Originally, Jessica Sharzer emerged herself in Russian studies. While in school, she transferred to Film and essentially went to Graduate School twice. Fascinated by the original tragedies, she now carries this mindset into her new works.

Known for American Horror Story, Nerve, A Simple Favor, and Apple’s Amazing Stories, she loves to focus on genre. Essentially, she believes, when writing genre, it’s not like starting a blank page because there are guidelines to follow.

In her latest work, she was assigned “The Cellar,” which was an idea from Steven Spielberg that premiered as the first episode of Apple’s Amazing Stories reboot. The episode stars Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner) and Victoria Pedretti (The Haunting of Hill House).

In this interview, Sharzer discusses how to reflect the times rather than preach social issues, why she loves writing genre, why writers needs to write quickly, how she feels about Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule, and she addresses the rumors about ‘A Simple Favor’ turning into a limited series.

If you enjoyed this interview, look for the print version on Creative Screenwriting’s website, and join thousands of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5

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