Confessions of a Wannabe Screen Writer
- Katharine E Wibell
- 1 minute ago
- 4 min read
1) What is your Author name; use your Pen name if you have one.
James Moore
2) What inspired you to become a writer?
I’ve always had a love of story in many forms (movies, books, plays, etc.) but I never thought I would participate in the process until I took a creative writing course while I was studying Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University. The instructor was very encouraging and call one of my stories “insightful” which blew my mind. I think that’s where it all started; the intoxication that comes with knowing you’ve written something that makes people think.
3) Which character of yours is your favorite and why?
To date, my favorite character is Kiki Diamond. I have written a feature script (Kiki Diamond: Bounty Hunter) and a concept film script (Kiki Diamond: The Favor) with her as the main character. My intent with Kiki was to create a badass alpha woman who like everyone else, has demons to wrestle. There are some female characters out there like her in movies but not nearly enough.
4) Which character of yours was the most challenging to write and why?
That’s a tough question. If I had to pick just one, I would have to say Ji from my novella of the same title. Ji is a character from my first published book HOM and this second novella is the sequel. Ji is an eighteen-year-old Korean girl with superpowers, so in addition to the challenge of writing a female character (which I’m always self-conscious about) I also have to think in teen-aged mode.
5) Do you prefer writing dialogue, action or other scenes?
Without a doubt dialogue. I get to reveal characters in so many inventive ways. There is also the challenge of making dialogue realistic. I get to use everything I’ve learned from listening to many conversations.
6) What is the hardest challenge in being a writer?
I’m going to cheat here and double-up on the answer. 1. Overcoming the inertia to writing. Overcoming all the self-imposed obstacles and excuses to getting the work done. 2. Knowing when I’m done with a story. I’ve gone through a dozen drafts, editing, more re-writes, table reads, etc. Where is the line between true improvement and mere wordsmithing. In short, getting started and knowing when to stop.
7) What is your favorite part about being a writer?
Seeing or hearing the effect of my finished product. If someone watches a film I’ve written and reacts, I loved it, I hated it, whatever, I know I’ve done my job.
8) What is the one thing you wish you knew at the beginning of your writing journey?
I wish I knew how addictive and painful writing is. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing, and this knowledge would not have dissuaded me from wanting to be a screenwriter, but I might have been better prepared for the emotional investment that the writing process requires.
9) Pick five books that are must-reads in your mind.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
1984 by George Orwell
Henry V by William Shakespeare
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Ephesians (from the Bible) by The Apostle Paul
10) What book protagonist would you love to talk to if he/she/they were real?
Gandalf. I would get a lot out of that conversation.
11) If you could live in any “book world” what would that be?
I think I would really enjoy living in the Star Trek universe.
12) What is your favorite quote and why?
“God does not play dice.” Albert Einstein. In his famous back-and-forth with fellow physicist Niels Bohr concerning quantum mechanics, Einstein’s quote is basically a statement that some entity (God) is running an orderly universe. That’s comforting to me.
13) What is your favorite book that you have read this year?
I just read this book recently. It’s “The Way I Used To Be” by Amber Smith. This is a very important book that touches upon a very dark and difficult subject in our society. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who can handle the mature subject matter and is not triggered by the discussion of sexual assault.
14) What is the name of your book/series? Tell me a little bit about them.
My book is titled HOM and is available at Amazon, published by World Castle Publishing. Hom is the title character and has been raised in a clandestine government facility. The government wishes to take advantage of Hom’s telekinetic and inter-dimensional transport abilities. Hom can also converse with angels and demons.
15) Do you have a website? If so, what is it?
16) Where can we find and follow you? (Name your social media platforms.)
At present I have a TikTok account (@storyteller6465, James The Writer). But there are plans for more.
17) If there anything important that you would want my readers to know about you?
I LOVE writing and making movies, but the most important thing about both of those pursuits is the fact that I get to meet awesome people and build relationships with them.
