{"id":695,"date":"2018-02-21T23:22:43","date_gmt":"2018-02-21T23:22:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/?p=695"},"modified":"2018-02-21T23:54:21","modified_gmt":"2018-02-21T23:54:21","slug":"joe-ballarini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/joe-ballarini\/","title":{"rendered":"Major Hollywood Screenwriter and Author Joe Ballarini On How Being Rejected From Film School Kick Started His Writing Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAME: <\/strong>Joe Ballarini
\nCLAIM TO FAME:<\/strong> Joe is the author of A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting<\/em><\/a> and the writer of the movie, Dance of the Dead<\/a><\/em> and the upcoming My Little Pony: the Movie<\/a><\/em>
\nWHERE TO FIND HIM:<\/strong> On Instagram<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and his web site<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics: What time of day do you start writing? Is it easier for you to write early in the morning? Late at night?<\/h3>\n

Now that we have our seven month old son, I start much earlier! I like to make coffee for the wife and I and play with the little one before getting into the office by eight or eight thirty. And don\u2019t leave until I\u2019ve made my pages. I find that by starting earlier and forcing myself to stay in the office (which is a big, sunny room downstairs) until I\u2019m exhausted or satisfied with my work for the day.<\/p>\n

Writing late at night can be the best, too. It\u2019s quiet and serene. However, with the kid, it\u2019s hard to stay up until 3am and write my spooky stories in the dark when I know he\u2019s going to wake up at 5:30am.<\/p>\n

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

I\u2019m left handed and so I can only write comfortably in one notebook: the Mead College Rule black and white notebook<\/a>. A writer\u2019s dream. It\u2019s so freeing. I also love to draw, so I can doodle and let my imagination go crazy on the page. The best part is I can\u2019t toggle back and forth between my writing and Facebook and then to a blog and then back to Facebook and then over to a podcast and then back to my writing and then just a quick toggle over to email and then back to the writing. You see what I mean. Paper and pen is king!<\/p>\n

I use Final Draft for screenplays. Word for books.<\/p>\n

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

My Spotify is full of soundtracks for all of my projects. It\u2019s so inspiring when I find the perfect tone or beat for a scene or a moment. I\u2019m a director also, so everything I write is not just visual but cinematic and music is a huge part of cinema. (Not so much in book form, but music does help grease those gears.)<\/p>\n

When writing A Babysitter\u2019s Guide To Monster Hunting<\/em><\/a>, I liked listening to ambient mixes, more low key and environmental. Just the sound of the rain or a crackling fire can help transport me into a snowy landscape when I need to feel the chill of Christmas in the middle of June.<\/p>\n

Do you have any pre-writing rituals or habits?<\/h3>\n

Just really good coffee. I grind it, foam the milk and make sure it\u2019s perfect. I give one to the wife and then\u2014cheers.<\/p>\n

I started jumping on a mini-trampoline in between down time to keep it all flowing. And no one can take themselves too serious when hopping up and down in their office.<\/p>\n

How many words a day do you produce, or try to produce? How much of that ever sees the light of day?<\/h3>\n

I tend to overwrite and then reduce, reduce. Put it this way, on the second Babysitter\u2019s Guide<\/em><\/a> book, my editor made me chop 120 pages from the book! And that\u2019s for kids! I guess\u00a0 with writing novels it\u2019s easier and freer range. In screenwriting, I KNOW I have to keep the movie down and that page count can be your best friend because it\u2019s like watching a clock tick down\u2014 you gotta keep the story moving, you\u2019ve only got 110 pages to fit it in. Sure, you can write your genius 150 page draft of an action film if you\u2019re Shane Black or Joe Carnahan, but not when you\u2019re<\/p>\n

When you first sit down to write, how do you start? What goes through your mind when fingers are first meeting keys (or pen hits paper)?<\/h3>\n

\u201cJust start. Don\u2019t over think it. Just get the characters talking. You\u2019ll delete all of this later but right now you have to just start.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your process for editing your work?<\/h3>\n

I print the beast, grab my sharpie, and go somewhere other than behind my computer. I read, mark, sketch, slash, draw arrows, and slash on the page.<\/p>\n

Do you have an author whose voice or style you\u2019re trying to emulate when you\u2019re writing?<\/h3>\n

With Babysitter\u2019s Guide<\/em><\/a>, I had to emulate the voice of my narrator, Kelly Ferguson. Kelly is a shy, intelligent, funny 13-year-old. For this, I try to channel a quirkier, snarkier, sharper part of my brain and the more romantic, hyper-dramatic side because I remember everything feeling so huge and epic when I was that young. Regardless, this is not an easy task, writing with the voice of a tween girl. Fortunately, my editor, Maria Barbo is great at reading for the right voice. She\u2019ll write \u201cvoice\u201d in the margins if I\u2019ve written a line that sounds too adult. So, I\u2019m not trying to copy an author, just tell it in the way the story needs to be told.<\/p>\n

Do you struggle at all with that dreaded enemy of writing: writer\u2019s block? Do you think such a thing exists?<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not so much writer\u2019s block as writer\u2019s blah. But I still stay in the office when that happens. Hence, the trampoline. I stay in the chair or pace until something comes. I know it won\u2019t be that good and I\u2019ll rewrite it, but I have to put something down in order to fix it. You can\u2019t rewrite a blank page! But if it gets really really bad, I take a hike with the dogs or go to Meltdown Comics. I know it\u2019s bad when I start watching too many YouTube videos in a row. More than three and I\u2019m like, TIME FOR A WALK!<\/p>\n

Do you have any favorite books about <\/i>writing and the creative process?<\/h3>\n

Joseph Campbell has a series of lectures on Spotify that are fantastic.<\/p>\n

David Mamet<\/a>, Stephen King<\/a>, Sydney Lumet<\/a>, and Madeline L\u2019Engle<\/a> wrote great books on the process. I listen to the Scriptnotes podcast and the BAFTA interview series. Also, I love director\/writer commentaries on movies. As soon as I fall in love with a new author, I seek out their interviews online and binge on them. And now I have this amazing website to check out. So thanks. Seriously. It\u2019s great to have a place where you can talk shop without the cynical bits.<\/p>\n

When did your aspirations to become a writer begin, and how did you get your start in screenwriting?<\/h3>\n

I was always writing short stories and making movies as a kid, but the trouble really started when I tried to get into USC film school and they rejected me. I had gotten into the proper school and so I moved out to LA and while I applied to the film school five more times. I decided, well, I\u2019m not going to wait for them to tell me what I can and can\u2019t do. I\u2019m going to start writing on my own. Also, I didn\u2019t know anyone at the time so I would spend most of my nights in the library writing and keeping myself company with a whole cast of characters. Also, paper was cheaper than making a whole movie. I fell in love with writing and discovered so many wonderful books and authors during that time. By the time they finally let me into the film school, I had written 3 screenplays myself and had taught myself a lot about the craft. That\u2019s such a huge part of being a writer, is being a self-starter. You can\u2019t wait for anyone to give you permission. Besides, how much does a pen and paper really cost?<\/p>\n

How did you begin thinking about a children\u2019s book and what was that transition like?<\/h3>\n

A Babysitter\u2019s Guide to Monster Hunting<\/em><\/a> started as an idea for a movie, but the studios are making super hero movies right now. This is a kids adventure. Why am I going to spend all this time writing a screenplay just to have the studios say ‘no’? I\u2019m going to write it as a book and see what happens. I wrote it on spec and found that I loved the form and the freedom.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re the kind of person who is juggling multiple writing projects at once. How do you keep those balls in the air?<\/h3>\n

I give myself mini-deadlines for each project. I finish those deadlines and then jump into the the next project. I know that it usually takes producers or editors a few weeks to read and give notes, so in that time, I start the next thing, turn that in, and then get the notes on the first project back and start on that one. I like to keep busy. Also, by constantly working, I can\u2019t dwell too much on what I just turned in. Sometimes it takes ages for the heads of the studios to give their decision and I would go bonkers just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a question you\u2019re going to get asked a lot, but our readers want to know: How in the world did you get involved with a film adaption of MY LITTLE PONY<\/em>?<\/h3>\n

I had written on a lot of animated films before Ponies and Hasbro liked my stuff. I knew Ponies from growing up with a sister who was into them. Then the phenomenon of the new ponies happened and I had to check it out. Turned out that the characters were engaging and interesting and not just your standard silly kids stuff. Yes, it\u2019s about magical unicorns and stuff, but the core themes of friendship and loyalty and believing in yourself were positive messages that I really took to. Then I met the team and I fell in love with everyone at Hasbro. Seriously, they are the masters of Ponyville over there. It was a real treat to work with such a well-run, intelligent team of creative world-building, character-loving folks.<\/p>\n

You studied at the School of Cinematic Arts and got a minor in creative writing. What did you learn when you were younger that\u2019s stayed with you?<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t wait for someone to let you make your dreams come true: go make them come true. Also, always bring a pair of leather gloves to set because you don\u2019t want to get electrocuted. Arcing can kill you!<\/p>\n

Ready to create a writing routine of your\u00a0own?<\/h3>\n

Sign up now and receive our free guide \u201c12 Essential Writing Routines To Help You To Craft Your Own<\/strong><\/a>.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Learn from the routines of superstar authors\u00a0Stephen King, Gertrude Stein, John Grisham, Ernest Hemingway, Neil Gaiman, and many more.<\/em><\/p>\n

Get the free guide here!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAME: Joe Ballarini CLAIM TO FAME: Joe is the author of A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting and the writer of the movie, Dance of the Dead and the upcoming My Little Pony: the Movie WHERE TO FIND HIM: On Instagram, Twitter, and his web site. Let\u2019s start with the basics: What time of day […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":696,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-fiction"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMajor Hollywood Screenwriter and Author Joe Ballarini On How Being Rejected From Film School Kick Started His Writing Life - 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\/joe-ballarini\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Major Hollywood Screenwriter and Author Joe Ballarini On How Being Rejected From Film School Kick Started His Writing Life - Writing Routines\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NAME: Joe Ballarini CLAIM TO FAME: Joe is the author of A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting and the writer of the movie, Dance of the Dead and the upcoming My Little Pony: the Movie WHERE TO FIND HIM: On Instagram, Twitter, and his web site. 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