DENISE P. MEYER

2006 WINNER

I WRITE
By Denise P. Meyer

I write because I love the sound and feel of language. I wrote poetry as a kid, but that wasn't a viable career path, so I went the academic route and planned to be a linguistics professor. While in grad school, a friend dared me to try screenwriting. I'd never considered it before and honestly don't think I realized people did that for a living. But I embraced the challenge, and once I found a story I wanted to tell, I discovered that screenwriting was a good medium for me because the dialogue, at least, is meant to be heard, not read, which is what I loved about poetry. I am drawn toward character-driven stories because I love exploring motives, fears, desires and relationships. I am often drawn to period pieces, and one reason I like them is that they offer an ideal setting to show that human nature is human nature, whether the person is a king or beggar, whether they lived in the 10th century or the 21st. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I also write because I simply am not suited for the 9-5 lifestyle!

DENISE P. MEYER was born in rural Wisconsin. She has an M.A. from Cornell, which she attended on a National Science Foundation Fellowship. Her first screenplay, Heir Apparent, was a Nicholl and Disney finalist and winner of the One in Ten Competition. She has been a professional screenwriter since 2000.