By Amol Malik
When a writer/director is not actively creating projects, the question, “What are you working on currently?” can be challenging to answer.
In reality, writers never really stop writing. Even if the physical act of pen on paper or clicking keys on the keyboard is not happening, the multiverse of stories keeps running through a writer’s mind with many possibilities and even more endings.
Nancy Lynch is a writer and director based in Fredericton. Her writer’s journey began in 2006 when she felt she had a story and could visualize it. She took multiple screenwriter courses through UCLA to educate herself, preparing for her first film project in 2010 called Hello Ladassia, which she wrote and directed. The film was screened at the Silver Wave and Parrsborro Film Festivals, where it won the Audience Choice Award and was nominated for Best Short Drama Screenplay.
In 2015 and 2016, Nancy was awarded the Jane LeBlanc Filmmaker Award and the New Brunswick Short Film Venture grant to produce and direct her script Side of the Road, which screened at the Parrsboro and Silver Wave Film Festivals in 2017. The film was nominated for several awards and screened at many other festivals. It was a semi-finalist in the 2018 Directors Cut International Film Festival (Vancouver) and received an Award of Commendation from Canada Shorts - Canadian and International Short Film Festival.
In 2011, Nancy completed the year-long online program through UCLA and obtained a certificate in screenwriting.
Nancy’s inspiration for writing is her love of stories. “Everybody has a story to tell,” she says. She likes to base her stories on interesting characters; her scripts are character-driven. She also likes her story endings to be somewhat ambiguous, leaving the audience wondering what happens next with the character. She visualizes her scripts as she writes, based on her love of directing.
Nancy tells new screenwriters to get their scripts read by more experienced writers and consider their notes. Sometimes writers attempt to write what they feel is the popular genre at the time, but Nancy prefers to write what she knows about – drama with a hint of comedy.
As for film festivals and grants, Nancy advises submitting to festivals and applying for grants constantly. You may fail the first time and even the second and third time but keep trying. She was given that advice by mentors over the years. You have to get over the rejections and keep trying. That’s the film biz.
Nancy is currently in a mentorship program with Women in Film and Television – Atlantic. She also has a short film that she hopes to film this summer.
