JULIET COYLER
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JULIET COYLER

What inspired you to write a script rather than a novel or short story?
Honestly, I have tried to write poetry (not too bad), children’s books (not too good), and novels (just awful). Then I got a chance to work with an emerging screenwriter on his work, and my writing flowed like water. It turns out, the thing I hated about trying to write a novel was the FLUFF—the detailed descriptions, who wore what, and inner dialogue. Any story I wrote sounded like a screenplay, according to my daughter in law anyhow. Screenwriting happened by accident, but it fits my abilities. Also, I became an actor, and reading bad screenplays irritated me so much that I had to write a better one.

Was there a specific film, TV show, or personal moment that first made you say, “I want to write like that”?
There is a specific moment. In the classic Pride and Prejudice (I’m a BBC purist—there is only one P&P), when Elizabeth is in the library at Netherfield Park, the camera lingers over Mr. Hurst when he is drunkenly snoring on the couch. It is my favorite scene of the show. It was a delicate detail that made the scene CHARMING and AUTHENTIC. I thought—I want to do that! Jane Austen is my idol. I love how all her characters are flawed, but she doesn’t mock them. There is a kindness to her touch.

What’s your writing routine like? Do you follow a strict schedule, or are you more intuitive about when and how you write?
I set ONE intention the night before bed. It sets a tone for me to live purposefully the following day. I had health issues for a few years and had to medically retire from my job as a podiatrist. I learned to take each day at a time. Setting only ONE intention helps me maintain focus without internal pressure or shame. It also keeps me listening to my muse. Often the ONE intention is to SWIM or take a walk—those moments are when my best ideas come.

When you're starting a new script, how do you shape your ideas? Do you use outlines, beat sheets, or dive right into scenes? What inspires your scripts? Characters? Plot? Theme? Action?
This has been so interesting to discover about myself. Beats bubble up in my self- conscious and have my whole life. I just didn’t know that’s what they were. Luckily, I wrote a lot of them down, so I have a rich trove of things I want to dig into that I
collected before I knew I was writing.

How do you handle writer’s block or those inevitable moments of self-doubt?
I had the gift of spending a year almost dying. In that same year, my partner killed himself, I lost my job, and my dad died. What else is there to fear? I don’t worry about doubting my writing—I EXPECT it to be bad until it gets better. That’s what editing is for. That’s what feedback is for. What is the worst thing that could happen with writing? Someone may not like it? Who cares? Writing has value and growth opportunities when there are few things left I can do. I’m too grateful right now to have found it to let insecurity steal it from me. I don’t think about having writer’s block, because I trust that whatever is supposed to come out, will come out., or will turn into something else that WILL work.

What tools—software, methods, rituals—do you consider essential to your writing workflow?
I have leaned heavily on skills I have learned in IMPROV, to be honest. Improv has taught me to be CLEAR and not tricky. Satisfy your audience with a beginning, a middle, and end. Tell them what they need to know. Don’t be coy. Be specific. I am not precious enough or established enough to have rituals. I do use Final Draft in addition to my notes app.

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Do you write with production realities in mind, or do you let the creative vision lead first and adjust later?
I consider potential expenses. I’m a thrifty person.

When a scene isn’t working, what’s your go-to strategy for fixing it?
Rewrite, workshop, walk away—or something else? I’m inclined to go through each scene and clarify why it exists. As long as I know why it’s there, I can make it anything else that fits that role in the script. Then I literally take a break , think about the NEED, and see what bubbles up.

How many scripts have you completed? How many have you started and not completed (we all have those)...and why are they still unfinished?
I have one finished short script that I am directing and acting in next month (October 2025). I have two screenplays and two TV series I am working on. I am starting UCLA’s Professional Screenwriting Program in 2 weeks. I will work on the two feature film scripts at UCLA, and ONE TV series on my own for fun. The TV series wants to come out first, so I will likely write it at the same time.

Have you earned recognition in this or other competitions? What’s your strategy when submitting your scripts, and how has contest feedback shaped your work?
I submitted to my first competition, the Big Break, in the spring of 2025, and received really encouraging, and actionable feedback. I adapted my script and submitted to another festival for feedback and tweaked it again. I wrote my first draft over two days but editing for three months. I take ALL feedback that is given and sit with it. I’m doing my LAST rewrite before production with the AMAZINGLY specific feedback that I got from Santa Barbara International Screenplay Competition. I have been delighted to receive awards from ONIROS and NYIFA in NY, and the Independent Shorts Awards in LA, as well as Best Short Script (USA) at TINFF. It’s been a learning process and I’m grateful. I NOW look for the best rated festivals on Film Freeway. I’m getting pickier.

Have you done anything at this point to promote yourself or your writing (besides entering online contests)? If so, how would you gauge the effectiveness of those efforts?
I have a website, www.julietcolyercreator.com. I have a list of agents I am researching. I have a seed and spark campaign account to build an audience. It’s too soon to tell how effective that will be as I launched it yesterday. Mostly, I’m trying to be respectful of people, look for ways to uplift others, and not worry so much about myself. I respect that there is a LOT to learn, and a rising tide lifts all ships.

Have you pitched to producers or taken meetings yet? What have those experiences taught you about the business side of screenwriting?
I have done ONE pitch, and it showed me I needed to be better prepared for the next. I don’t think I am suited to pitch as much as I am to just get to know people naturally by networking. I am going to a pitch conference next weekend. I know I don’t like the SPEED or PRESSURE aspect of pitching. I want the process to happen more relationally and organically.

What do you see as your greatest strengths as a writer? Your greatest weaknesses?
CURIOSITY and BREADTH of life experience—just being older and less naïve  about the world is a great strength. My greatest weakness is being inexperienced with the craft. I’m starting UCLA’s Professional Screenwriting program (online) in two weeks so I will be working HARD on that.

How do you balance your writing with your “day job”?
My greatest gift is not needing a day job. I have finished a 30 year career in podiatry and have a small but sufficient income for my day-to-day needs. I’m not fancy and not trying to get rich. Balancing writing with my health issues is more compelling. There is a lovely line spoken by Lauren Bacall in a Mirror Has Two Faces--“I’ve Made My Coffee.”

What message or emotional response do you hope audiences walk away with after experiencing your work?
I want people to feel seen. I want them to think. I very much want to wake people up. And I want to be kind. Not nice. Kind. I want to explore DEEP and TIMELY themes.

What are you working on right now the world needs to know about?
I have a screenplay called JUMP, which is semi-autobiographical, about spending time in a houseboat community on Lake Eufaula during the pandemic. It’s a GROWN UP coming of age story about leaving a controlling orthodox religion (Mormonism), a manipulative marriage, and becoming the main character in my own life. It’s not Eat, Pray, Love, but more Run, Block, and Fish. In many ways, I went through my 20’s in my 50s, and I am writing about it.

Where do you see yourself five years from now as a screenwriter—and how do you plan to get to that place?
In five years, I will have both JUMP and a MORMON in MOSCOW (about my month spent there as a medical student in 1993) produced. I will have my Book of Mormon Stories TV Series in production. In each episode, a different person in a different era will have their own story arc related to a particular doctrine of Mormonism. It’s a rich way to explore the effects—good and bad—on man-made doctrines presented as gospel. I am exploring how religion got us to this American moment. Mormonism is a wonderful metaphor for the Mythology of America.

What advice would you give to any aspiring writer hoping to follow in your footsteps?
Don’t! Make your own path.