Interviewing Aviva Peltin: Podcaster and Screenwriter of Female-Led Stories
Interviewing Aviva Peltin: Podcaster and Screenwriter of Female-Led Stories
She goes into detail about her creative process, shares advice, her love for Kiwi Smith & Karen McCullah, and more.
Aviva Peltin is a screenwriter and author who resides on a lovely little island called Bainbridge near Seattle. She has a bachelor’s in English from the University of Washington with an emphasis in creative writing. These days she's focused on writing sparkly female-driven romcoms and comedies that you’d rewatch at sleepovers. Her scripts have placed in the ScreenCraft Comedy Competition, the ScreenCraft Fellowship, Female Voices Rock, Launch Pad, and more. When not writing, she’s probably watching a romcom, filming the next episode of her podcast, When Isabel Met Aviva, spending time in nature, learning German, or looking for dogs in sweaters.
Follow her: Twitter | Instagram | Coverfly
When Isabel Met Aviva Podcast Links:
Aviva and I had a little exchange on Twitter a month or so ago and and I found myself intrigued. I shot her a DM and said “Hey…pretty cool you being so open about your writing process like that. Can I maybe interview you for my substack? 👉👈”
And the rest is history! She gave such awesome answers and I’m honoured to be able to use my platform to give her and her work as much exposure as I can.
Enjoy folks!
The Interview
1. What usually gets you in the mindset to write? Is there a particular mood that you depend on in order to get writing done? Or do you prefer forcing yourself to write no matter how you're feeling?
I go through periods of writing consistently and then periods of absorbing inspiring material. Rinse and repeat. When I begin a script, especially once I’m past the outlining stage, I tend to be very motivated and write until I’m done. It gets addicting. But after a project ends, I get post-screenplay melancholy; my brain falsely tells me I’ll never have an idea I love as much ever again. So, during the time of figuring out what I wish to write next, I try to read interesting books, watch films that inspire me, and try to soak in as many new ideas and experiences as possible in hopes that I’ll come up with my next script idea, which eventually does happen.
I am not sure I believe in writer's block. It’s often an excuse to avoid doing the work. I have to find the motivation to sit down to write, and once I actually do that, inspiration and motivation usually comes. I have to focus on getting past the outlining stage, because I never regret finishing a script, but I do regret not getting started. A Pablo Picasso quote comes to mind: “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
It’s an unfortunate reality of being a writer that you must write. I wish there were a way around it. I am kidding. I love writing. But it’s not always easy! It takes effort. Sometimes writing seems like the worst thing ever, and I’d rather, I don’t know, do the dishes, alphabetize the spice drawer, or learn about tax law. But the times when something flows out of me, when it feels so effortless, that’s the closest thing to magic.
2. You've mentioned to me on Twitter that you write "in spurts." How long do those spurts last? And is this a writing method that you particularly prefer? Or have you been forced to accept that it's how you write?
Yes! As mentioned above, I tend to give my all to a project and then take a break while I figure out what I wish to write next. I’ve heard the sentiment so many times that we must write every day to be a good writer. While there could be some truth to the idea, I know fantastic writers who write in spurts, too. It doesn’t matter how you write as long as you keep returning to the blank page when you are able.
One of my favorite screenwriting YouTubers, Linda Barsi, has a video on this topic. (Shoutout to Linda – her writing advice is always a breath of fresh air, and I love her.) She reiterates that you can be an amazing writer even if you do not write every day, and the writing-every-day mentality can really trigger our unhealthy perfectionist tendencies. She says that doing non-writing-related activities can also be part of the writing process. I’m a recovering perfectionist, so I relate to freaking out and even avoiding writing when hearing such a sentiment. Ultimately, whatever works for you.
3. When you do "force yourself to write," as you mentioned on Twitter, do you notice a difference in results compared to if you would write without forcing yourself? For instance, if you were to write purely from the inspiration of a new idea or from being in a particular mood?
Once I have the outline, I feel a lot more inspired and excited to write. So, doing all that pre-work is the part that I must do by force. I am not a “pantser,” as in I have to know every scene and all my characters before I open Final Draft. However, sometimes I am much more taken by an idea (in the notes app of my phone) and obsessively think about it. I then add sample dialogue in a Google Doc, and it snowballs from there. If I have an idea like that, beginning a project will come more naturally.
4. Do you subscribe to the idea that creativity has to cost something? Or that creativity has to flow from trauma or hardship?
I don’t think you have to have experienced deep trauma to be a good writer, but it can add authenticity and depth. While most of my scripts are female-driven romcoms and comedies, I have written a few thematically darker ones that wouldn’t have been possible to write had I not experienced and witnessed hardship. I wrote a dramedy called CASUALLY DYING years ago about my experience of navigating college and coming of age while battling chronic Lyme disease, and it placed in the top 20% of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting (hosted by the Oscars) and was a semifinalist in the American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition (Francis Ford Coppola’s contest). I believe the script placed well because it stemmed from first-hand experience.
I then wrote a drama called BECOMING AUSTRIAN more recently that was a finalist in a local screenwriting competition called Bigfoot. The script is about my experience of obtaining Austrian citizenship a few years ago because of a new immigration law for descendants of Holocaust victims. My Jewish grandfather had to escape Vienna in 1938 shortly after Germany invaded (called Anschluss). The script explores the concept of inherited trauma, which I find fascinating. We don’t just inherit physical appearance, but we also can inherit our ancestors’ pain and fear – there are scientific studies that prove this. I don’t think I could have written the script without my experiences of growing up Jewish and absorbing my family’s history throughout the years.
However, I mostly believe writing should be fun! One of my favorite creativity gurus, Elizabeth Gilbert, talks about the idea that writing doesn’t have to be this painful, soul-sucking fiasco, but rather it can be joyful. She writes in Big Magic (one of my favorite books) about how we as creatives can form a relationship, a contract, with a new idea that we wish to bring into the world. She says:
If you choose to enter into a contract of creative suffering, you should try to identify yourself as much as possible with the stereotype of the Tormented Artist. You will find no shortage of role models. To honor their example, follow these fundamental rules: Drink as much as you possibly can; sabotage all your relationships; wrestle so vehemently against yourself that you come up bloodied every time; express constant dissatisfaction with your work; jealously compete against your peers; begrudge anybody else’s victories; proclaim yourself cursed (not blessed) by your talents; attach your sense of self-worth to external rewards; be arrogant when you are successful and self-pitying when you fail; honor darkness above light; die young; blame creativity for having killed you. Does it work, this method? Yeah, sure. It works great. Till it kills you. (p. 38-39)
She then argues that there’s a beneficial way to form a relationship with creativity:
A different way is to cooperate fully, humbly, and joyfully with inspiration. This is how I believe most people approached creativity for most of history, before we decided to get all La Bohème about it. You can receive your ideas with respect and curiosity, not with drama or dread. You can clear out whatever obstacles are preventing you from living your most creative life, with the simple understanding that whatever is bad for you is probably also bad for your work. (p. 40)
I want to write things that make me and hopefully my readers feel happy and optimistic. While I have tackled darker subjects in my scripts, I want writing to mostly be playful and rewarding. I don’t want it to deplete me but rather make me feel more whole.
5. As a writer of female-led stories, is there a female writer or creative of any kind that has inspired you or who has acted as a role-model for you in your career?
Oh my gosh, yes! Too many to name, but Kiwi Smith and Karen McCullah have been my top romcom screenwriting inspirations for years. They wrote iconic movies such as SHE’S THE MAN, ELLA ENCHANTED, LEGALLY BLONDE, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, the list goes on. They have a fantastic interview on the Academy Originals YouTube channel all about their writing process and their collaborative relationship. I watch it at least every six months. I love that they use actual notecards to plot, because that’s what I do, too. (Shoutout to the screenwriting guru, Syd Field, who taught me how to do this method in my favorite screenwriting book, SCREENPLAY: The Foundations of Screenwriting.) Their films celebrate sparkly and pink femininity in a time when the “chick flick” was unfairly looked down upon (by male critics probably). Their films mean so much to me.
Lena Dunham is also a huge reason why I’m a screenwriter. She showed me that you can be a young female filmmaker and writer and make things happen. I remember learning about her, watching TINY FURNITURE, and being amazed that a 23 year-old woman took charge and made her own film. She didn’t wait around for someone to give her permission. Then when she directed, wrote, and starred in GIRLS in 2012, my world was rocked again. Lena’s writing style is quirky, hilarious, and relatable. The character of Shoshana still cracks me up to this day. It’s such a great show.
These female writers have inspired me so much that I started a romcom screenwriting podcast with my talented screenwriting friend, Isabel Thottam. We just launched our first episode, and it’s been so much fun. We are going to discuss romcoms, breaking into the industry, and female-driven screenwriting. We plan on interviewing female screenwriters and filmmakers to hear about their backgrounds and writing processes. We already have some exciting guests lined up. I’ve always wanted to do a podcast, so one of my dreams is finally becoming a reality.
Also, I never realized how professional I’d feel as the owner of a $40 podcast microphone from Amazon. Confidence tip: Buy a podcast microphone. The crisp sound quality will make you feel 50% more empowered. Trust me.
6. From your portfolio, what do you consider to be your best work (if you consider one to be at all)? Why do you consider it to be your best work? And if you can't decide which is your best, how do you envision your best work in terms of both the final product and how it is received?
I have a few favorites for sure, but I’d say TWINSIES.
Logline: When estranged adult twins reunite in Austria to sell their grandfather’s estate, they end up trapped in an early 2000s twin-themed alternate dimension and need to complete their old summer bucket list in hopes of returning to reality.
I mention this one because it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had writing a script. It’s inspired by the early 2000s teen films I grew up loving, like THE LIZZIE MCGUIRE MOVIE, WHAT A GIRL WANTS, and the whole Mary-Kate and Ashley filmography. I also loved writing a film set in Austria because I got to utilize that part of my identity and parody all the stereotypes Americans associate with the country. For example, everyone in TWINSIES wears dirndls and yodels – it’s basically an Oktoberfest 24/7. Writing it didn’t even feel like work – it was just play. It got a 7 on the Blacklist (with 9s for premise and setting), and I know that I just need to find the right people to make it a reality. It’s still available, so if anyone is looking for a satirical early 2000s escapist comedy in the vein of BARBIE and ISN’T IT ROMANTIC, please hit me up.
7. Do you sometimes feel as though you're not doing enough? Or do you sometimes feel guilty for having had an unproductive day? If so, how do you deal with that guilt?
Oh, absolutely! There’s always going to be a writer who is writing more than you, making more moves, getting more recognition, winning more contests. It’s so easy to play the comparison game. But, I also believe there is enough room for all of us. That’s what I tell myself. No one has my voice, just as no one has yours. That’s what I love about the Screenwriting Twitter community, which is how you found me, and how I’ve made other screenwriting friends. We all cheer one another on.
Because I am healing from a chronic illness, I cannot compare my output to another person. I do not have the energy of an average person. I do what I can do when I can, and I have to let go of any guilt or comparison because it’s not productive. That’s easier said than done, but it’s true. If I can’t write every day, that’s okay. If I haven’t written in a month or even longer, oh well, I can start again. I trust that I’ll always eventually get back to the page when I am able and that I am on my own journey that’ll lead to my dreams manifesting. In fact, at the beginning of the year, I signed my first ever shopping agreement.
Okay, you know what? It’s time to bring in some self-help book vibes. Repeat after me: I am more than enough. My worth does not depend on my productivity or output. I am valuable just as I am.
Okay, I feel better now. Hope you do, too.
8. Finally, what is your favourite film? Or if you don't have one favourite, can you share your four (letterboxd) favourites? Why are they your favourite?
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE is my favorite film. It’s timeless, hilarious, comforting – it’s everything I want and need in a romcom. I’ve watched the film so many times that the film feels like the melody of a favorite song. I find it fascinating that the leads are apart, yet it works. They have amazing chemistry, and you root for them to be together the entire time. I watch it at least twice a year. I grew up in Seattle, so I always got a kick out of seeing the various filming locations around me. It felt like I was living in the movie. Nora Ephron, the screenwriter and director, has been a huge inspiration to me. She understood her craft so well. I even have a shirt that reads WRITTEN BY NORA EPHRON and wear it proudly.
Alessandro is B.Y.E.’s Founder/Editor in Chief.
This is a publication that prides itself on celebrating the creative community. Creatives across all mediums share universal experiences, so by welcoming authentic voices, we hope to create a sense of community for all artists. We wish to make the experience of living the artist’s life a little less solitary.
Do you have a story to tell? Consider pitching to us! Email byteyourexpression@gmail.com with “Pitch” as the subject heading.
You would be given complete creative freedom (written, or audio/visual). As long as you have a focus on providing:
inspiration
education
motivation
comfort
(or anything in between)
For the creative community, it’s fair game!
We are thrilled to have you here and hope to see you again soon.