Interview:

Dan Pellar is a New York writer, raised in the once great suburbs outside of Detroit. In the tradition of Twain and Vonnegut, he believes in the poignant voice of the Midwest. Agreeing with Ray Bradbury that to write an imaginative adventure a writer’s life must mirror his work, he lives his life with unlimited curiosity. Finding the humor in each moment is his constant goal. A graduate of Grand Valley State University and a member of the Astoria Writer’s Club. His first screenplay, THE TRUCKSTOP won Best Screenplay at the 2008 Montclair International Film Festival, and was a finalist in the London Independent FF, Landlocked International FF, and GIAA International FF. His short stories have also been recognized in competitions.

Is THE TRUCKSTOP  your first script? If not, what else have you completed?

THE TRUCKSTOP was my first full-feature screenplay. Up until that point, I had written many stories and short screenplays. I’ve caught the full-feature bug and can’t stop. I am working on my next screenplay, with many other storylines waiting to explode from my mind.

Why did you write THE TRUCKSTOP And how long did it take you to write it?

I did a lot of driving in college, going from school back home, and there was a standard truck stop that I would stop at to fuel up. One day after pulling back onto the highway, I turned to my girlfriend and asked why three carloads of kids would hang out at a truck stop. How boring would a town have to be to hang out at a truck stop for fun? The second I put this idea on the page character back stories, hilarious set elements, and slacker first jobs, all started to flow.

Recently turning 28, I have many friends who all sought out happiness in their own ways. Some thought banking jobs and high salaries were the answer, others traveled, and some chose to get drunk in the same local bar night after night. Every adult has an opinion about how to find happiness, but most don’t seem happy themselves. Your twenties are a transitional time and the feeling of being trapped in the town you grew up in is something most people can relate to.

It took me three years to write the screenplay. The path to my first screenplay was a great learning experience. I wrote way too much. In Final Draft form, my screenplay was up to 276 pages. It took me just as long to edit and refine it as it did to write. Since then I’ve learned to put a much higher emphasis on outlining and develop an editing eye that lets ideas flow, but can edit as they come.

Describe your process; do you have a set routine, method for writing?

Before it was a simple equation- Ass in Seat + Time = Quality Writing. The same is true today, but the process is more refined. The beginning is all thinking. The middle is outline, outline. Then the end is the easy part, add the meat of the story to the skeleton I’ve created.  Just like in the physical shooting of the film, the pre-production is the most crucial and time-consuming stage. The rest is just steering the ship.

What inspires you to write?

Other writer’s work shows me what is possible. I pride myself in being a keen listener and observer, which fuels my passion to create. After appreciating a refined voice, I trust my confidence that I have something of value that others can feel. Once a story gets stuck in someone’s mind and he or she relays back to you that in their normal day, your story affected their life, you’re hooked. It’s all over. You’ll want it forever. And the ability to constantly surprise your self is inspiration to me.

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Writers write what they know. To write passion, you have to inject genuine passion into the thing you do. I love houseplants, great music, and Kurt Vonnegut. Things in society that make sense, simple activities that don’t impact the planet, and art of really communicating, all make me happy.

What influenced you to enter the Movie Script Contest?

Writers need to gauge their writing to grow. Your competition is judged be people who’ve done what I’m trying to do. If they appreciate your work, above other ambitious writers, then I’m on the right track. Also, this contest is very writer-centric. Placing in this contest means a nice award, but most important, the attention of production companies that might be interested in my screenplay.

Do you feel that screenwriting contests are worthwhile for writers and why?

It all depends on contest. Placing in competitions like this is important because a writer’s vanity comes from seeing your words come to life. Trophies are nice, but getting your work in front of a producer or production company is the goal. After three grand in entry fees, I’ve learned that the top ten big contests and the smaller local fest yield the best value.

Who is your favorite screenwriter or writer and why?

The more a story baffles you of its origin, the better. The king of that is Charlie Kaufman. Films based on books always stand out for me. The three act structure of screenwriting can limit the overall character development that an author of a book doesn’t have to concern himself with. In books there’s no page a minute talk, so there is room for the colorful writing quirks that might get cut for story in a film.

Author Jonathan Safran Foer wrote “Everything is Illuminated,” and Liev Schreiber adapted it. It took Foer the space of a novel to create his amazing story, but it took the cinematic eye of Schreiber to fit it into the mold of film. Both processes are an art in their own right. Jon Krakauer, David Mamet, Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, Coen Brothers, all embody story telling aimed at pleasing few instead of many. Though many enjoy their work, writing must be personal above all else.

Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Do the work. Sit in the chair. Sacrifice for the art of writing and success will come.

Vonnegut said it best, in his 8 rules of writing fiction: “Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.” & “Be a sadist. Now matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of.”

What’s next for you?

I keep writing, cause I don’t want to do anything else. I’ll keep taking life as comes. Being humble and caring will keep the smile on my face.