich right now. It’s very cinematic, and it’s very character‑based, which is great. Currently, I’m the most focused on getting “Stockholm” made and I’m going to write a play at the National Theater. Those are the things that I’m the most focused on right this moment. But I have television ideas, I’ve written a few pilots. There are a lot of shows I love. I didn’t use to have a TV and I didn’t used to watch TV. It used to really be about turning your brain off. Of course, there’s a million reality television shows that are made for that but I think that the scripted television right now is in an incredible spot that asks you to think, which wasn’t the way television was when I was growing up necessarily. I look forward to building a relationship with it.

Scott: That’s another thing that’s changed quite a bit even over the last 20 years. It used to be, you made a decision. You were going to write film or you’re going to write TV, but now there’s complete cross‑pollination where you can…they really…

Nikole: Exactly, yeah, and the shows that were the most character driven like “My So‑Called Life” and “Freaks and Geeks” and stuff like that were cancelled, those shows were way ahead of their time, and now times have caught up. That’s what shows are all about now, character and conflict and I think we are all better for it.

Scott: One last question, an obvious one for the aspiring writers out there, here you’ve been named a Nicholl Fellow. Your script makes the Black List. What advice can you give aspiring playwrights, screenwriters, writers about the craft of writing?

Nikole: Just to keep doing it. You just have to write. [laughs] That’s basically the secret. You have to send your stuff everywhere. For me I sent my script to The Nicholl. This is my first screenplay, and I sent it in, it got The Nicholl competition and that’s amazing. Also, let it be known that I’ve been writing for much longer than that. I’ve been rejected from a million things. That’s really important to know. I’ve always said someday I want my bio to also include the things I didn’t get.

I think that the things you don’t get are just as important as the things you do get because they’re all a part of your journey, to use a really ridiculous word. Try really hard to not get discouraged, which is extremely difficult. But even in your most discouraged moment find a way to keep putting the -you can’t say put the pen to page anymore because nobody uses pens or paper, but to put the metaphorical pens to the metaphorical page.

There’s honestly no such thing as an overnight success. Even the actor that’s on television that you’ve never seen before has been doing plays for 15 years and working their ass off. Nobody has it easy. Just know that you’re in good company when you get that rejection letter, so just keep going. Commitment is so important.

For Part 1, go here.

For Part 2, go here.

For Part 3, go here.

For Part 4, go here.

For Part 5, go here.

Please stop by comments to thank Nikole and ask any questions you may have.

Nikole is repped by ICM Partners and Manage-Ment.

Twitter: @nikolebeckwith.