LARRY ELMORE

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What inspired you to write a script rather than a novel or short story?
I’ve been writing scripts and producing film/video for Fortune 100 clients for decades, so film is what I feel most comfortable writing. I’m interested in reaching a larger audience, too.

Was there a specific film, TV show, or personal moment that first made you say, “I want to write like that”?
I grew up in Encino around the corner from Edward Everett Horton and down the street from Roy Rogers, so imagining a career in the film industry seemed very natural for me. I have been a fan of classic romantic comedies with Fred Astair, Bing Crosby, Danny Kay, Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and many others. But most of all, I’m great fan of mysteries and sci-fi. StarTrek hit TV when I was a Junior at Reseda High School. I think that series more than any other has informed not only my personal philosophy but my understanding of the potential effect that out of the box thinking can have on the audience. Roddenbery managed to develop a series that engaged and informed the us in ways that has led to one of the most successful franchises in TV and motion picture history. It is what science fiction can be when you believe that humankind has a bright future, rather than an apocalyptic destiny. A little sidebar, while I might have been a huge fan of our high school football team, I would stay home on Friday nights to watch StarTrek, then go to the game. You know it’s good when a teenage boy opts to watch TV rather than live sports.

What’s your writing routine like? Do you follow a strict schedule, or are you more intuitive about when and how you write?
Absolutely a strict schedule. I rise between 5-6 am every morning. Feed the dogs and cats, then sequester myself in my home office and write. I have discovered that writing a story is so much easier that finding an agent or a production company. Right now, I’m completely focused on promoting the slate of six screenplay I’ve written.

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?
You know what they say, “Write about what you know”. I’ve been a Photojournalist, Educational Filmmaker, Cinematographer, Editor, Writer, Director and Producer for my entire professional career. My work has taken me to almost every continent, so
the people of earth have informed my understanding and personal direction in life. That said, I feel very comfortable writing about high technology, news, current events, but especially science fiction. Who knows where ideas come from? Personally, I’ll get an idea about a story, then just open myself to where I think the story will take these characters. I write a detailed treatment first, then convert that to screenplay format. I write for the characters, then let the action dictate how they’ll respond to the events.
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How do you handle writer’s block or those inevitable moments of self-doubt?
I think every writer comes up against a wall on occasion. I have a very simple yet effective approach. I just start writing. It doesn’t matter what I write, but one of my favorite opening lines is, “It was a dark and stormy night.” In fact, that line led to my feature screenplay, Genesis 9:17, What was lost was found. I try not to let self-doubt interfere with my writing, but if I do have doubts, I let the characters work it out for me. I have a favorite line from Bill Murry’s film Larger than Life, “Just get over it”. And, in the words of Buckaroo Bonsai, “Remember, no matter where you go, there you are.”

What tools—software, methods, rituals—do you consider essential to your writing workflow?
I’m a Mac guy, so I use Pages to prepare my treatments. I use Safari for my research, which is often very extensive. And Arc is my preferred screenwriting application. No rituals per se, just write. You’ll be surprised where that can lead you.

Do you write with production realities in mind, or do you let the creative vision lead first and adjust later?
Yes, I do. Producing the film or TV series at a reasonable budget is always present in the back of my mind. My work is character driven, so I don’t depend a lot on costly visual effects except where required in my sci-fi action adventures mysteries. But that said, I only use effects to move the story forward. The story defines the need for VFX.

When a scene isn’t working, what’s your go-to strategy for fixing it? Rewrite, workshop, walk away—or something else?
If I’m stymied with a particular scene. I will leave it. Walk away. Then come back after I’ve slept on it. Invariably the answer usually comes after a good night’s sleep. Sometimes even in the middle of the night.

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’ve got a slate of six completed screenplays that span multiple genres, action, adventure, sci-fi, mystery, and rom/com in both Feature and TV series formats. Every story I’ve started, I’ve finished. I have a couple of stories cruising around my brain that I’ll be writing this winter.

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?
Yes, my screenplay, ENTANGLED, A Network Reality, won the 2025 ISA Action/Adventure Screenplay Festival this past April. Entangled was my first festival submission. Imagine my surprise when it was selected as the winner. I knew it was good, but… That win has propelled me to enter other screenplays in other festivals. Plus, that win put me in contact with my current screenplay consultant. Working with her has expanded my team, so we workshop my screenplays until we’re both satisfied that they’re ready to submit. And I only submit to Festivals that provide valuable Notes. The Notes I’ve received from my submissions have been incredibly important to enhancing my work. I’m currently re-writing the Quarter Finalist win of my Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards submission, Finished, Ms
Smith & Mr Jones, based upon the Notes I received.

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, I have. With six screenplays to promote I have shifted my efforts into marketing mode. I’ve engaged Screenwriting Staffing to send out an email blast for Entangled. It’s too early to tell how effective that will be. I’ve signed up here for the Writers Showcase. Plus, I am on LinkedIn daily widening my network. I’ve developed a One Pager, Pitch Deck and Poster for each of my screenplays. I keep my IMDB Pro page updated with each win. And, I have all my credits and successes published on my website, www.telluris.tv As an emerging screenwriter I know that success comes to those who are patient and consistently strive to be successful. I am ever hopeful.
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Have you pitched to producers or taken meetings yet? What have those experiences taught you about the business side of screenwriting?
I have yet to have the opportunity to pitch my current slate of screenplays in person to an agent or production company. That said, in the early 90’s I spent 6 weeks in Hollywood shopping an animated sci-fi environmental children’s series I had written, which I have since converted to live action. I learned that an agent is absolutely required to make significant connections. But I did get meetings with
Filmation, Nelvana, and Amblin. I got an interesting note from Amlin. They said my series was too “politically correct”, which I took as a complement since the audience was kids.

What do you see as your greatest strengths as a writer? Your greatest weaknesses?
I see in pictures. I’ve learned to write what I see so my characters can move within a scene and how they’ll react. I’m a fan and appreciate the teachings of the Dalai Lama. Consequently, I believe everything happens for a purpose, so I probably miss important opportunities for conflict, which is why my script consultant is so important.

How do you balance your writing with your “day job”?
I get up very early to write. But I’m also the business manager for my wife’s landscape construction business, so that work usually takes up my afternoon.

What message or emotional response do you hope audiences walk away with after experiencing your work?
Joy. Thought provoking. Stimulating the imagination. Revelation. Wonder. Understanding. Excitement. And that could be me in this story.

What are you working on right now the world needs to know about?
I’ve been exploring Quantum Reality in my screenplay, Entangled. Did you know that “Time is not what you think it is?”

Where do you see yourself five years from now as a screenwriter—and how do you plan to get to that place?
I see myself with multiple TV series in production and Feature films as financial successes. Keep on keeping on… In the words of The Firesign Theatre, “If you push hard enough, it will fall over.”

What advice would you give to any aspiring writer hoping to follow in your footsteps?
Just write. It doesn’t have be film. I’ve been writing for corporate American for over 40 years, which has taught me how to structure a story to be informative and impactful. Learn the craft of screenwriting. Watch a lot of film and TV so you understand the structure of a successful series. When it all comes down to it, “It’s
always about the story.”