Ask the Author: Marcos Efron
Answered Questions (6)
Marcos Efron
As a screenwriter in Hollywood, I worked on a number of assignments adapting other writers' books into screenplays. Many of those books were in the YA genre and it sparked me to begin to read more of them. Like a lot of writers, I said to myself, "I can do that!" Ha! Little did I know that it would be one of the hardest undertakings. But also one of the most gratifying.
Marcos Efron
If I've read a great book, or have seen a movie with really interesting characters, I get inspired to write. Often that's a screenplay or TV pilot, because compared to a novel, they are much faster to write.
Marcos Efron
As usual, I'm working on about a dozen projects! Apart from blocking out the story for book two in the Beyond Citadel series, I've got two feature films I'm developing that I'll direct, a new screenplay I'm putting the finishing touches to, and a handful of original TV shows that I'm pitching around town.
Marcos Efron
Read a lot, even in genres that you typically don't read. Also, listen to how people talk, and I don't mean on TV or in movies. Go to a coffee shop and eavesdrop! I'm serious, people say incredible things, and that lends itself to dialogue that feels real.
Marcos Efron
I get a great deal of satisfaction when I've finished a book or a screenplay and the story and characters are better than I thought they'd be when I set out to write it. Sometimes that doesn't happen and that's not a fun day, but that's part of being a writer.
Marcos Efron
Ah, the bane of every writer! Luckily I have more ideas in my head than I know what to do with, so if I find myself stuck on a story, I can pivot to something else. I'm also a proponent of doing other activities, like crossword puzzles, reading, or exercising—basically, doing something else for a few hours to let my brain work out a problem. But in the end, it comes down to putting my butt in the chair, brewing up a pot of coffee, and writing.
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