Writer, Terry Needham, lets no grass grow under his feet in his retirement years. He has written and self-published several books. He has also written a screenplay for the memoir book When I Was A Child. That is no small task.
My review of the books can be read here.
The Kansas Authors Club Spring/Summer 2018 State Newsletter featured Terry and another author who has written screenplays. Editor, Reaona Hemmingway, has graciously allowed me to share the interview with Terry here as written.
Reaona: Your story about your uncle, Louis Pfeiffer, has won several awards since it was published in 2011. What inspired you to write the screenplay based on the book?
Terry: The very first reader who posted an Amazon review of my book...WHEN I WAS A CHILD...opened the review with the statement, ""Wow, this book would make a great movie!" That comment was the genesis of my notion that I could write a screenplay based on this book.
Reaona: What process did you go through to turn the prose you already wrote into a screenplay?
Terry: Honestly, this was the greatest challenge I have undertaken. I spent one-year reading books on screenplay writing and the industry in general. Then, it took two years to write and perfect my screenplay. That process continues even now as I obtain more professional feedback on my screenplay writing. I have read seven books on writing screenplays, as well as reading many actual screenplays, too. It is essential that you obtain a screenplay writing software to master the precise formal requirements. I use FINAL DRAFT in my screenplay writing and it is excellent.
Reaona: In the wake of the book's success, the screenplay has won several awards in the past year. How did you go about deciding which contests to enter?
Terry: Most film competitions are focused on independent film productions, with screenplays being secondary. And, most have only a few, fairly broad categories to enter your screenplay. So, the more broad the categories, the more general they are and thus, the greater number of screenplay competitors. For example, a competition may have only six categories and one is "drama"; another may have that plus "action and adventure" and another may have both of those plus the category "war"...The first is a catch-all, the second more specific. The screenplay competition I won, The West Field Screenplay Competiton [New York], was in the category of "war."
Reaona: Now that the screenplay has received accolades nationally, do you plan to market it to movie producers?
Terry: I have made determined attempts to market to film producers. But, they mainly ignore anyone who is not represented by an agent. So, it's absolutely imperative to find an agent, or manager, to represent the author and their work. I am working hard to get this done, too. But, it's a very tough nut to crack. I have read that there are about 30,000 screenplays written every year, and only about 300 films made, and even fewer gain notoriety. So, the odds are very tough. However, winning a top spot in film/screenplay competition is the first step to success in finding an agent/manager or film producer.
Reaona: What advice would you give to an author wanting to write their first screenplay?
Terry: Do their homework. Study the industry as well as the screenplay writing form. There is a path to success and many examples of writers breaking into the industry with great success. So, I would encourage any author to follow their dream, but to also work smart, and seek help wherever you can find it.
Reaona: Feel free to make any further comments you'd like to have included in the article.
Terry: I have devoted myself to the mission of reading and reviewing the work of other authors. I learn a lot about good writing this way, and also help those authors by writing reviews and posting them on Amazon and other websites. I have read the work of many Kansas authors and have been very impressed with the quality of work they produce. We may be a "flyover state"...but we are also the "Heartland" of this great nation, and we have many awesome stories to tell.
Terry's website is http://tlneedham.com/
My Amazon page, with reviews: https://www.amazon.com/author/tlneedham
My book—When I Was A Child, has
received these awards:
GOLD MEDAL in GLOBAL EBOOK AWARDS and
HONORABLE MENTION, BEST COVER-GLOBAL EBOOK
AWARDS;
FINALISTS in USA BOOK NEWS – BEST BOOKS Awards;
BRONZE MEDAL in READERS FAVORITE, a national
book review/literary critic firm, and;
HONORABLE MENTION—WRITERS DIGEST SELF-PUBLISHED
BOOK AWARDS.
My
Screenplay—WHEN I WAS A CHILD
has received these awards:
WON—Filmmatic Screenplay Awards—Season 3…2018, in
the category of “HISTORICAL”!
WON—The
2018 “The West Field Screenwriting Awards” . . . in the category of “WAR”
[The West Field Screenwriting Awards are based in New
York.]
Semi-Finalist in 2017 - THE CANNES
GOLDEN PLUME INTERNATIONAL Screenwriting Competition. [Placed 6th
overall!]
Semi-Finalists in the WriteMovies - Spring 2018 Screenwriting Contest
Semi-Finalists
- Screenplay
Festival, 2017
Movie Script –
Action/Adventure
Quarter-Finalist in the WriteMovies
Spring 2017 International Screenwriting Contest
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