Interview with a Screenwriter: Paul Sinor

by Sunny Monroe

Paul Sinor is a seasoned screenwriter with experience in many writing arenas, including journalism, writing for television, and authoring the novel Operation Brighteyes. He has also sold three screenplays—Dead Men Can't Dance, Testing the Limits, and The Martini Shot—all of which have been produced. Paul has recently relocated to Pensacola, Florida, where he teaches screenwriting at Pensacola Junior College.

How did you get into screenwriting?

I worked as the technical advisor for the television series Tour of Duty for two years. During that time, I wrote my first television script and had it produced by the PBS station in Honolulu. From that, I decided I wanted to write a feature. After I retired from the army, I took a screenwriting course at the University of Washington in Seattle. It was a three-section course and I dropped out after the second session. By that time, I had completed my first screenplay. In my ignorance and enthusiasm, I thought if I had written it, someone should buy it. I put it out and sold it. I have been invited back to speak at the UW and I always get a kick out of telling them I sold my homework.

Why screenwriting, instead of some other form of written media?

I started out writing short stories and magazine articles. From that I went to novels and then to the assignment on Tour of Duty.

What type of screenplays do you write?

The screenplays that I write are somewhat scattered throughout several genres. I have had screenplays produced in the action adventure, dark comedy, and adult drama genre. I have a children's/young adult screenplay and a political intrigue screenplay under option. I think it's a mistake that many beginning writers think they can only "write what you know." I think it is much more important to know about what you are writing about. There are some things that we can never experience, yet we can write about them if we do the proper amount and type of research.

How do you stay motivated in such a competitive industry?

Money is a great motivator. I've started to make a buck or two as a writer and I like it. That's not the proper motivation for everyone, but it seems to work quite nicely for me. If you, as a writer, are motivated because you have something to say, that's great. If it's because it's a story that must be told for any number of reasons, that's great too, but the real test is what keeps you in the seat when that story is told. I think it's probably different for each of us, but whatever it is, use it.

How long did it take to sell your first screenplay?

I hate to say it, but the first one took about two weeks to sell. I'll be the first to say that is like hitting the lottery the first time you ever buy a ticket. I did a lot of research on production companies and I knew who had done similar films and who had similar ones in development. I did my homework, I approached it like a job and I made the sale.

Do you have an agent? If so, how did you approach him/her?

I have had several agents over the past few years. I sold my fist screenplay without one. That was not the smartest thing I ever did, but it worked at the time. I would not advise anyone to do the same, because I am certain it cost me a lot of money. I was recommended to my agent by a friend and, unfortunately, if you've never sold anything, that's about the only way to get one unless you have a production company who wants to buy your script. At that point, getting an agent is the easiest thing you will do.

Do you have a favorite movie?

My favorite movie changes with the mood I happen to be in when I want to watch a film. Some of my all time favorites are Bridge on the River Kwai, Casablanca, Blazing Saddles, Shawshank Redemption, Gone with the Wind, and American Graffiti.

What advice do you have for prospective screenwriters?

If you want to write screenplays sit down, stop making excuses, and write. The same goes for novels, short stories, poems, recopies, and fillers for Readers Digest. You'll never get it done by talking about it. It's a very lonely job, and in order for it to work, it must be a JOB. Whether it's a full-time or a part-time job, you must give it the energy and dedication you do if you are a corporate CEO or a burger flipper at McDonalds.

Sunny Monroe is an ex-techie who's entering her thirties and her second career as a freelance editor.