BRENDON RICHARDS
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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
North Carolina
 
Your script stood out among hundreds of others. What was the inspiration for your story and why did you write a script instead of a short story or a novel?
There was a time several years ago now, where we would wake up in the morning, and we would find that the gates to our backyard had been opened in the night.  One night, I even thought I saw lights dancing outside my bedroom window, like someone was walking in the yard with a flashlight. More likely it was just the way a passing cars headlights shone through the window. It was that image of dancing lights that was the initial seed.
I've been meditating a lot recently about past relationships and what could have been vs what is.  Then I had this image pop into my mind of a dark lanky figure standing under a streetlight, and then haunting dreams accompanied by a Celtic folk song. From there, the characters filled in the rest.
 
As for why I wrote a short script  as opposed to a short story, it’s because film and screenwriting are my field. I’ve written short stories, and I enjoy them, but there is something about writing a script where you are asking the reader to engage in a different way. When reading prose, you imagine things as you will see them, sure. But when someone reads a screenplay, their mind fills in everything that’s not given to them, and it makes the story hit a different way for each person.
 
How long did it take you to write your script...and what is your writing process? Do you outline...use index cards...white board...or just start with FADE IN?
When we say how long, are we referring from when words were first put to paper? Or the time spent mulling the story over before those first words get written down? The script itself took about two months. I wrote the first draft, then I put it away for about a month. I went back for the second draft for another two weeks and that’s where I landed.
 
I generally put pen to paper and just go. There are few things in this world that I find more frustrating than outlining. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, but that way is tedious for me. I start writing knowing where the story begins, where a few major scenes will fall, and having a general idea of where the story will end. Then I let the characters take me on their journey to reach the end, even if it’s not the exact ending I imagined from the start. I like those unexpected moments to surprise me too.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
Being a working writer and filmmaker would be fun. That is where my passions lie, is in storytelling.
 
Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
It may be a bit cliché, but I truly admire Aaron Sorkin. My favorite aspects of telling a story is through use of dialogue, and there are few better at that game then Sorkin.
William Goldman and the Nolans also stand out. Honestly if I list them all individually, it’d take up the whole page.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
As I mentioned earlier, I love Sorkin. My favorite television show is The West Wing. As for film, Jaws. No film is perfect, but I think Jaws is one of the few that come the closest.
 
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
I’m just an amateur myself, so I don’t know what standing I have to give this advice, really. The thing that works for me is to remember to tell the stories about the things you are passionate about. If you are passionate about it, and are honest with yourself, others will find your material and the worth within it.
Also give yourself at least a month between first draft and revision. You’ll see that story through fresh, unbiased eyes.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I recently finished the first draft of a haunted house feature, though its more mystery and drama than it is horror. The ghosts are more incidental. I intend to adapt it to a stage play soon for a local drama company.
 
While I bide my time for the second draft, I’ve started a new feature, this time a high fantasy story in the vein of The Princess Bride, just a little less funny. I’m really excited about it.

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