Navigating Writing Challenges: Balancing Voice, Clarity, & Industry Expectations

Many writers face the challenge of crafting a distinct voice while meeting specific demands, especially in niche markets like Christian film. This can lead to frustration when feedback seems to undermine your creative vision.

In this episode, Zena Dell Lowe shares insights from her experience with the film industry and navigating the Christian market. Learn how to maintain your voice while addressing industry demands and transforming feedback into opportunities for creative growth. Discover practical tips for enhancing clarity and authenticity in your writing, and understand how to effectively handle notes that challenge your vision.


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Zena is also teaching a special online course with Write Spirit starting August 28th! If you’re serious about taking your character development skills to the next level, this is for you. The course will dive deep into crafting dynamic characters and give you hands-on tips to enhance your storytelling.

The course will cover:
- Detailed techniques for developing unforgettable characters.
- Interactive sessions to work through character development challenges.
- Personalized feedback to refine your storytelling craft.

Sign up here for the Character Course with Write Spirit and get ready to transform your characters!
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/catholicartinstitute/1339688

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Zena: What has to happen, and this is true of any of our stories. This is something that I'm even just really realizing the full thing. When you have a character who makes the wrong choice, Redemption comes through 

[00:00:13] I started reading the Joker, which by the way, that's a page turning script, man. So well written. Depressing. Stunning.

[00:00:33] Zena: Depressing, but like really well written. Yeah, it's so well written. And the other thing about that, I mean, the movie too is phenomenal. It is. I think it's one of my favorites to be honest with you of recent, I mean, certainly of the Batman series. And the reason is because it really is about somebody who has been left behind by society.

[00:00:59] Yeah, someone who's fallen through the cracks. He's trying to do the right things. He's, he's trying to get his medication. I mean, he's even at the very beginning when he's in that little crowded room. You know, he's going to his appointments and this gal is like, she's clearly overworked. She wants to give him more attention.

[00:01:15] She's got, you know, case piles too high. She can't, we can't serve him. And then they cut off his funding. He can't even get his meds. Yeah, and that I think is really scary because it's such a foreshadowing to me, 

[00:01:29] Yeah, but it's so good. the other thing that's so amazing about that particular script, everybody talks about finding your voice as a writer.

[00:01:38] And it's really, it's a really tricky thing. Like, what is your voice? How do you even find that? Like, there certainly isn't a definitive way to be like, oh, this is my voice. I don't necessarily know what my voice is, though my scripts tend to have as very similar style in terms of how I tell story, how I put words together, you know, syntax and the way that I arrange things.

[00:02:02] And, so that's a voice, but what I love about things like Joker is it does have a voice. Like, I don't know how to tell you to get one, but I can tell you what things have them. This is an example of a voice. Whereas there's going to be some scripts that you wouldn't read it and go, Oh, I know who wrote this or this feel sort of like Martin Scorsese films have a feel.

[00:02:27] that sort of thing. Coppola has a feel even, even, Sophia Coppola, her films have a feel, which are kind of her voice. But there are some scripts that you're like, you wouldn't be able to necessarily know it could have been written by anybody. And I think that that's something that just happens over time as you get more and more jobs, it really just takes a long time to have a style.

[00:02:52] Or a voice that really comes through where somebody could recognize that's a Zena Dell Lowe story. I don't know that people could do that for me, but part of that is because I'm a writer for hire who isn't writing necessarily my own stories. I'm writing what other people write.

[00:03:07] And so I, I have a, Particular voice in the sense that, or I have a pretty good particular style that I use, but I don't know that I have a clear voice yet even because I'm not, it's not my voice. I'm trying to bring out just a very tricky thing. but I don't think we try to go for voice. I think we try to write clearly and that's the key is the minute we start trying to write for voice or try to do all that stuff.

[00:03:33] I think we just do some weird things. Right. Weirdness is never good. Clarity is always preferred. Clear and direct. Don't confuse your audience. Don't make it I'm just, Relishing everything you're teaching us. It's just really, really good and specific and helpful and amazing. I just appreciate it all.

[00:04:01] a lot of the other classes, there's just, there's a lot of discussion on the discussion board just with the students, but we're not really interacting with the professors as much as we'd like.

[00:04:12] What you're doing is amazing is what I'm, getting the point I'm trying to make is because we get to see you, we get to hear you, we get to talk to you. So that's great. Well, that's great. And I think you're right. I mean, you can't learn if you don't get feedback. It's just essential. 

[00:04:29] So I'm glad you're enjoying the class. It's supposed to be a way to.

[00:04:32] Really get those principles in your bones.

[00:04:36] And really there's no right or wrong.

[00:04:38] See, that's the thing that I love about this class. I mean, the gauge isn't, is it right or wrong? It's how well are you able to See these things or identify them and how well are you then being are able to implement them? So there's still a hierarchy in terms of skill level But it isn't like a multiple choice where it's like, oh, that's the wrong answer and the acid test is always does it work?

[00:05:04] Does it work? So it's a different evaluative criteria. Go ahead, Melissa. Yeah, what comes to mind is, when Jesus was, he would teach and then he'd show them. Or have them do it, he would, or he would do it and then teach them. So it was always doing and teaching.

[00:05:23] It wasn't just here, learn all this and then never do anything, Right. And so you got us doing, even if it's, I appreciate it's just a short scenes and stuff like that. So I'm not having to come up with something huge, right. for busy work, cause if it's not, If it's not something that's your pet project, you don't want to be writing a volumes on it.

[00:05:44] But, you know, just even a couple three page scene, that's easy, you know, to dis on. So, yes. And actually, let me speak to that because here's the thing. Most people try to go to a screenplay way too soon. because if you can't construct a good scene, you'll never be able to construct a good screenplay.

[00:06:05] And the truth is, What is a screenplay? It's just one scene and another scene and another scene and another scene. And at the end of the day, every single scene has to have its own arc. Every single scene has to move the story forward. There's got to be some emotional change in the character from the beginning middle And end And so really me having you focus on just scenes is helping you. To be a better screenwriter for when you're ready to write a long form, but too many people have not mastered the art of writing a scene, just a scene that is full and rich that you milk for everything it's worth. one of the things, and I don't know if anybody would want to do this, 

[00:06:51] since I am working on this writer for hire project for Sony, I thought maybe you guys would want to read the script. That'd be good. So, and, and, I, I mean, I think it would be interesting to see what your teacher's doing. And probably what I would do is maybe, okay, here's the first draft, and now here's this draft.

[00:07:12] Or maybe the second draft and the, and the third draft, or something like that. Or maybe I'll provide all three of them. because it would be interesting, because the first draft is not as good as the third draft. And so. You have, it's nice sometimes to see those changes. I happen to have loved the second draft, but then they came back with all these other notes that they wanted.

[00:07:31] And at first I was overwhelmed. I thought, are you kidding me? You should have told me this at the beginning. I even almost had a fight with them. So I'm like, look, the changes that you're asking for, these it's, it's just terrible. And, and, and they were, by the way, there's an unplanned pregnancy in it and they wanted, they decided.

[00:07:50] Because it's for the Christian community. They decided they couldn't have that. And they wanted me to change that into a green card storyline. That's weird. It's terrible. And I said, that I couldn't do that. Or I didn't say I couldn't do that because I can do it. But I said, I listened to the notes and what they were really, really concerned about, I think.

[00:08:16] is that they didn't feel that it was attached enough to some sort of spiritual, um, arc. And they wanted me to do stupid stuff.

[00:08:25] Like they want them to like, well, we need to, maybe there should be more prayer warriors in this. Like that has any like that's just arbitrary and not necessary to the story, but you can't get upset about those kinds of notes. You have to try to listen to what are they really saying. So we're about to see, does it work?

[00:08:44] I've now done this revised draft and in it, I really tried to take that. storyline of the girl, and show the theme of the entire piece, which is God's divine orchestration, that he's ultimately in power, in power and control, and that nothing that we do can actually rob us of his love. That, and in fact, he can do beautiful things with our poor choices.

[00:09:11] Zena: So God is so good, 

[00:09:14] I think it's an important time for the, for the Christian community to see what to do with something like this. Exactly. You don't just don't do it. You do it in a way that really highlights God's glory in it. And the whole prayer war thing. See, this is my problem. By the way, this, I'm going to get on my soapbox for a second.

[00:09:32] This is my problem with the Christian community in Hollywood. actually, this is my problem with the Evangelical Church, too. The idea that they wanted me to build in, prayer wares. So the theme of this, as I mentioned, the whole point of this story is God And his planning that he orchestrates these things and that we can't outrun it.

[00:09:55] We can't ruin it. We can't reject it. We get to experience his goodness for us. And sometimes there's suffering in that too, but he's in control. He knows he knows, and there's nothing that we can do that will wreck his Providence. So that's the thing. So, but they wanted the character. To have more of a spiritual journey, like, uh, coming to faith.

[00:10:22] Well, she's a Christian girl. She doesn't need to come to faith, but she can come to have a greater confidence in God's divine orchestration. And the fact that he's in control, which can then allow her to give up control and enjoy. this life that is a gift, this adventure. So in that regard, I've tried to change that, but what bothers me is even the suggestion of, Oh, we needed it to be, more prayer worse.

[00:10:49] What they're really doing is they're trying to make it about our power rather than God's. You know, they want us to be the ones that have the power to change and impact our lives. Instead of a proper theology is. Yes, we, we, we do have agency free will, but we also trust that he's in control.

[00:11:13] Here's here's the thing.

[00:11:14] Yeah, I think what I'm gonna do I will assign it for you guys to read. Because I think it's powerful in terms of understanding the Christian market too. truth is I don't want to write for the Christian market. I don't want to write for pure flicks. I'm going to take the jobs if they're going to pay me to write and it's good.

[00:11:32] And it helps me to get the other jobs But I'm passionate about Christian worldview. So to me, from the beginning, this story had a very biblical Christian worldview. It was very beautiful. And I think I've managed to maintain that even with these notes. In fact, I think this third draft is actually quite excellent.

[00:11:51] I didn't make the changes they wanted though. I'm, I'm, I've, I've made them I've, I've entwined them more deeply. I've made them more obviously part of God's orchestration, which I, but I still think it works, 

[00:12:05] I want you to see, cause a lot of you will probably have opportunities to write, to be hired. For these types of stories and you should take them because they pay and they all get made and we need to up them. That's the other thing I part of the reasons why I had a girlfriend if she hadn't worked there at the time I never would have worked.

[00:12:27] I would never would have done this But she begged me to please because she knew they needed to up the quality and To be honest with you, they're amazed by the quality of the work, but they're still trying to change what's happening.

[00:12:40] They want these, these stupid things like left behind or, fireproof or these things. Those are not, that is not the goal. That is not the goal. And we need to up our theology. We need to be better thinkers. We can't write great stories until we're better thinkers, and they keep wanting to make it worse because they're not thinking through.

[00:13:01] How is a green card story moral? How is that even moral? You know what I'm saying? Like, how is, so, they're concerned about the unwed pregnancy, but But it's against the law to marry somebody just to help them get the green card, but that's okay. But this, this doesn't make sense. It's not thinking through the logical, moral implications of what they're saying.

[00:13:24] It's just they're uncomfortable with sexuality. They're uncomfortable with that, so oh, we'll do this storyline. But it's not any more moral. Yeah, the church has been uncomfortable with it. And that's why we're in the mood we're in, because no one has addressed it.

[00:13:37] That's right. That's right. And here's the other thing. What has to happen, and this is true of any of our stories. This is something that I'm even just really realizing the full thing. When you have a character who makes the wrong choice, Redemption comes through repentance. They can't be redeemed unless they're repentant.

[00:13:59] And what I see in a lot of films, not, I mean, even in the Christian ones, even in the Christian ones, and in fact, I'll give you an example in just a second. But, but a lot of secular ones, too. The hero, they never really repent from what they've done wrong, and yet they're rewarded at the end. But that is the worst message.

[00:14:19] That is just the horrible thing. Because that's not actually, in fact, the way God works. His forgiveness is available to all. But it is not universally applied. You have to personally appropriate it, and the path of appropriation is through repentance. That was a lot of Ps. So, for example, I was hired to be a script consultant on this story called Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters.

[00:14:44] and in that, Basically that meant I wasn't going to get paid to do an entire rewrite, which I did. But this is the kind of thing that they do. They had one character there who was supposed to be the moral center, who is actually a judgmental prick, who actually says to the father who's failing, he is failing, but he's, he's the one, this other character is supposed to be the, the moral center.

[00:15:07] And he's like, I'm not going to do business with you. You got to get your own house in order. And yet he's supposed to be the one that's spiritually pure. It's like you judge mental prick, right? Like they're not thinking through the moral implications of what they're putting in these stories. So I completely changed it.

[00:15:26] and then the producer who got ahold of it, he just had one of his friends rewrite it anyway. Which is stupid, because what I turned in was really, really good. But, everybody wants to put their thumbprint on it. Anyway, my point is, we have to be better thinkers.

[00:15:40] And so what they were actually, so, their two big notes or suggestions actually undermined the true spiritual potential of this story. But they're not thinking like that because they don't, they can't think very well. So now when I turn the script in, not only am I turning the revised script in, but now I'm going to have to turn in, basically an argument.

[00:16:03] Yeah. And I have requested a meeting with the boss. I don't know if I'll get it and this will be important because either it will be persuasive and they'll love it and then, they'll hire me for more things or they'll be angry and they will never have even though the script is good. So we'll see.

[00:16:22] Zena: but I still, even if they don't hire me again, I know I'm doing the right thing. Not giving them that alternative stupid storyline is the right thing, but I'm also not being this arrogant person who's ignoring what's really behind the note.

[00:16:40] So you will see a difference between. The second and third draft. If you read them, you'll see a difference with how I'm handling it to really highlight the redemption story of it that ultimately speaks to God's love for us. And I think it actually is better because of it. So it'll be interesting

[00:16:56] it's a good story. And if they could, this would, these sorts of stories, if they're well constructed, so a lot of the writers they've been working with. Frankly can't do what I do because I can bring story and theology together in a way that works That's my gift. Yeah, that's something that I'm uniquely gifted of that I hope I'm going to be passing on to you guys because of understanding character and truth and all those things a lot of the writers they use aren't thinkers they're not theologically sound thinkers, so they end up propagating lies.

[00:17:34] And we have to stop that. This script, if they take it as it is, could compete in the marketplace of ideas. It doesn't need to be done by Christians. it doesn't need to be, it, it's a beautiful story on its own. It's just as good as anything else that we see coming out or, better in many ways, because there is a God element in it, but it's organic.

[00:17:55] So anyway, I hope that you guys will, gosh, I just, we need more of us. We need more of us. because I'm, I'm fighting against a whole system now that's in place. The whole system that has decided that a good, a Christian story is something that lacks sex, language, and violence, which is not the criteria.

[00:18:16] That cannot be the criteria. It's just, that's a silly evaluative criteria. And yet it's a system in place now, we got to break those chains. But we do that. My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. 

[00:18:28] what we're going for is the truth. See the problem, the approach that the, that the Christians in the filmmaking business have made is they're not actually telling the truth.

[00:18:39] They're suppressing it because they're afraid. See, they're acting in fear, no sex, no language or violence. When that's your criteria. Now you're in fear and now you suppress what is true instead of like in this story. And by the way, how you shoot it, I'm not, I'm not suggesting they show this wild and, pornographic sex scene where she gets pregnant.

[00:19:01] There's no, we don't see that happen on screen. That would be wrong. but to suppress That that would happen, which is a very realistic thing in this particular, it's a period piece. So in this particular day and age, people are just, they're trying to figure out, well, what does it mean to be a modern woman?

[00:19:18] And she makes the wrong choice. She actually thinks she's being brave and stepping out of the backwardness of the religious trappings of her, family and of the, of the, of the era. And then she realizes, I was wrong. Oh my gosh, I'm so wrong. And now she's gotta face the consequences. So the truth is that there are consequences to it, but not consequences like you're damned forever.

[00:19:45] again. It's not about manipulation. It's about being honest. Usually it's not that we show too much. It's that we show too little. we're not thinking through the logical conclusions of the worldview we're presenting When we're honest about all of it, the characters become very empathetic, very human, very sympathetic, and it hits our heart because we know what it's like to be human.

[00:20:10] And I guarantee none of these people who say no sex, no language, or no violence aren't somehow in their lives tangled up in sex, language, and violence. We all are. So to ignore it is to suppress the truth. 

[00:20:23]