Screenwriting : Why You Are a Screenwriter? by Sandra Isabel Correia

I like your WHY, Sandra Isabel Correia! I'm mainly a screenwriter because I have stories to tell.

I can share my ideas and influence others—but more than that, as an artist, my work creates opportunities for countless people. Because without a great screenplay, there is no movie. If we want to save Hollywood and the theatre, it starts with better writing. And that responsibility starts with us.

I love questions like this Sandra Isabel Correia and love your reason why, my friend. I think that the reason at my core is that first, there are stories that reveal aspects of humanity that I want to either encourage, bring hope to or see something in a different way. I want people to see that the hard circumstances they may be in will not always where they remain and that there are choices to be made through hope. I also want to encourage people to see things that others don't - a homeless person on the side of the road who has something to offer the world.

A couple of years ago, I was driving down the road in our town when I noticed a homeless woman walking on the street. I don't always do this but I felt compelled to stop and ask her where she was going. She wanted to go to a bus stop that was still miles away so I took the chance and gave her a ride there. I will NEVER forget the kind, loving person that she was. She kept smiling so joyously and lovingly as if we had known each other for many years.

I took her to the bus stop but before that, she said she had to stop by the grocery store just behind the stop. I helped her get her things out of the car, said goodbye and started walking towards my car. I thought to myself, "Why don't I pay for her groceries?" So I turned around to ask her. She was gone. I asked the people just outside the store if they saw her. Both said, "no".

You just never know the value of people until you force yourself to look.

I moved to screenwriting from novels, I think, for me at least. Its a format that lets you build upwards, sideways, and backwards, quicker pacing. my stories found better footing there.

Ever since I was a kid watching Jurassic Park, I’ve wanted to make movies. I used to write my own “sequels” to films I wished existed, long before I even knew what a screenplay really was. Now, 30-something years later, I’m still doing the same thing, just with structure, craft, and the experience of actually writing professionally.

But the reason has not changed. I want to make movies. Screenwriting is the purest way to do that. No budget, no cast, no locations, no gatekeeping. Just an idea and the page. There is something rare and very cool about a medium where nothing can stop you from building a whole world.

This is such a powerful question, thank you for asking it. My why is simple in source but deep in practice: I love stories as the ultimate act of human connection. I write to create that moment of shared understanding!

I started writing while I was at a new job and in the first 2 weeks, they had nothing for me or the interns to do. One intern assigned to me begged me to give her something to do, like edit a document. I told her I could write a story and she edit it. Well, when the 2 weeks was up and they finally started to give me work to do, we both got depressed, but I continued the story. This was a novel by the way.

Eventually I would share the chapters and then a filmmaker friend of mine who read some of it asked if I have ever considered script writing. Didn't know much about script writing at the time but I told him if he showed me how, I would give it ago. Well from there I was hooked. Something about the format and the fact that you can see your story come to life on screen was just pure joy for me.

It was a very therapeutic way of getting the images and characters in your head, out and give them life.

I'd like to put and turn real life moments that I 've experienced or someone else did into a story and make them live again through a script,so they can be visible for the people. That's why I chose to write.

I've never really thought of myself as a Screenwriter. I'm just someone who enjoys writing generally can write for days without tiring.

But one night changed everything. I had this incredibly vivid dream, like a full movie playing in my head, with me directing every scene. I woke up at 3 AM, grabbed my phone in the bathroom, and frantically typed out everything I saw: characters, plot twists, dialogue, the works. By morning, I had the bones of a feature script. I knew right then that this is what I'm meant to do, at least in some capacity.

That dream became my first completed screenplay (with a sequel already written). Since then, I've finished two TV scripts and have another in development. The ideas just keep coming. It's like a tap I can't turn off.

I'm still learning every day (huge thanks to Stage 32 and this amazing community for the guidance and support). What about you. What moment made you realize you were meant to write scripts?

I enjoy writing.

Thank you, my friend. Maurice Vaughan, sometimes the simplest WHY is the most powerful. I have stories to tell; that’s the foundation of everything. It reminds us that screenwriting isn’t about formulas or market trends first; it’s about the urgency of expression. I love that!

Jay Clark, this is powerful. You’ve named the responsibility at the core of our craft: without strong writing, nothing else can stand. Sets, actors, directors all of it begins with the words on the page.

I love how you frame screenwriting not just as personal expression, but as an opportunity for crews, for performers, and for audiences who need stories that matter. That sense of stewardship, of carrying the weight of Hollywood and theater’s future, is both daunting and inspiring.

Your comment is a rallying cry: if we want to save the industry, it starts with us, the writers. Thank you for reminding us that our ideas don’t just influence; they ignite. I’m curious, what kind of stories do you feel have the power to lead that change?

And I love you, Leonardo Ramirez 2 :) Your WHY is luminous; it’s rooted in compassion, in the insistence that humanity is never invisible if we choose to see it. The story you shared about the woman on the street is unforgettable, not just because of her smile, but because of the way you allowed yourself to be moved by it. That openness, that willingness to stop, to listen, to act that’s the same spirit that breathes life into your writing. You remind us that stories aren’t just entertainment; they’re invitations to look closer, to recognize dignity where others might pass by. The way you connect hope with choice, and choice with change, is powerful. It’s the kind of storytelling that doesn’t just shift perspective; it restores it.

Thank you for sharing this moment. It’s a reminder that the value of people, and the value of stories, often reveals itself when we pause long enough to notice.

I’m curious when you write, what kinds of stories or genres feel like the best vessels for this hope you carry?

You're welcome, Sandra Isabel Correia. "It reminds us that screenwriting isn’t about formulas or market trends first; it’s about the urgency of expression." Yeah, exactly. Formulas and market trends can help screenwriters, but they can also hurt.

Cameron Casperin, the way you describe the shift, it’s almost architectural. Screenwriting really does let you build in multiple directions at once, with pacing as the scaffolding. The way you frame it upwards, sideways, and backwards captures the kinetic energy of the format.

It sounds like your stories found their natural rhythm in the screenplay form, where movement and structure carry as much weight as language. That’s such a powerful realization. Thanks for sharing.

Martin Graham, your WHY is both timeless and practical. That image of writing “sequels” as a kid is such a perfect origin story, and it shows how the impulse to create worlds has always been in you.

What you say about screenwriting being the purest way to make movies really resonates. No budget, no cast, no locations just imagination and the page. It’s a reminder that before anything else, the screenplay is the foundation, the place where entire universes can be built without permission or limitation. Your passion captures the essence of why so many of us write: because nothing can stop us from shaping worlds and stories when we sit down with an idea.

When you’re building those worlds now, what kinds of genres or themes feel most alive for you?

Sam Rivera, I love the way you’ve distilled your WHY; it’s elegant and profound:)) Seeing stories as the ultimate act of human connection reframes writing not just as a craft, but as communion. That moment of shared understanding you describe is the heartbeat of storytelling, the place where words dissolve and recognition takes over.

Your comment reminds us that screenwriting isn’t only about plot or dialogue; it’s about building bridges between lives, experiences, and emotions. That’s a powerful lens to carry in every project. Thank you for sharing.

Kevin Jackson, I love this origin story; it’s so organic and full of serendipity. What began as a way to fill empty hours became the spark for a whole creative journey. The image of you and the intern finding joy in that exchange writing and editing together feels like the perfect metaphor for how stories connect us. Thank you for sharing this. It’s a reminder that sometimes our WHY finds us in unexpected places.

Aleksandar Lahtov, that’s a beautiful WHY. The way you describe turning real-life moments into stories feels like an act of preservation and transformation taking something fleeting and giving it permanence through the script. It’s a gift to make experiences visible, not just for yourself but for others who might recognize themselves in those moments. I love how your approach honors both your own life and the lives of those around you. Thank you.

Temitope Ajijola, I love this story; it’s cinematic in itself. That image of waking at 3 AM, racing to capture a dream that played like a full movie, feels like the perfect origin myth for a screenwriter. The fact that it became your first completed script and even sparked a sequel shows how powerful those moments of inspiration can be when we trust them. I also admire how you describe the ideas as a tap you can’t turn off. That’s such a vivid way to capture the creative flow, and it’s clear you’ve embraced it fully, moving from features into TV with energy and persistence. I wrote my first novel at the age of 14, but since youth I was in love with films and cinema. And only two years ago, when I saw Killing Eve on television, I felt it deeply: I want to be a filmmaker.

That moment shifted everything. Screenwriting became the language I needed, and filmmaking the path I wanted to walk. And Stage 32 has been central to that journey. This wonderful community has given me guidance, support, and connection, reminding me that we don’t create in isolation. We grow together, and our WHYs become stronger when shared. You are at the right place at the right time :))

Stephen Folker, I admire how easily you enjoy writing, and that joy is enough to keep you on the page :) When we love what we do, we're on top of the world. :)

Maurice Vaughan, likewise. Formulas and trends can be useful tools; they give us structure, help us understand audience expectations, and sometimes even open doors. But if we lean on them too heavily, they risk flattening the urgency that makes a story worth telling in the first place. What we need is balance :))

The first serious, but not first ever, writing project I tried my hand at was a sci-fi action novel that never went beyond outline and worldbuilding. Total lack of focus and/or lost in way too many potential details and nearly not enough attention to actual story.

When I rediscovered my first ever big writing project, a screenplay from ages ago, I redrafted it and simply loved the focus a script demanded. My favorite books growing had been the Redwall series and later Lord of the Rings and they shaped my writing ideas at that point. Expansive world, vivid details and this sense of wonder that's all good but just takes forever and it's something a rookie writer can get lost in. Or I did.

The lean verbage of a script is something I feel I can see better and thus tell a story with. I also find myself of playing "head movies" in my daydreams and as I try to think of what to write. And that translates to script much better than to prose.

Lastly, I might go back to that sci-fi novel project as it exists in script form now.

Because I am a writer. If I had a choice about the matter I would not change it. Before I knew I was I had written hundreds of in-house technical stuff.

That means the world to me Sandra Isabel Correia. Thank you so much my friend. And honestly, I don't think about the genre when I consider a premise. It just so happens that they fall into the genre that they want to and that most of them seem to be scifi or fantasy in some form. I let it choose itself.

Thank you so much Sandra Isabel Correia ! Absolutely agree and glad it resonated!

Lately, I’ve found myself gravitating toward horror more than ever, because it gives you such a powerful lens to explore themes like guilt, grief, and regret in ways other genres sometimes can’t. I’m actually working on something right now that’s set in a sci-fi world but still firmly rooted in horror. With this one, I’m exploring what love looks like in an automated world, and I love the perspective that gives me on something so simple—but universal—as love. How can I twist it? And in what ways is it already twisted for certain people?

Hi Sandra, I love putting my imagination on paper, it's fun

Sandra Isabel, I'm on this screenwriting-TV writing journey because I find it to be FUN.

And another reason has emerged for me these last six-going-on-seven years: I want to help give a voice to marginalized people...because the way the world is set up, it's got a whole lot more marginalized folks than meets the eye.

Way too many of us have been told that our voices, our experiences, our whole LIVES just don't count.

Michael Dzurak, thank you for sharing this. It’s amazing how clearly you’ve found the form that supports your creativity. Scripts really do cut through the noise and let the story breathe, especially when you think in “head‑movies.” And I love that your sci‑fi project still lives in script form, you may return to it with a whole new clarity. Cheering you on as you keep exploring both worlds.

David Taylor, I love that sometimes the work reveals the writer in us long before we recognize it ourselves. All those technical pieces were already shaping your voice and discipline. And the fact that you wouldn’t change being a writer, even if you could, says everything about your calling. Thanks for sharing.

Leonardo Ramirez 2, that’s such a beautiful way to approach story. Letting the premise choose its own genre is such an intuitive, organic way to create and it shows in the worlds you build. Sci‑fi and fantasy have a way of finding the writers who can hold big ideas, and you clearly do. Grateful for your words, and always cheering your storytelling instincts. You’re one‑of‑a‑kind special, my friend, and I’m always cheering your storytelling instincts.

Martin Graham, thank you for this. What a powerful direction you’re exploring. Horror really does let us dig into guilt, grief, and regret with an honesty other genres sometimes avoid, and pairing that with sci‑fi opens up such rich territory. As for your questions: love in an automated world is already twisted in subtle ways, through disconnection, speed, and the illusion of efficiency, so exploring how it bends or breaks under those pressures is incredibly compelling. And the ways you can twist it are endless: through what’s lost, what’s outsourced, or what becomes painfully visible when the human element is stripped away. I’m excited to see how you shape those ideas. I hope this helps :))

Billy Kwack, I love that. There’s something magical about letting imagination spill onto the page. It reminds us why creating is fun in the first place. Keep enjoying the ride.

Jim Boston, thank you for sharing this. Fun is such an underrated driving force in screenwriting, and I love that it’s what first pulled you in. And the mission you’ve stepped into over these last years giving voice to people who’ve been pushed to the margins, is powerful and necessary. You’re absolutely right: far too many have been told their stories don’t matter, and the work you’re doing helps shift that. Grateful to walk alongside writers who create with both joy and purpose:))

When a friend of stood in my living room mine and dropped - 'You should write'. I laughed in her face. Now 18 years later, I ain't laughing (laced with subtext iykwim).

Marina Albert, I love this so much. Life has a funny way of revealing who we really are long before we’re ready to admit it. Eighteen years later and look at you: writing, owning it, and proving that friend absolutely right. The same thing happened to me when a friend said, “You wrote it, now you direct.” And I thought she was “crazy” ahahaha, but I directed lol

Thanks Sandra, I will

Sandra Isabel Correia Thank you so much my friend.

Sandra Isabel, you're so very welcome...and I'm so very glad you're here on Stage 32!