Screenwriters Roundtable (Part 8): Jessica Bendinger, Lindsay Devlin, Stephany Folsom, Liz W. Garcia, Julia Hart, and Lisa Joy

A special treat this week and next as I will be posting excerpts from an extensive screenwriter’s roundtable I did in December 2015 with a group of talented Hollywood screenwriters: Jessica Bendinger, Lindsay Devlin, Stephany Folsom, Liz W. Garcia, Julia Hart, and Lisa Joy.

Here is Part 8 continuing a discussion about learning from mistakes the writers have made:

Jessica: You can totally lose your voice when you are playing what I call My Little Pony. At least I do. I have to watch becoming a performing pony because I’m skilled. I can do what you want me to do. I can do that note. I can try and make that note as great as possible, but ultimately that’s not my voice. That’s me interpreting what you want.

If you can get in touch with who you are as a writer, this is huge. Who are you as a writer? What do you want to write? What’s your point of view? Not as a diary but as a craft. How would you tell that story?

Tell those stories in your own echo chamber, and tell many of them. Just keep writing, writing, writing, writing, writing. I think that is so critical. We do get caught gazing at the one holy thing we think is going to be our ark and save us sometimes. It gets too precious. Don’t be precious. Share your work. Show your work.

Lindsay: I have to take my own advice because I would have said the same thing, but right now I’m at this precipice where I’ve become weirdly precious about what I want to do next. Like I need to come up with one great thing.

My husband is also a writer. He keeps telling me, “Don’t do that. Don’t just put all your eggs in one basket.”

The more time goes by, the more I get in my own head in my own way. I’m finding it really debilitating. I’m sure we’ve all gone through this, there’s different evolutions as a writer.

In the beginning I was super‑precious because I was terrified, and I didn’t think I was any good. Now I’ve become a victim of, “Oh, I had a movie made” or “I’ve sold some things. Now everyone’s expecting XYZ from me,” or “I need to rebrand myself” or “As a woman, I need to do this.”

It becomes this, as you guys were saying, an echo chamber of terror that I’m creating for myself. I need to remember what we would say to somebody just coming into this business: just fucking write.

I’m listening to all of you guys. I’m really inspired by how many things you’re all working on, but I’m honestly sitting here being like I’m staring at a blank screen.

Liz: Lindsay, can I give you advice from my mother? That’s right. My mother.

[laughter]

Liz: Because my mom is an art teacher and also a creative. She teaches creativity to people who are blocked. What she has said to me many times, and it always works, is, “Do the thing that’s naughty. Do the thing that nobody wants you to do, that you feel is bad.”

Jessica: That’s right. Love that.

Liz: That’s key. You one where you’re thinking, “No one’s gonna like this. It’s my own little secret. I’m compelled to do it ’cause it’s so naughty.” That will lead you to a good place.

Stephany: That keeps my sanity through everything. I always have one project that I’m working on in the background that I really don’t care if anybody ever sees or if it ever gets made. Of course, I would love that to happen, but it helps me keep my sanity.

It’s my little passion project I can work on in the background. If nothing ever happens with it, that’s fine. There’s no pressure. It makes writing fun because there’s so much BS you have to put up with.

Lindsay: I think that’s the thing. We’ve all got little passion projects that we’d “rather be working on,” that we feel like nobody would want to read or that aren’t as commercial. I have to remember that, first of all, I don’t need to do one or the other. We should always just be doing both. I think that’s such an important to thing to do as writers, is not fall into this trap.

Liz was saying about being pissed off, that people just assume women don’t want to do the pasteurized, whatever that analogy was. I’ve been hearing that for the past year. It drives me crazy. They’re like, “Well, women are auteurs, and they want to do these Sundance films. They don’t want to go direct action or whatever.

We want to do both just like men do. There’s no reason we can’t do both. I watch both of them. I want to write both of them, and of course I would want to direct both of them.

That’s my long‑winded way of saying this call’s been very inspiring. I need to take your advice, my own advice, Liz’s mother’s advice…

[laughter]

Lindsay: Thanks to Scott for facilitating it because it’s really important to do.

Scott: Thank you! I hope you all get in touch and go out and do things.

Lindsay: I would love that.

Liz: I would love to.

Jessica: Let’s keep this conversation going over some wine, ladies.

[laughter]

Please take time to leave a reply with your observations and follow-up questions, and while you’re there thank these writers for taking time out of their busy schedules to do this roundtable for GITS readers and the wider online screenwriting community.

On Twitter:

Jessica Bendinger: @JBendinger

Lindsay Devlin: @DevlinLindsay

Stephany Folsom: @StephanyFolsom

Liz W. Garcia: @lizwgarcia

Julia Hart: @juliahartowitz

Lisa Joy: @lisajoynolan

For Part 1 of the series, go here.

Part 2, here.

Part 3, here.

Part 4, here.

Part 5, here.

Part 6, here.

Part 7, here.

A great conversation and I hope we can make this an annual event!