Callum Lavery
A NORTHSIDE novelist and screenwriter is helping both new and more experienced writers alike achieve their dream of creating their own script.
Lindsay Jane Sedgwick’s latest book, ‘Write that Script’, is about giving readers the tools they need to create their own masterpieces.
Lindsay, who lives in Marino, has a wealth of experience in the industry from her two previous novels – ‘Dad’s Red Dress’ and ‘The Angelica Touch’ – to animation and screenwriting, most famously on the RTEjr show ‘PUNKY’.
‘PUNKY’ is an animated series following a lead character with Down Syndrome, the first animated series to do so. Her latest book is a big change to her previously published work.
With over 21 years’ experience as a writing tutor under her belt, Lindsay has written in great detail all you need to know about how to get your ideas onto the screen.
“If you are thinking about writing a script or if you have written in other mediums and want to try screenwriting, this is a book that will actually walk you through the process, from working out if your idea is suitable for the screen through character development, through structure, through writing an individual scene,” she says. “It’s for anyone interested in visual storytelling.”
Lindsay got the idea to write the book after noticing that many of her students were left wanting more advice following their time together.
“I’ve been teaching screenwriting around Ireland for around 21 years and a lot of students would end the course and would want more to take away with them,” she says.
“I’ve taught everyone, from teenagers to adult education and postgraduate students, so it’s in a very simple form, step by step.
“It’s about making it easy, possible and fun, because it is the most exciting thing, writing a script.”
When comparing it to previous works Lindsay found writing her latest book more difficult than the novels.
”This is a practical book so if you get something wrong or if you describe something incorrectly, it just doesn't work.”
When asked what is the best piece of advice she could give to new writers, Lindsay says the most important part of scriptwriting is having strong characters.
“Develop your characters, ensure that your central characters are multidimensional and interesting enough for us to spend two hours wanting to know what will happen to them next,” she adds.
Lindsay is currently working on a new animated TV series which is planned to echo her previous work on ‘PUNKY’ as it follows a young child with autism and her canine companion.
•‘Write that Script’ is available on Amazon, in the IFI Film Shop on Eustace Street, Dublin 2, Books Upstairs on d’Olier Street, Alan Hanna’s bookshop in Rathmines and the Winding Stair bookshop, Dublin 1.
Also, you can find out more about the book at www.lindsayjsedgwick.com