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Why did you start writing screenplays?

I had a dream in January 2013, and all I could think was, “This is a movie!”  I told my sister about this dream and was going to sell the idea of this great movie to any movie producer that would listen to me.  My sister rebuked me; she thought it would be a big shame if I, a long-time English student, didn’t write it myself. I was ashamed of myself. I started first by writing it as a prose, and scribbled notes of the story events on little sheets – which I now believe is what we call plotting.  That, to me, was my script!  I did a little research online and realized I had only just started. I began to read and follow more screenwriting blogs.  Then I got a hang of screenwriting.  I know I’m not perfect, but practice always makes perfect.

What movies do you watch to remind yourself that you love screenwriting?

Dramas. Thrillers. Soap operas. Cartoons. I always appreciate the use of meaningful language and events in them.  I also love to watch nonsensical movies; they make me feel like a good writer, because I can now easily detect all the errors therein. I’ve never seen movies the same way since I started writing screenplays.

What is your highest screenwriting goal?

To be like the professionals that we all acknowledge. I would particularly love to be as prolific and as popular as Steven Spielberg.

What aspects of the writing process do you struggle with the most?

The re-writing process. It’s a time where you have to take out the junk that you once held in high esteem. It’s like a mourning process, and it’s a very melancholic experience for me.

What do you feel you do well as a screenwriter?

Dialogue. I’ve always been known as a drama queen, and people around me admit that I have a way with words. I don’t know how that is; I don’t even notice it. I guess it’s in my nature, and it somehow affects the way I write dialogue. Although, I still struggle with keeping the dialogue in my screenplays “lean and mean.”

What do you see is the biggest problem with storytelling in Hollywood?

I see no problems. I’m one for rules, and if we have to keep to 120pages/2hours, then we must, at every cost, even if it means cutting a 170-paged script to 120. Off course, a lot of details would have to go, that can affect story telling, but if the cinema executives want 2 hours, give them 2 hours if you’re serious about making profit in the end.

What screenplay have you written which you feel most proud of and why?

I started writing in 2013, and I’ve written two screenplays so far.  One, I believe, is fully ready; the other, well, it’s a musical drama, and I’m still writing the songs for it. That’s another course on it’s own.  I am proud of all my screenplays, also, because I didn’t study at any screenwriting school, but can [still] write screenplays.  I was particularly elated that the BlueCat reader who read my script didn’t pick apart my write-up like how I see it done to some scripts on the BlueCat website. My reader had some nice comments to make about my story, and I appreciate that.