Interview:

David B. King is a screenwriter and novelist who lives and works in Marion, MA. He has also taught writing to college students and living skills to disabled adults, assisted the newswriters at ABC News, and served as a creative consultant on American Experience’s RACE TO THE MOON on PBS. A University of Virginia graduate, David received his MFA from Colorado State University. He is now working on a new novel, “SH-BOOM”, and a screenplay, “SAVE THE RIVER”.

Ralph Hruban is a Professor of Pathology and Oncology at the Johns Hopkins
School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. At Hopkins, he heads the Sol Goldman
Pancreatic Cancer Research Center. An author of four books and over 500
scientific papers, Hruban has a strong passion for medical history. He is in
the process of finalizing a non-fiction documentary on William Halsted.

Is “HALSTEAD” your first script? If not, what else have you completed?

David King just completed a comedy, SURFIN’ EAST P.A. (“A broke Pennsylvania college recruits a world-class surfer & airhead to captain their new surf team & revive the school. Nothing goes as planned.”) and is now finishing a drama, SAVE THE RIVER (“When fugitive activist Abbie Hoffman learns the US Army is planning history’s most expensive and ecologically destructive project in his front yard-—turning the gorgeous St. Lawrence River into a canal-—he can fight & almost certainly get caught, or flee. He fights, and wins, but at a terrible cost-—2 years’ hard labor in Attica. A true story”.)

Halsted is Ralph's first script.

Why did you write "HALSTEAD? And how long did it take you to write it?

Ralph: We were drawn to the drama of Dr. William Stewart Halsted’s story and its underlying message--perseverance through unspeakable suffering. We are deeply proud to honor the man who gave so much of himself to make surgery safe. Ralph began working on the script over seven years ago.
David: I write stories of broken people who eventually find redemption. When Ralph told me how Dr. Halsted, with the support of his close friend Dr. William Welch, overcame two stints in an asylum and two addictions to become history’s greatest surgeon, I knew had to help tell his story. Between the two men, Doctors Welch and Halsted arguably saved more lives than any other Americans, yet few know their story. I will do whatever I can to fix that. Once Ralph and I formed our partnership, the script took 3 years to research (Johns Hopkins kindly granted us access to letters and papers of Doctors Welch and Halsted few scholars have seen) and write.

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

David: When I get a film idea, I swiftly write a 3-4 page narrative of the events. Generally, this narrative consists of sequential, morally difficult decisions made by the key character, each of which yields consequences, which demand a new decision. If I like the result, I begin researching the key characters—-what impels them? What do they fear? What’s at work in their unconscious? How do they relate to others? I then write each scene focusing on these key characters’ “doing needs”. Next, I rewrite the overall script for flow, liveliness, repetition of key ideas and plot points, subtle indication of subordinate characters’ feelings, and over-writing-—I make sure to leave room for the input of actors, directors, set designers, costume designers, and so on. When I feel a script is done, I show it to 5-6 peers whose skills & love I trust, and collaboratively chat with them about ways to improve the script. After a final revision, I submit the script to production companies, actors, directors, and producers who’ve shown interest in my work and/or the project. When working with a partner, add “after vigorous discussion” to all the above steps.

What inspires you to write?

David: If I can tell a redemptive story about a desperate person who, with the support of good friends, recovers and achieves great things, and this inspires at least one desperate person to feel hope, I’m satisfied. A good laugh or thrill is also nice to impart. Such film artists as Frank Capra, John Ford, John Singleton, Jane Campion, Paul Thomas Anderson, Oliver Stone, Alexander Payne, and Spike Lee have inspired me in this way. God willing, my work will do the same for others.

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Ralph: I am a physician-scientist dedicated to the war against pancreatic cancer.
David: I am passionate about my family, church, community, nation, and world. Following Sisela Bok’s concept of concentric circles of moral responsibility, I try to act compassionately within each situation. I rarely succeed, but keep trying, and write novels and scripts about people who try to do the same (like Dr. Welch).

What influenced you to enter the Movie Script Contest?

David: I tried submitting work to and negotiating contracts with production companies, actors, and studios, but it was difficult. For example, several studio execs showed great interest in our project, but told us they couldn’t read it until one of us got an agent. Golden Brads seems focused on assisting its winners with precisely this. Other contests yield money and prestige (which we received with our Silver Medal win at the Maryland Film Festival) or teach the craft of screenwriting (which I’ve already learned) or offer studio-style coverage (which we’ve already received). What we need now is an agent, and that’s what the Golden Brads promises to help us obtain.

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

David: As I understand it, few agents or production companies read unsolicited work. Instead, they rely on contests to do so for them, find the best scripts, and pass those along. For this reason, contests seem to be the only way new writers can submit work to agencies or studios.

Who is your favorite screenwriter or writer and why?

David: Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

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

--Don’t do it unless you’re passionately addicted! Same goes for all artists. It’s much easier, and far less trouble, to make a living in virtually any other field. Me, I’m addicted. I can’t WAIT to write, every day, and I’ve been that way since 6th grade. Expect to spend 3-5 years of 80 hour weeks working hard at a writing-related job (teaching, editing, etc.) before you’re any good, and 5-8 years of hard work after that before you produce anything of real value, because until you’ve lived for a while in the world, with real responsibilities, you don’t know what you’re talking about when you talk about life. And expect it to take yet another 2-3 years for people to see how good you’ve become. So--do something else! Unless you’re hopelessly addicted to it. In which case, welcome to the club.

What’s next for you?

David is now finishing his 1970s-era novel, SH-BOOM: “When a teenager is found dead at a notorious rock star’s isolated estate, the police call it suicide, but the teen’s friend suspects murder. Determined to learn the truth, he infiltrates the groupies, addicts, and hangers-on at the estate with devastating results. Based on a true story.”

Ralph is in the process of finalizing a non-fiction documentary on the
remarkable life of William Stewart Halsted.