{"id":565,"date":"2017-12-21T21:46:21","date_gmt":"2017-12-21T21:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/?p=565"},"modified":"2017-12-22T15:52:53","modified_gmt":"2017-12-22T15:52:53","slug":"jessica-bendinger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/jessica-bendinger\/","title":{"rendered":"Screenwriter Jessica Bendinger on Bad First Drafts, Writing For An Audience, and Using Sound As A Writing Tool"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAME<\/strong><\/span>: Jessica Bendinger<\/span><\/p>\n

CLAIM TO FAME:<\/strong><\/span> Jessica is a screenwriter whose movies have grossed over $500 million worldwide. Her original script Bring It On<\/span><\/a> debuted at #1 in the box office and remained there for two weeks. Jessica was named by Glamour Magazine as one of Hollywood\u2019s Most Powerful Women Under 40. She was a writer for Sex And The City and her screenwriting credits include The Truth About Charlie, First Daughter, and Aquamarine. <\/span><\/p>\n

Jessica also directed music videos for artists such as Queen Latifah, Steady B, Coro, Tony Terry, Warrior Soul, Masters of Reality and Loudness. She also published a novel The Seven Rays<\/span><\/a> and co-wrote \u201cHurts to Think\u201d for Miranda Lambert\u2019s last album.<\/span><\/p>\n

WHERE TO FIND HER<\/strong><\/span>: On Twitter<\/span><\/a>, and her website<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics: What time of day do you start writing?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

I start writing first thing in the morning. \u00a0I make my coffee. \u00a0I sit down with a notebook handy. \u00a0I get the lint out of my head with a list of three things I\u2019m grateful for and three things I\u2019d like to get done that day. \u00a0Then I just write. Longhand in a notebook to start. Then I move to the laptop once I feel like I’ve removed the crap from my mental dryer trap.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s your preferred tool for writing\u2014a word processor like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, etc.? A pen and paper?<\/span><\/h3>\n

I have a couple tools: <\/span><\/p>\n

1) Pen and paper are lovely. \u00a0I\u2019m fond of the Pentel EnerGel and the MiracleBind notebook by Blueline.<\/span><\/p>\n

2) Voice memo or the transcription function on the iPhone. \u00a0If you’ve never used the tiny microphone to the left of the space bar on the keyboard? \u00a0You’re welcome.<\/span><\/p>\n

3) Mac laptop. Hemingway Editor. \u00a0FinalDraft.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you listen to music when you write, or do you prefer silence, or something else in the background?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

I use both music and silence. I love hotel lobbies and airport lounges for the little bit of white noise. \u00a0I enjoy the headset in public and will blast some hip hop if I\u2019m stuck. \u00a0If I\u2019m in my office, I\u2019ll use music to get me launched. \u00a0MADE YOU LOOK<\/span><\/a> by Nas and ONE BIG HOLIDAY<\/span><\/a> by My Morning Jacket got me over the finish line with STICK IT<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0ONE BIG HOLIDAY made it into the movie which was pretty fucking gratifying.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is there ever a day when you\u2019re not writing? Do you have a sense of how much of what you produce ever sees the light of day?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The days of not writing are important to me. \u00a0I have to fill the well with walks, reading, watching and zoning out. \u00a0There\u2019s something about a long walk and staring off into the distance that really sparks ideas for me. \u00a0Walks plus music generates wonderful sparks and new combinations of thoughts. The transitional periods between productivity and gestation are crucial for me. \u00a0Decompression is a critical tool for me. \u00a0I used to go from project to project without stopping. It hurt my body, my psyche and my work.<\/span><\/p>\n

You’ve said before, in talking about how you write, “My big ideas are gestating for a long time before I even get to story, character or outline.” What does that gestation period look like? Are you reading? Jotting down notes? Writing and just keeping a big pile of things to arrange later?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Gestation periods are like a pupu platter. \u00a0Internet and book research is the appetizer. \u00a0Interviews and conversations with experts or sources are the entrees. \u00a0Visual research (like Pinterest boards) are dessert, unless an image kicked things off. \u00a0I use Pinterest boards now but used to pin images on the wall. \u00a0I had every surface of my office covered for STICK IT. I loved looking in any direction and getting inspired. \u00a0I tend to go down lots of rabbit holes using enthusiasm only. \u00a0I need that \u201cYES\u201d feeling, whether it\u2019s an idea, an image or a quote. \u00a0I bookmark or pin anything that resonates. \u00a0For links, I cut and paste the morsels into an email message that stays open on my desktop. \u00a0I email this incoherent thing to myself and use it to circle back later. \u00a0When I need to find the original again, it\u2019s in my search history or my inbox. \u00a0It\u2019s a sprawling messy pile of scraps. I really love metabolizing the chaos into something original and fresh. Order out of the chaos still feels satisfying to me. <\/span><\/p>\n

When you’re writing, are you consciously thinking about or imagining the audience for your movies?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The audience is everything to me. \u00a0Some frown on this, but I have to know who it is for before I write. \u00a0When I don\u2019t know, I struggle and the writing suffers. \u00a0I was working on a \u00a0spec rom-com for years. Because it was genre, I got super lazy and forgot to consider WHO it was for. \u00a0The drafts sucked. \u00a0Just sucked. I finally went, “Wait! \u00a0It’s for me and my gay friends.” Suddenly, I was jettisoning scenes and tossing bullshit fodder. It came into focus so sharply. \u00a0It got all this edge and vinegar. \u00a0To this day, it’s one of my favorite unproduced scripts. \u00a0It is just so salty and wicked. \u00a0I love it. But for a long time, it was incredibly meh.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m trying to build a bridge between the idea and the audience. To do this, I’m using a story. If I know who they are, that’s great. Better yet, do I know how they are underserved? \u00a0Do I know how they get or feel marginalized? \u00a0Do I know what they aren\u2019t getting enough of in the marketplace? \u00a0That’s my favorite game: I look for what’s not there but should be or could be. Then I can play in that space. \u00a0I want to locate what\u2019s missing and surprise them with it. \u00a0Until then, I\u2019m the stand-in for the audience. \u00a0I\u2019m trying to amuse, startle and delight myself and\/or a dear friend. <\/span><\/p>\n

You published a novel in 2009. What was like switching from screenplays to that work?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

It was challenging. \u00a0Movie scripts are these strange haikus. \u00a0Screenwriters have to distill a ton of info into concise encapsulations. \u00a0It\u2019s like code. \u00a0It has to expand into something satisfying when you add the water of the cast, the crew and resources. \u00a0Movies are a recipe for something else.<\/span><\/p>\n

Books are not recipes. They are the meal. \u00a0The book is everything. \u00a0My muscle tone was in another form. The process was super rocky for me. \u00a0I\u2019m glad I did it but the book was hammered. \u00a0It was written to be part of a series and – ultimately – I\u2019d hoped it would be a franchise. \u00a0I liked my choices conceptually, but my inexperience is obvious.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was enamoured with the idea of total creative control and controlling the copyright. \u00a0\u00a0The publisher was in the middle of a contraction. I had to hire an editor to shepherd me through the process. \u00a0I white-knuckled it. \u00a0The gap between my aspirations and my abilities was wide. \u00a0I’m proud I finished it and I still love the idea. \u00a0My learning curve is all over THE SEVEN RAYS<\/span><\/a> but I am grateful I got the chance to do it, wonky as it was for me.<\/span><\/p>\n

What lessons have you learned in your songwriting work that carry over to your literary and film pursuits?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

A good ear is critical for screenwriters. \u00a0Frequently, all our characters sound the same. \u00a0Especially when we are starting out. \u00a0But as you mature, figuring out ways to distinguish between cadence and tone is fun. \u00a0I use music as a bit of a hack to help this process. \u00a0I will pick a genre for each character. \u00a0Let\u2019s say the \u201cRyan” character is metal. \u00a0Then I will put on a track, like \u201cEnter Sandman\u201d and read that character\u2019s dialogue whilst listening to that Metallica track. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They have to align. \u00a0It gives me something to contour and shade his voice using tempo, dynamics, rhythm and tone. \u00a0If \u201cRyan\u201d were a sultrier, softer character, I might try listening to Miguel or Astrid Gilberto. \u00a0That would imbue them with a completely different vernacular and feel. \u00a0Ideally, I\u2019ve selected the musical style in advance and inseminated it as I go. \u00a0Sometimes – \u00a0especially with lesser characters or beats I\u2019ve been lazy with? I have to go back and adjust accordingly. \u00a0It’s a solid technique that has worked for me either way. <\/span><\/p>\n

Do you have the same habits in the different genres you work in, or is your work style more genre-specific?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

My work style is genre specific. \u00a0In songwriting, you are working with collaborators in real time. \u00a0It is very spontaneous and improvisational. \u00a0Musicians are a pretty fun lot, so this is delightful for me. \u00a0I love songwriting because this social, tribal piece is delightful. \u00a0Productivity and delight are nice compadres. \u00a0Screenwriting itself can be pretty solitary. \u00a0Production rewrites are totally different. They require input from the director, the studio execs or producers, and sometimes the actors. \u00a0Production rewrites are time-sensitive, demanding different mindsets and skillsets. \u00a0Agility and experience kick in. You have to trust the process and roll with the variables. \u00a0I\u2019m myopic when I\u2019m writing alone, and a team player during pre-production and production. \u00a0They say every film is three different movies: the movie you write, the movie you shoot and the movie you edit. The script-to-screen process is wonderfully iterative. \u00a0You keep getting chances to course-correct the thing until it’s done. <\/span><\/p>\n

You’ve said before, about your first drafts: “My goal is simply to write without editing and write it as badly as possible. I want to write the shittiest piece of crap I can and claim that as my goal. Why? Because that goal shuts up the critic and let\u2019s me work.” Do you have a process you follow to shut that critic up initially?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Yes. \u00a0The technique I use is to simply agree with the monkey mind. \u00a0When it says, \u201cThis sucks!\u201d I say, \u201cYes, this does suck. And it will for some time.\u201d \u00a0When you agree with that energy of opposition, the tension diffuses and deflates. \u00a0Unless I can use the tension, for example in dialogue or banter. \u00a0Then? \u00a0I employ it and direct it. \u00a0I allow the monkey mind to become the other character and we duke it out. \u00a0Either way, making it inclusive always serves me. \u00a0When I don\u2019t, I can deflate, take it personally and get discouraged. \u00a0Discouragement becomes an important signal to me. \u00a0If I haven\u2019t been integrating the darker aspects of the inner critic? I am de-energized. Deflation is a cue that their weapons aren’t working for me but are turning against me. \u00a0It\u2019s amazing how frequently I forget this. \u00a0Barry Michels – my former therapist and co-author of THE TOOLS – helped me with this piece enormously. \u00a0\u00a0Know yourself. \u00a0Be mindful of your edges. When deflating, make sure you aren’t slashing your own tires.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: Have you ever experienced writer’s block, and if you have, how did you get through it?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

I have experienced extended periods of not writing. These periods are circumstantial, physical or emotional. \u00a0If I am unwell – physically or emotionally – I\u2019m not writing. \u00a0If something traumatic goes down, I can fight, flight or freeze (and sometimes all three at the same time). \u00a0I\u2019ve been writing for over thirty years. \u00a0When I\u2019m not writing and want or need to write, I do a three question check in. \u00a0\u00a01) How are you feeling? \u00a02) What do you need? 3) Anything else? \u00a0This technique breaks up the fog of mood and circumstance and grants me clarity. \u00a0The darker or more stuck I get, the more I need a check-in. \u00a0If that doesn\u2019t work, I just start writing ABOUT the feeling of being blocked itself. \u00a0I engage with it and ask it questions as if it were trying to tell me something. \u00a0Using inquiry is an enormously powerful tool. Especially when shit is not happening and I\u2019m stuck.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you’re writing a script, do you talk to yourself out loud? Or is it more of a quiet process in your head?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

I love this question. \u00a0It is not quiet in my head or outside of my head. \u00a0It is noisy. \u00a0Sometimes, I will talk out loud, but – bear with me here – \u00a0I actually make strange noises. \u00a0When I\u2019m trying to feel something visceral, sound expedites access for me. \u00a0Emotions have physical corollaries in the body. \u00a0They often have sound. This is why sound design and score are so fundamental to movies and television. \u00a0But there I am, \u00a0alone with the laptop, trying to pump feelings into words. \u00a0There may be a distinct feeling-tone I\u2019m pinpointing when writing dialogue. So if I\u2019m making primal noises while typing, this is a terrific sign. \u00a0Grunts. Sighs. Silly verbal tics that sound like jibberish but evoke something. \u00a0I trust this. \u00a0There is always a point with a new assistant where they keep saying, “Did you need me?” And we have the talk, \u201cUm, look. If you hear noises and sighs or hear me talking to myself, I\u2019m fine. It\u2019s how I work.\u201d \u00a0So, it\u2019s not exactly talking out loud but I am externalizing feelings to align them with the page. \u00a0It\u2019s a semi-private ritual.<\/span><\/p>\n

My pal Chris McQuarrie likes to read drafts aloud. \u00a0Once, he made me read through one of my scripts aloud with him. \u00a0It was utterly painful but helpful. \u00a0I wish I\u2019d recorded that. \u00a0Casual read-throughs are my favorite method. \u00a0There\u2019s nothing like experiencing actors struggling with your dialogue to grease the idea wheels. And hurl you towards a rewrite.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, I try to move my body quite a bit. \u00a0I look like a fidgety child when things are flowing. When I get too stuck on something, my body has probably been in a forced position. \u00a0This is bad news. \u00a0When this happens, I get up as soon as I catch myself and stretch, move or change position. \u00a0I think Tony Robbins calls it “pattern interruption.” I’ve also used brain gym techniques and cross-body tapping and bilateral stimulation. \u00a0I\u2019m a fan of using whatever works. \u00a0Movement and sound are wonderful tools that help me get stuff on the page.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAME: Jessica Bendinger CLAIM TO FAME: Jessica is a screenwriter whose movies have grossed over $500 million worldwide. Her original script Bring It On debuted at #1 in the box office and remained there for two weeks. Jessica was named by Glamour Magazine as one of Hollywood\u2019s Most Powerful Women Under 40. She was a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":568,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fiction"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nScreenwriter Jessica Bendinger on Bad First Drafts, Writing For An Audience, and Using Sound As A Writing Tool - Writing Routines<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/jessica-bendinger\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Screenwriter Jessica Bendinger on Bad First Drafts, Writing For An Audience, and Using Sound As A Writing Tool - Writing Routines\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NAME: Jessica Bendinger CLAIM TO FAME: Jessica is a screenwriter whose movies have grossed over $500 million worldwide. 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