I began screenwriting on a whim when I discovered that oil painting was too messy and somehow got all over the house — writing was, in effect, cleaner. So, I traded the painting canvas for the silver screen.

Why screenwriting? Why not another visual art form? Well, I’ve always loved movies. The wonder of the STAR WARS universe, the undoing of Michael Corleone in THE GODFATHER — the poignant ending of TRAIN TO BUSAN. These are gripping stories, and I have gripping stories to tell as well.

And, I love writing. The ability to create a story from concepts that were just rolling about in my head drew me into the medium. Could I ever write like Trumbo or Fincher? Perhaps . . . with enough practice and a student’s devotion to the trade.

A SCREENWRITER LEARNS HIS TRADE

My initial project was a two-act play that still desperately needs a rewrite. I read two books on the subject of screenwriting (“Save the Cat” by Snyder and “How NOT to Write a Screenplay” by Flinn), took a seminar with Bonnie Garvin, and was hooked. I enrolled in Hal Croasmun’s ProSeries class through ScreenwritingU.com and completed both that six-month course (PSA 35) in 2012 and the 18-month Masters Screenwriter Certificate program in October 2017.

I have completed eight feature screenplays, one TV pilot with bible and three short plays for the stage. I was a Second-Rounder at the 2013 Austin Film Festival’s screenwriting competition with FERRARIS AT TWENTY PACES. My first script, CROSSING THE RED LINE placed in the top 10% for the 2013 Nicholl Fellowships and was a Second-Rounder at the 2014 Austin Film Festival competition.

SUCCESS COMES WITH PERSISTENCE

I am a produced writer. Valiant Films, a Detroit-based producer/director team, hired me to write a dramatic feature titled SOLOMON based on their concept. It premiered in 2020 at the Detroit Black Film Festival and is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.

My short stage play A GOOD ASS — a political parody — is playing with the Farmington Players Audio Theater on YouTube.

My short monologue A LETTER TO DEREK had its premiere with Almost Adults Productions' final LGBTQ+ Online Short Play Program in Santa Fe, NM, on June 27, 2021 via Zoom with a professional cast and crew.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW CREATIVITY

I recently developed an episodic work that was commissioned by the Farmington Players Audio Theater. The eight episode comedy, titled HE SHED, SHE SHED, was developed from my concept and written by three writers beside myself: Erin Osgood, Tony Targan and Marilyn Zerlak. I completed three of the eight episodes and acted as show runner and style/content editor.

I am a lifelong Michigan resident and currently live in Royal Oak — a Detroit suburb — with my husband, Frank, and our dog, Snickers.