Video: Ava DuVernay

The screenwriter of I Will Follow, Middle of Nowhere, When They See Us, and Queen Sugar shares insights into her creative process.

Scott Myers

13 Oct 2021 • 1 min read

The screenwriter of I Will Follow, Middle of Nowhere, When They See Us, and Queen Sugar shares insights into her creative process.

A few years back, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences ran a terrific series of video interviews called Creative Spark. Here is one featuring Ava DuVernay (I Will Follow, Middle of Nowhere, When They See Us, and Queen Sugar).

“For me, the writing process is very much about when I have a really, really good idea of what I’m writing, I need to have notes, a good outline, thought it through, have some dialogue, like really be clear about what I’m doing. And all that comes from being out in the world.” — Ava DuVernay

Many, if not most writers tend to be introspective. What Ava is suggesting, however, is the importance of us going out into the world and discovering the stories surrounding us, moving beyond our innate discomfort with human interaction to find content we can use in our creative efforts.

Ava has become a force of nature in movies and television. To learn more about her, go to her website.

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