Interview (Part 6): Sam Boyer

My interview with 2023 Black List writer for his script Foragers.

In 2022, Sam Boyer received a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting for his original screenplay “Ojek”. In 2023, his script “Foragers” made the annual Black List. Quite an accomplishment in back to back years. Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with Sam about his Nicholl experience, writing the script which eventually made the Black List, and writing in the action genre space.

Today in Part 6 of a 6-part series to run each day this week, Sam answers some questions about his take on the craft of screenwriting.

Scott: I’ve got just a couple of craft questions. We dealt with a lot of these back when you did the interview with us on the Nicholl. One of them that I think we didn’t quite get into was just, do you have a process of developing characters?

Is there a specific thing that you do, or are there some techniques or writing exercises that you do to get to know them? I’m just curious what your process is, if you even have one.

Sam: That’s a good question. I don’t think I’m truly at the point of…I’m not a Scott Frank. I really don’t have the stuff under my belt to say, “I’ve done this 50 times, and this is the true process for it.”

Given all of that, I try to sit with a character for a little while, at least long enough that there can be other characters in the picture, because so much of character is how they interact with these other components. Who is a natural foil to this character that you create?

The dynamics between characters is really what matters so much in all of this. I guess maybe I can give characters in sets, and I give myself a lot of time to enter some mesmerism‑type state, where I’m thinking about nothing and then naturally something halfway decent might come to me.

Scott: You’ve mentioned you’re rewriting this and have rewritten this draft or this script a number of times. Do you have a process for that or you’re just feeling your way through it?

Sam: Yeah. In the first draft, I do try to feel my way through it and constantly move forward even if I’m unsatisfied with the way a given scene has played out.

Especially, the more experienced and the more confident you get with your writing, there’s this weird temptation, especially like when I was first starting out of like it’s that Ira Glass quote of like, “Your taste is a certain level of your ability to produce.”

Relative to that taste, there’s going to be a gap. It’s like your sanity gap of like, “Yeah, I can objectively look at this and know it’s not what I want it to be.” As my confidence in writing has grown, I’m more and more ready to move forward with it.

The idea that any script is ever finished, it seems to be a very futile one at this point in my life. If you’re very lucky and things are awesome, it gets to get changed again, and that is the business we’ve signed up for. I’m very comfortable now with knowing that we are going to change this again. It’s not right, right now, but if I can incrementally improve it, it’s ideal.

In that first draft, I just try to, basically do one thing, and that is make sure that the characters have what feels like a relatively complete arc through it. I do not have a movie. I’m sorry, I’ve got the little emoji thing. All of the new Macs have that.

I don’t think there’s a movie if there isn’t a true arc for a character in it. As long as I can do that, I feel like, “OK. I’ve got something here. I’m ready to share it with other people.”

To be totally honest, the first script I ever wrote, it didn’t have a full arc for the character. I knew it deep down. I remember finishing it, and knowing whatever the revision for this will be, it will be taking it down to the studs and starting it again. That’s all I try to focus on in the first draft.

Then I have a trusted group of friends and readers who make my work better. I really feel for screenwriters. You’re certainly, that quote, “You’re the average of the five people closest to you.” Basically, the fact that my writing’s any good is a fact that I have really great writers and readers in my life, and we all try to elevate each other’s work.

Scott: One last question for you, what do you love most about writing?

Sam: There are so many kinds of work that you can do. The opportunity to literally make things up and for that to be OK and part of the work that you’re doing in a given day is insane privilege and gift.

When things are going well and you’re in a position to be financially rewarded for that in any capacity, there’s almost nothing you can do to be worthy of such a ridiculous privilege. I, like everyone, have had points where I’m not having fun writing.

You’re connecting the dots in act two, or you got to start from scratch on something and it makes you mad at the world, but I genuinely do this because I legit love the blank page. I like sitting in front of a screen and making stuff up. It really does bring me joy.

If it ever stops doing that, I’ll probably do something else. There are so many other hard things involved with this profession. I feel that you probably feel the same way of the joy of creating something, whether it’s good or not, just the act of doing it, the way you feel fulfilled or you’ve expressed yourself is such a wonderful thing.

I think it’s what gravitates so many people to the idea of screenwriting, the idea to take what’s in your head, or even not quite in your head, and manifest it onto just even a page.

For Part 1 of the interview, go here.

Part 2, go here.

Part 3, go here.

Part 4, go here.

Part 5, go here.

To read my 2022 interview with Sam about his Nicholl-winning screenplay “Ojek,” go here.

Sam is repped by Rain Media Partners.

For my interviews with dozens of other Black List writers, go here.