In order to find success and improve your craft, you need to design your life around screenwriting. That’s not saying you can’t have a day job or two or three. Bills are real. Especially in this economy. But screenwriting must become your focus. Your stalwart anchor. Teddy understands this. He knows it at his core. Which is why he always finds a way to create time for his passion. Steadily working his way toward success. His dedication, discipline, and passion for the craft are why I am excited to introduce you to this screenwriter.
This is Ted E Dee…
Mini-Bio:
I fell in love with writing when I was 10 years old. I was inspired by the stories of Greek Mythology, which made me want to tell my own stories. I grew up wanting to be a novelist, but I was more of a visual and impatient storyteller. I met a guy in Community College who was a filmmaker. We became friends and he showed me how to write a script. I felt it was more my speed and I have done it ever since.
Q: How did you stumble upon screenwriting?
A: I stumbled onto screenwriting I believe in my early twenties. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a novelist, but did not have the patience for prose. When I discovered how to write a screen play, I was delighted. It was quick, precise, and to the point, which was right up my alley when it comes to writing.
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Q: Who/What inspired you into taking this path.
A: What inspired me to get into screenwriting was simple. My brain is usually filled to the brim with stories. I love creating and I am more of a visual storyteller meaning I love movies. I see the story in my head as a movie and screenwriting is the first step of getting the story out of my head on onto a screen.
Q: Who was the first person who believed in you?
A: The first person to believe in me would have to be my mom…sort of. When I was nine years old, I started writing and she had always encouraged me. Of course, like most mom’s, I think she would rather I had a “real job”, but she is still very supportive of my endeavors. Q: How do you define success for yourself?
A: I define success by what my work accomplishes. If something I created is enjoyed by others and can even inspire others, then that is a success to me. Also getting paid for it is nice as well.
Q: Give us a typical day in your life:
A: I can’t say that I have a morning ritual on account of, I don’t normally get up in the morning. My day starts whenever I do get up, which is around noon. I think breakfast is generally overrated, but on the rare occasions of when I want something “breakfasty”, I will go to a diner and get eggs, bacon, and hash browns. My routine for getting up tends to be, I turned on my computer and get my writing documents ready for the day. I practice a process of what I call “nickel and dime” writing. Throughout the day, I have chores and various responsibilities, so carving out an hour to write is next to impossible, so after each task, I will stop to write a sentence. I would define a successful day as putting a project I have been working on in the “done pile” …or at least much closer.
Q: What’s the most important skill you’ve developed on our path to screenwriting?
A: I think the most important skill I have developed was research. When I get an idea for a story, I find myself trying to find information on a particular subject, so that I might represent it as best as possible. I end up learning something cool in the process.
Q: What’s been the greatest challenge in your writing so far?
A: The greatest challenge I face in writing is what every writer faces I think…getting it made into a film and making a living at it.
Q: What has been the greatest reward in the choices you’ve made?
A: The greatest reward in the choices I have made is who I collaborate with. I have met so many interesting and kind people in my pursuits. They have been great sources of inspiration.
Q: What do you want to learn from a community of your peers?
A: I know this is a vague answer, but I want to learn everything I can.
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