-Which writer inspires you the most?

I could never narrow it down to just one writer. Aaron Sorkin always amazes me, as nobody can write smart and snappy dialogue like that man.  And  I love the way Joel and Ethan Coen perfectly mix the totally strange or evil with the absolutely hilarious. I’ve been an enormous fan of William Goldman my entire life. He  wrote screenplays as diverse as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men” and then turned to something as  beloved  and  timeless as “The Princess Bride”.  Really,  all you have to say is, “rodents of unusual size” and the entire world recognizes and adores the source. I’m also tremendously inspired by  Martin McDonagh’s work. He  develops moving characters in situations that are dark and disturbing, yet manages to make them amusing and touching at the same time. I love that!

-What is the main challenge you encountered while writing your work?

The main challenge for me is always the actual physical act of writing. For some reason, I find the computer screen somewhat intimidating, and, if I had to just stare at it until an idea formed, blood would probably start to pour from my eyes. The only way I can get started is by scribbling notes on paper until I get a sense of where the story is heading. Then I switch to three by five cards, old school but it works for me. Once I have all the scenes on cards, I finally go to my computer to enhance the characters and dialogue. Cards are helpful, as well, when  the scene sequence doesn’t seem quite right. Then I just give them a little shuffle and see what happens. Once I dropped all of them on the floor, but when I picked them up the new order was so much better.  

Another challenge for me is to eventually let the characters go, as I tend to get attached to some. There was an endearing old couple in the script of my first feature, “The Sanctuary”,  who nattered away at each other constantly. Even when I had a final draft and we were heading into production, Harley and Edna were still with me blathering away at night when I was trying to sleep. They were exhausting!

-Every screenwriter needs feedback after completing their project. Is there someone you always turn to for their opinion as soon as you finish writing?

I prefer not to  talk to anyone while I’m writing because I find it distracting, not just because others offer opinions and advice, but because I often don’t know where the script is going myself. I always think I do in the beginning, and then it takes on a life of its own and changes  in  unexpected ways, and I want that to play out fully before showing it  to anyone else. Once I have a solid first draft, I show it to  Allen Kool, who’s the producer and director of AKool Film Company.  He’s particularly effective in pointing out potential problems with logistics and production  I might not have considered,  which helps me streamline the script to keep the budget and shooting days under control. After that  we’ll meet with Michael Charbon, our executive producer, Yaz Lachporia, our assistant director, and Andrew Brown, our editor and head of post. All of these people are experienced and highly skilled, so I value their ideas and suggestions tremendously. 

-Are you currently working on a new screenplay? If so, can you tell us more about it?

I’m  excited to be writing a series at the moment called “Noose: The Hangman’s Tale” about hangings in Canada since Confederation. It’s a drama covering the crimes and subsequent  trials of those who were eventually sent to the gallows, as seen through the eyes of the hangman hired to perform the grim deed. 

-If you had to describe your writing style using three adjectives, which ones would you choose?

Quirky, funny, unexpected.