The Artist Unleashed: DREAM BIG. OR GO HOME, by Dawn Ius

Mom used to call me Alice, as in the girl from Wonderland. The daydreamer.

That’s me.

My sister’s the logical one, the I-have-a-plan girl, the “doctor” in the house. She watched Silence of the Lambs when she was 13 and decided she wanted to be Jodi Foster – or more accurately, a forensic psychologist. She. Never. Wavered. From that goal.

I’m a waverer.

Oh sure, I always knew what I wanted to be when I grew up – a writer, of course. I wrote my first book at the age of eight, when I figured out writing about monsters was far more productive (and less frightening) than looking for them under my bed. At 16, I penned a romance. That was the start of my genre wavering.

I’ve written short stories, full-length novels, picture books, YA and MG fiction and more Journalism articles than I can count. The genres change and the target audiences range from elementary students to adult thriller fanatics – call it writerly ADD – but I’ve always remained somewhat consistent in the goal: to be a published book author.

Which is why my current aspirations have my family and friends somewhat perplexed.

I’ve just signed a rep agreement with the amazing Anna Archer of Lucas Talent, a film and TV literary agent who represents screenwriters and showrunners.

Weird, right? Agents don’t just sign writers who dream – they want storytellers who understand the world of TV and film. And if I’m being honest, in all of my writing journeys, the path I’ve never taken – never even thought about taking – is this one. But a year and a half ago, I met Judith Graves, a brilliant young adult writer with the same commercial aspirations as myself.

We hit it off, taking our casual critique partnership to a collaborative level, and somewhere along the way, we decided to start writing scripts. We started with a spec script for a major network TV series, and pleased with the feedback, ventured into development of our original ideas. Our new screenwriting agent likes those ideas – and she’s tapped a couple of producers who do, as well.

A voice in the back of my head questioned me, still questions me. I know nothing about writing scripts, the formatting, the differences between narrative and dialogue. I don’t understand the acts, the breaks, the importance of even tighter writing. The pilot scripts Judith and I have written feel sparse, my feature-length screenplay a bit clichéd.

But I’m okay with being new girl on the totem pole because if there’s one thing I do understand, it’s to dream BIG.

So, what are your BIG dreams?

~Dawn Ius