(re)Search my Trash

<body> <div align="left"> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="800" cellpadding="0" height="100%"> <tr> <td width="100" rowspan="3" background="../stylepix/square.gif" valign="top">  </td> <td width="4" rowspan="3"></td> <td width="592" height="1%" valign="top"> <p align="center"> <a href="../research/resultcrewlinks.shtml?CJ Walley">Films written by <b>CJ Walley</b> on (re)Search my Trash</a><p align="center">  </td> <td width="4" rowspan="3"></td> <td width="100" rowspan="3" background="../stylepix/squareright.gif" valign="top">  </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="592" valign="top" height="99%"> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="325" align="left"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img border="0" src="../stills/cjwalley-2.jpg" width="320" height="320"></td> </tr> </table> <p><b>Your new book <i>Turn & Burn</i> - in a few words, what is it about?</b> <p>  <p> It’s a distillation of everything I’ve learned over the past ten years from conceptualising stories, to the script writing process, to artistry, to career building, to maintaining a healthy mindset.<p> <p><b>What can you tell us about your own journey as a screenwriter, and in what way did it inspire you to write <i>Turn & Burn</i>?</b><p> <p> I turned to writing in 2012 when I faced a life crisis and suffered a complete mental breakdown. I became completely obsessed with the craft and gradually ascended from some unknown guy in rural England to a working writer-producer who makes feature films shot around Los Angeles. While doing so, I also built up my free script platform <i> Script Revolution</i> through which I witnessed many writers seeing their own successes. I think artists always want to share their experiences and what’s worked for them as we know only too well how hard it can be to find some sort of direction within all the madness. The discussions on forums typically only scratch the surface of what matters and tend to focus on superficial areas. <i> Turn & Burn</i> was my opportunity to get all the advice I want to give down in writing and share it with the world.<p> <p><b>Now how does compiling a non-fiction book actually compare to writing a screenplay, and what can you tell us about the writing process for <i>Turn & Burn</i> as such?</b><p> <p> They’re completely different beasts. As anyone who reads the book will see, I have my scriptwriting process nailed down so it’s efficient, effective, and enjoyable. I’ve written scripts intensively over just three days that have attached <i> Academy Award</i> nominated actors. Approaching a non-fiction book with no prior experience was daunting but I was highly motivated. When I started putting it together, my producing partner and I were finishing up post in one movie and going into pre-production on the next. That, along with my daily tasks running <i> Script Revolution</i> also filling up my to-do list, meant I had to write the book around everything else which actually worked quite well as the reflective nature of it helped me unwind, relax, and process a lot of what I was actually experiencing at the time. <p>  <p>While I do find the process of typing hard due to my dyslexia, I love sharing the knowledge and experiences I’ve gained. Having an editor there to proofread my prose took a huge amount of pressure off me allowing me to just pour my thoughts out onto the page, which I did by first making a lot of bullet pointed notes to get my key points down before going into order and detail.<p> <p><b>So what, in your opinion, makes the basis for a good script?</b><p> </p>  <p>Passion, truth, and sheer entertainment. A highly capable writer can take anything and turn it into a compelling story that resonates with the audience and feels like nobody else could write it in the same way. That ability stems from confidence, authenticity, and a strong artistic voice built on craft skills that bring out the best in the writer in terms of creativity and motivation. You know how a person’s eyes light up when they get to talk about something they truly care about? That’s how a script should feel to the reader. Like it comes from the heart. Sure, there are objective factors involved that writers must work on honing but even the most technically perfect screenplay is going to be a dull read if it lacks spirit and soul.<p> <p><b>One "formula" I've stumbled upon in your chapter on story structure is called <i>Yearn-Turn-Burn-Learn-Earn</i> - could you elaborate on that a bit?</b><p> <p> It’s an easy way to conceptualise and remember the basic narrative structure of <i> The Hero’s Journey</i> (aka the monomyth), the way we have come to most commonly structure the stories we tell; a protagonist YEARNS for something more until their life takes a TURN which causes them to BURN their bridges and have to LEARN a harsh lesson about life before EARNING their ending. <p>  <p>Story structure was my core weaknesses when I first started writing. I couldn’t get my head around it and felt bombarded by options that I had to carefully choose from because people would say three-acts are better than five-acts or that <i> Save The Cat</i> is completely garbage. Realising that everyone was actually talking about the same basic principle and cutting it up in different ways was incredibly powerful. That helped me see the core elements and present them in a way that’s inherently easy to comprehend.<p> <p><b>What I find refreshing is that <i>Turn & Burn</i>, besides all the chapters on scripting itself, also has a chapter on career-building - so could you give us a quick rundown on that aspect of being a screenwriter?</b><p> <p> We’re currently in this difficult time where amateur screenwriters are having career advice pushed on them by people who aren’t working as writers or broke in during a time when things were radically different. The rhetoric I’m seeing within various groups is quite frankly bizarre and often feels like the complete opposite of what I’m witnessing within the industry. We seem to have completely forgotten (or want to forget) that this is ultimately an art-form and thus comes with all the subjective complications usually associated with that compounded with the fickle nature of pop-culture and the brutal demands of capitalism. If you aren’t writing passionate material, if you don’t appreciate the audience, if you fail to understand how films are made, you’re potentially dead in the water and, even if you’re doing everything right, you’ll likely have to keep at it for a sustained period of many years before you align on the same wavelength with someone who can make things happen for you. This idea that you suck and you just need to work hard enough to produce a “great script” that will call in the cavalry and unlock the doors of Hollywood has to be put to bed as it’s sending people in exhausting circles, or even backward, until they eventually give up.<p> </p> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="455" align="left"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img border="0" src="../stills/cjwalley-3.jpg" width="450" height="245"></td> </tr> </table> <p><b>Many of the chapters of your book also contain sub-chapters on the mistakes you yourself have made in whatever field concerned - now how hard (and/or maybe also refreshing) was it to put down your own missteps on paper?</b><p> <p> This was a great suggestion by the publisher, and I leaned into it hard. I have no shame in talking about my failings and inadequacies as it helps counter this notion that those of us seeing success have done so with clear direction and complete confidence. Nothing could not be further from the truth. I’m often just as confused and scared as the next person, and I feel it’s important people know that. Putting all that down into words brought on mixed feelings. On the one hand, these are hurdles I’ve overcome and seeing I’ve achieved that made me feel proud. On the other hand, revisiting what I went through reminded me of the mental anguish I was still going through only a few years ago and many of my peers will be going through now. It reopened old wounds that have yet to fully heal but that in turn only highlighted why it’s so important to be vulnerable and open up about stuff like this - you might be helping pull someone out from a very dark place.<p> <p><b>To totally over-generalize: In one paragraph, what would be the best advice you can give to an aspiring screenwriter?</b><p> <p> Study your heroes. We lionise those we admire to the point they seem indestructible, overwhelmed with self-confidence, and unchallenged by life. Learning more about their struggles; how they were told they sucked, how they faced so much doubt, and how they soldiered on alone for so long humanises them and instils us with the self-belief and determination we need to cut a similar path.<p> <p><b>What can you tell us about audience and critical reception of <i>Turn & Burn</i>?</b><p> <p> The book went straight to #1 in the bestselling new releases for screenwriting on Amazon in both the UK and the US for quite some time and I was blown away by that. Seeing pictures of your book in other people’s hands is amazing and the sheer reaction to you being a published author itself is an oddly validating experience. Everything thus far has been remarkably positive with nothing but glowing reviews but it’s early days and I’m prepared for criticism over the more controversial things I’m saying that go against the “flog yourself to write an objectively great script that pleases everybody” rhetoric that’s so common right now. The good thing is parts of the book, in a much earlier and less detailed form, have been available online for free for years now and I know for a fact it’s changed the way people approach writing and breaking into the industry for the better.<p> </p> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="455" align="left"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img border="0" src="../stills/cjwalley-4.jpg" width="450" height="240"></td> </tr> </table> <p><b>Now when you were still an aspiring screenwriter yourself, which books (or blogs or whatever really) did you read to learn more about the craft?</b><p> <p> I read like crazy and still do. I think it’s such a powerful and efficient way to learn. There’s a recommended reading section in the book I think people should read in full but, if I had to pick just three books, it would be <i>Writing for Emotional Impact</i> by Karl Iglesias, <i>Art & Fear</i> by David Bayles & Ted Orland, and <i>Tales from the Script</i> by Peter Hanson and Paul Robert Herman. These three do a great job of covering craft, artistry, and how the film industry typically works in the context of screenwriting. I’ll also throw in a special shoutout to my producing partner Shane Stanley and his book <i>What You Don't Learn In Film School</i>, which gives a great roundup of what it really takes to make independent films, something all screenwriters will benefit from knowing more about. <p> <p>Outside of books, there’s not a great deal I consume but I can’t recommend Ted Hope’s <i>Hope For Film</i> blog enough, since it comes from a producer with an incredible track record who genuinely cares about telling powerful stories. When it comes to documentaries, the one to watch is <b>Seduced and Abandoned</b>, which shows the industry from the perspective of James Toback and Alec Baldwin as they try to generate interest in a script and candidly interview other long-time professionals while attending the <i> Cannes Film Festival</i>.<p> <p><b>Who do you consider today's screenwriters who are really on top of their game?</b><p> <p> Like most film enthusiasts, I’m a victim of seeing all films in relation to the director, so the multi-hyphenates are the ones I notice the most. I recently binge watched the TV series <i><b>Patriot</b></i> and found it one of the best I’ve ever seen, so kudos to Steven Conrad for putting that together. I loved the film <b>Palm Springs</b> and feel it was well deserving of its accolades and returns, so massive respect to Andy Siara and Max Barbakow for the script they put together over all those years both during and after film school. My contemporary heroes right now are Martin McDonagh and Taylor Sheridan, and I say that despite Taylor snatching up an actor we had cast as a lead in our last movie so they could play a role in his new <i><b>1883</b></i> TV series!<p> <p><b>Your/your book's website, social media, whatever else?</b><p> <p> Book website: <a href="http://www.bennionkearny.com/book/turn-burn-the-scriptwriters-guide-to-writing-better-screenplays-faster-cj-walley/" target="_blank"><b>www.bennionkearny.com/book/turn-burn-the-scriptwriters-guide-to-writing-better-<br> screenplays-faster-cj-walley/</b></a> <p>Personal website: <a href="http://www.cjwalley.com/" target="_blank"><b>www.cjwalley.com</b></a> <p>Production company website: <a href="http://www.rebellerouser.com/" target="_blank"><b>www.rebellerouser.com</b></a> <p><i>Script Revolution</i> profile: <a href="http://www.scriptrevolution.com/profiles/cj-walley" target="_blank"><b>www.scriptrevolution.com/profiles/cj-walley</b></a> <p>IMDb: <a href="http://www.imdb.me/CJWalley" target="_blank"><b>www.imdb.me/CJWalley</b></a> <p>LinkedIn: <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/cj-walley/83/bb2/263" target="_blank"><b>www.linkedin.com/pub/cj-walley/83/bb2/263</b></a> <p>Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/cj_walley" target="_blank"><b>www.twitter.com/cj_walley</b></a><p>   <p><b>Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?</b><p> <p> Keep an eye out for two movies I’m a writer-producer on and hope to see released within the next year or so, <b><a href="../movies/doublethreat(2022).shtml">Double Threat</a></b> and <b>Night Train</b>, both starring Danielle C. Ryan who does all her own stunt work from weapons, to fighting, to horse riding, to driving. Sometimes your work aligns with your dream producer and sometimes it aligns with your dream actress too - you just gotta hang in there and keep doing what you feel passionate about even when surrounded by nothing but naysayers.<p> <p><b>Thanks for the interview!</b> <p>   </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="592" valign="top" height="1%">  <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"> currentyear = "2010"; </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT language="JavaScript" src="../scripts/endcreditsart.js"></SCRIPT> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"> dosworsdonn(); </SCRIPT> </td> </tr> </table> </div> </body>