MARK WAKELY
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Where do you live (City, State, or Country)?
In a suburb about 30 miles west of Chicago.
 
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?
Actually, I’ve written two novels- An Audience for Einstein, republished in 2019, and A Friend Like Filby in 2021.  You can read more about An Audience for Einstein on its website: http://www.anaudienceforeinstein.com  I’ve always been interested in screenplays and after studying dozens of them, decided to try my hand crafting some with ideas that seemed better suited for movies than novels. The inspiration for my comedy script The Mob and I came from a number of sources, including the “honor code” and tradition of family loyalty among mobsters, as well as the trope of the hapless character who finds himself in a bewildering situation beyond his control with no apparent way out.
 
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?
Once I have the overall plot in mind (basically a short synopsis) and am convinced of its potential, I then flesh out the characters and jot down scraps of dialogue and key scenes, making sure the action rises to a climax and comes to a satisfying conclusion. The first draft is usually short, and with subsequent drafts grows in length.
 
What is your ultimate ambition as a writer?
To see my scripts produced. And write many more of them.
 
Which film or television writers inspire you? Why?
I can’t single out any one person, but those who both write and direct what they’ve written have always struck me as writers with a crystal clear vision of their stories from start to finish, as daunting as that dual task must be.
 
What’s your all-time favorite movie or television show?
A guilty pleasure: I’m partial to 1950’s Science Fiction movies, including The Day the Earth Stood Still, Forbidden Planet, The Thing, War of the Worlds, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and especially The Time Machine, which provided the inspiration for A Friend Like Filby, a semifinalist in the Publishers Weekly 2021 BookLife Prize with a perfect score of 10/10:  https://booklife.com/project/a-friend-like-filby-57407
  
What advice do you have for writers hoping to win a contest or place as a finalist as you have?
Read. Read a lot, and not just screenplays. Great stories will inspire you, and bad ones will convince you that you can write something much better.
 
What else are you working on that the world needs to know about?
I have another feature comedy I just revised, and a surprisingly lengthy outline for a PG rated horror movie I’m starting to write, with two other, more adult oriented horror scripts to follow.  I’m also considering a suggestion from someone in the movie industry to adapt An Audience for Einstein into a three-part series. That idea was brilliant since the novel has three distinct acts.  So I’ll be busy for a while in a very good way.