What Inspired Saying No to the Big O?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The biggest inspiration for Saying No to the Big O was CHANGE. I wanted some. In previous literary works, and in current ones I’m working on, I tend to fall on the serious tone side. I write about murder, cheaters, serial killers of young girls, sexual abuse, you name it. Even in the few screenplays I’ve written, I’ve fallen into the “heavy” issue category. I wanted to do something different with my next screenplay.

 

I wanted to play with a female character that sure had some serious issues to tend with but her personality makeup was a bit lighter than other female characters I’ve written. She’s much like her literary sistren in that she’s independent, connected to her family, typically a “forward march” kind of woman, but she also struggles with internal dialogues that cause major obstacles in her life. The difference between her and her sistren, however, is that she’s a bit sexier, funnier, clumsier, and in your face than the other female main characters I’ve written. Once I found my character for this story, and once she began speaking to me and making me laugh with her life philosophies, the story came pretty fast. I LOVE when that happens!

 

I revised the script, entered it into a few contests; it was a finalist in the 2010 PAGE International Screenwriting Award Competition. Though I got a few nibbles from interested parties, nothing significant happened, so I put the screenplay on the back burner, but then my best friend and fellow writer, Samara King, made the suggestion that I adapt the script into a novella. And thus, here we are. In writing this novella, I was able to get a bit more into the character and develop new scenes and angst for her. These things will go over well when I return to the screenplay for rewrites this summer.

 

What my SN2BO journey showed me was that sometimes you just have to take a step in the opposite direction and see what you might discover. Writing about Daphne “Daph” Collins, my heroine of SN2BO, has made me excited to venture more outside of my writing comfort zone.

 

 

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