Interview:

Melissa Goetz hails from Los Angeles, California, where she’s an attorney by day and a screenwriter by night and weekend.  She is a graduate of the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting and has completed horror and comedy screenwriting coursework through the UCLA Writers’ Program.  Melissa’s hobbies include running marathons, entering pie baking contests and driving wildly down the 405 freeway while she dictates script pages into her recorder.

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

HEADHUNTER is my first feature-length script.  I’ve written two others – a comedy called RUN FOR YOUR LIFE about five strangers who train for and run the Los Angeles Marathon in order to fulfill their own bizarre goals and a comedy called LAWYERS VS. ZOMBIES about a law firm associate who must save the world from zombies with a team of annoying co-workers.
 

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

I took a horror writing class through the UCLA Writers’ Program, by the end of which we had to come up with three ideas, develop one, and write the first ten pages.  My favorite of those was HEADHUNTER, although I was surprised to find that every time I sat down to write horror, it came out dark comedy.  I went with it.  When the class was over, I finished the script on my own and then took a re-write course with the same instructor 12-weeks later.

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

I try to write for a few hours every morning before work, in the evenings when I can, and at least one day every weekend.  I don’t have a set routine.  I write until I lose my mojo that day.  If I can’t get any mojo, I change clothes, switch locations – anything to get the creative juices flowing.

What inspires you to write?

Fear.  I respond well to deadlines.  That part of me that still has nightmares about oversleeping for a big exam kicks in and ultimately makes me focus on putting pen to page.

Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Marathon running, tennis, competitive baking, fishing, horror films, camping and modern art.

What influenced you to enter the Movie Script Contest?

Awards & Exposure.

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

Yes.  Writing is often such a solitary experience – it’s nice to be part of a community of people who sit at home doing the same thing .

Who is your favorite screenwriter or writer and why?

Stephen King – he shows the world that horror is just another flavor of literature with complex story lines, interesting layered characters, and outstanding writing.

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

Keep doing it.  Others will give up long before you.

What’s next for you?

 
I'm developing a feature-length comedy.