CHRISTOPHER BOYCE
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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
Los Angeles & Bellingham, WA
 
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?
A few years ago I attended a seminar by Robert McKee; during the course of it, he talked about his cat, Otis, who had been diagnosed with an impending terminal illness. While I don’t recall precisely how the recitation of this personal story fit within the lesson plan, it touched me because my wife and I had recently experienced the loss of our cat. Thanks to the care and untraditional action employed by Bob and his wife Mia, Otis lived way beyond what the veterinarian predicted.
The idea for the story came to me in an image format, from the opening scene to the last. I saw Otis as a “three strikes cat” who had been passed from foster home-to-foster home until finally landing with someone who saw him as an equal.

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 completed the first draft in 3-4 weeks –which is about 97% of what remains today; then tweaked the balance over the years.
I used to write with index cards but found it slowed the more natural process (to me) of seeing the totality of the story imagistically, and then describing those images to the page.

What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
To write full-time, both screenplays and novels.

Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
Carole Eastman; Robert Towne; Bo Goldman; Mario Puzo; Francis Ford Coppola; Martin Scorsese; Nicolas Pileggi; Phoebe Waller-Bridge; David Chase –all of them are brilliant in different ways.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
For film, the early 60’s up to mid 70’s was just a magical time for cinema, I can’t choose one. For television, anything from Norman Lear and Carol Burnett to David Chase.

What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have? 
Write the truth; tell personal stories personally. Find reputable mentors and teachers, and festivals like The Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards for feedback by WGA writers.

What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I’m adapting “Nature Calls, Cat Answers” into a book format.

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