KINAN KOTRASH
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KINAN KOTRASH

​What inspired you to write a script rather than a novel or short story?
The screenplay Little Shoes actually began as a novella of the same name, which I wrote first and which is available on the Amazon bookstore. The story started on the page, but as I continued living with it, I felt that its emotional power also needed to be seen visually. Film can capture silence in a very powerful way.

Was there a specific film, TV show, or personal moment that first made you say, “I want to write like that”?
I have always loved film as an art form. There was not one single movie that made me want to write. There were many great films that reached me at different stages of my life and changed the way I saw storytelling. Films such as Born on the Fourth of July, Central Station, Scent of a Woman, Three Colors: Red, and Amores Perros. I believe Cinema can do more than entertain. The only reason I am writing is to make films.

What’s your writing routine like? Do you follow a strict schedule, or are you more intuitive about when and how you write?
When I begin a new screenplay or novel, I commit myself to a daily writing schedule. At that stage, discipline is very important to me. I try to show up every day, even when the writing is difficult, because I believe a story needs consistency until it is fully born.
Once the book or screenplay is complete, my process becomes more intuitive. I give myself time to think, to observe, to live with the work, and to wait for the next idea to find me. I don’t force that part as much. But when a new idea truly takes hold of me, I become almost obsessed with it. I start seeing it everywhere — in small moments, in people’s faces, in silence, in memories. That is when I know I am ready to return to a strict routine again. So my process is both disciplined and intuitive. I need discipline to finish the work, but I also need intuition to discover what the work is really about.

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?
When I start a new script, I usually begin with the emotion first. Before I think about structure, plot, or scenes, I ask myself: what is the wound of this story? What is the human truth at the center of it? For me, the first inspiration is usually character and theme. I become interested in a person — what they fear, what they love, what they have lost, what they are trying to hide, and what they are trying to survive. Once I understand the emotional life of the character, the plot begins to reveal itself naturally.
I do use outlines, but I don’t like them to become too mechanical. I start with the main emotional beats: where the character begins, what breaks them, what changes them, and what final image or feeling I want the audience to carry. After that, I begin shaping the scenes.

How do you handle writer’s block or those inevitable moments of self-doubt?
I try not to force the writing when it is not ready. I truly believe that every story has its own time, and sometimes silence is part of the process. When the idea is not fully formed, I stay patient. I allow the story to breathe. I don’t allow self-doubt to enter the room. I believe writing is about trusting the timing of the story and being prepared when it is ready to speak.

What tools—software, methods, rituals—do you consider essential to your writing workflow?
The most essential tool for me is not software — it is the ability to dive deeply into the emotional world of the character.

Do you write with production realities in mind, or do you let the creative vision lead first and adjust later?
I will let the creative vision lead first

When a scene isn’t working, what’s your go-to strategy for fixing it? Rewrite, workshop, walk away—or something else?
Re-write.

How many scripts have you completed? How many have you started and not completed(we all have those)...and why are they still unfinished?
Most of the scripts I begin, I try to finish. Even if I am not fully satisfied with the result, I believe it is important to complete the first draft. For me, a finished first draft is not the end of the work — it is the beginning of understanding the work. Once the story exists on the page, I can return to it, study it, rewrite it, and improve it. But if I leave it only as an idea, it remains too abstract.
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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?
Honestly, the most meaningful recognition for me is when ordinary readers connect deeply with the story. When someone reads the book and feels attached to the characters, when they say story stays with them long after the last page. I got many reviews that mentioned that and I think that is the best recognition I can ask for and the recognition that matters most to me.
That said, I am very grateful that my work has also received recognition from festivals and screenplay competitions. So far, Little Shoes has had a 100% official selection ratio on FilmFreeway, and the Little Shoes novella/screenplay project has advanced as a Semi-Finalist at the prestigious Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, as well as a Semi-Finalist in the Santa Barbara International Screenplay
Awards. It has also qualified as a Quarter-Finalist in the Outstanding Screenplays Shorts Competition.

My short screenplay Nadia that I co-wrote. has also received several recognitions, including the Silver Remi Award at WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. It was selected as a Quarter-Finalist in the Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition, reached Quarter-Finalist status at The Golden Script Competition, and advanced to the Semi-Finalist round at the Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards.

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?
Yes. Beyond entering competitions, I promote my writing by producing and directing my own films based on the scripts I write. For me, this is one of the most powerful ways to bring the work to life and introduce it to an audience.

Have you pitched to producers or taken meetings yet? What have those experiences taught you about the business side of screenwriting?
Yes, I have had the opportunity to pitch my work and take meetings with producers and industry professionals. Those experiences have been very valuable because they taught me that screenwriting is both an art and a business. They also taught me patience. The business side of screenwriting moves through conversations, follow-ups, legal steps, revisions, attachments, and timing. Not everything happens immediately. You have to protect the heart of the story while also being open to collaboration.

What do you see as your greatest strengths as a writer? Your greatest weaknesses?
I believe my greatest strength as a writer is emotion. I will try to write from the deepest human place possible. I am drawn to characters who are wounded, silent, afraid, loving, or trying to survive something they cannot fully explain. Another strength is that I am very visual when I write. I often see the scene before I write it. My weakness is that sometimes I can become so attached to the emotional truth of a scene that I may need to step back and look more carefully at structure, pacing, and clarity.

How do you balance your writing with your “day job”?
I try to be fair to both. My day job carries real responsibilities, so when I am working, I give it the focus and respect it deserves. I don’t believe in doing anything halfway.
Once my day job is complete, I try to commit to my writing schedule as much as I can. It is not always easy, but I believe consistency is important. Even if I only have a limited amount of time, I try to use that time with discipline and intention.

What message or emotional response do you hope audiences walk away with afte experiencing your work?
I hope audiences walk away feeling that even in the darkest moments, love can survive. War can take away a home, safety, innocence, and even family, but it cannot destroy memory. It cannot erase the love that remains inside a person. A recent review for my novella Little Shoes expressed exactly the kind of emotional response I hope readers and audiences experience. The reader said the story was very short, but that it carried more genuine, raw emotion than many full-length novels they had read. They said it left them with a profound sense of grief, but also a strange kind of hope.
That means a great deal to me, because that is what I hope my work can do. I don’t want audiences to leave only feeling sadness. I want them to feel the humanity beneath the sadness — the tenderness, the memory, the invisible bond between people who love each other.

What are you working on right now the world needs to know about?
I am expanding Little Shoes to a feature film screenplay.

Where do you see yourself five years from now as a screenwriter—and how do you plan to get to that place?
Five years from now, I see myself continuing to write stories that are deeply human, emotionally honest, and powerful enough to live on the screen. I will reach that by keep doing my best.

What advice would you give to any aspiring writer hoping to follow in your footsteps?
My advice is to look inside your soul and find your message. listen to your inner voice, discover the message you were meant to carry, and then have the courage and discipline to write it