Christine Inserra

Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
 Chicago’s northern most lake front neighborhood, Rogers Park. It’s a sleepy oasis close to all the excitement of the city. A lush garden, migrating birds, my wife and pet birds call home.
 
 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?
I think in pictures and I’ve never been a left brained literary lover. So, seeing action and hearing dialog come easy for me.
Two of my scripts were finalists. The heroine of Monumental was inspired by a client of mine. She’s a plain spoken divorcee, retired career counselor who set out on a National Parks pilgrimage. My outrage over the Parkland shooting was grist for her inciting incident. Iwas inspired by a friend whose mother was dying, and she believed her dead father was messing with her television. But what was he trying to say? 

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?
I can write a script in a month or two but what takes more time are all the rewrites needed to produce the pearl.         
I start with a person or idea of a character. Then I give myself the luxury of a long leash to follow every whim of research and let it guide me. All along the way I ask myself, what am I trying to say, what’s the message, theme? Eventually I do a short treatment, then outline. I’ve tried index cards, not my natural flow.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
I’d love to write collaboratively for television and features. Create stories that are bold, from the heart, explore topics not “talked” about. Show true grit and faith of people not usually given a voice.

Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
 I love watching interviews with writers/directors to understand them, their process and product. For instance, Michelle Paradise, writer/producer of Star Trek Discovery, Tanya Saracho, writer of the hot, hip Latinx television series, Vida. I learned a lot from listening to Jane Campion talk about making of The Power of the Dog. French director Celine Sciamma, Portrait of a Woman on Fire, has non-traditional views on the creative process
 
 What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
 I have a soft spot for Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café.
 
 What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
 Elevate your scripts by working with high level professional reader/advisers. I’ve been able to skip contest notes or take them with grain of salt. Get your work up on Film freeway, Coverfly, and the ISA…producers hunt for material.
 
 What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I just finished my first adaptation of a novel written by a local author. It’s a thriller/romance and it was a great learning experience. Negotiating, talking story to a novelist is very different from a screenwriter. The distillation process is work; adding dimension to someone else’s characters is fun. Then there’s the pain working with a book publisher who’s contract is so one sided. Now I’ve got the job of SHOPPING IT.

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