IRENA BRIGNULL: Finding Your Voice & Authority in Your Profession

I’m delighted to have Irena Brignull on the show! Irena is a renowned screenwriter and novelist. She wrote the Oscar nominated movie, "The Boxtrolls", starring Ben Kingsley, Elle Fanning and Simon Pegg. Irena was nominated for Best Screenplay for "The Boxtrolls" at the Annie Awards. Her adaptation of "The Little Prince" was directed by Mark Osborne and stars Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, and Marion Cotillard. Earlier in her career, Irena was a Script Executive at the BBC and then Head of Development at Dogstar Films where she was the script editor on hit films including "Shakespeare in Love" to name a few. She recently debuted "The Hawkweed Prophecy", a novel about identity, friendship, and romance.

Click here to go directly to Irena's shownotes page that lists all of his awesome recommended resources.

In today’s episode, we discuss Irena’s career as a screenwriter and her experiences writing and adapting The Boxtrolls and The Little Prince. We also discuss what it’s like to be a female screenwriter in a male-dominated industry, and Irena shares advice for women discovering their voice and authority in their own profession.

We unpack the inspiration behind "The Hawkweed Prophecy" and what it’s like to transition between screenwriting and novel writing. For our craft-focused writers, Irena walks us through how to find inspiration for character traits, how to overcome writing difficult scenes, how to validate and grow your story ideas, and how to build balanced characters to create authentic and genuine relationships in your story.

Say "Hi" to Irena on Twitter!

Happy listening!

Xo,

Yin

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“The more you write the more you find your voice.” -Irena Brignull (Click to tweet)

"It’s a great thing to be able to go back and have the chance to make it better." -Irena Brignull (Click to tweet)

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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM IRENA'S EPISODE: 

Tips on learning the art of screenwriting The importance of collaboration and teamwork in screenwriting Irena walks us through her transition between screenwriting and novel writing The inspiration behind “The Hawkweed Prophecy“ Where you can find inspiration for character traits Advice on building balanced characters to create authentic and genuine relationships in your story What Irena’s flexible writing structure looks like How to overcome writing difficult scenes Irena’s experience as a female screenwriter and her advice to women on finding their voice and authority in their profession How to find time to write with a busy schedule How to validate and grow your story ideas Irena’s experience as a screenwriter for "The Boxtrolls" and "The Little Prince" Learn how to discover your voice and writing style The importance of moving past your first draft and being open to the editing process