Third Place
BROKEN ANGEL
N. E. Thompson (Liz)
Ashburn, Virginia
Occupation: Novelist
Email: farashaliz@aol.com
Logline: Drawn to a dying woman by a broken creche, a tough lawyer agrees to search for the woman's daughter and discovers her own beginnings in question.

How did you come up with the idea for your screenplay?

Frankly I have no idea where my ideas come from. It's like I've got a soup pot at the back of my mind and when enough pieces come together, I just start writing and it flows. If I get stuck, I just say, Lord, I'm stuck and leave it alone. When I come back to the writing, the problem is solved.

What or who was your inspiration?

I had already begun the play when I watched a TV program on bad justice in which real people had gotten caught up in a police web and had lost homes, family and children.

How long did it take for you to write your script?

It took me about six weeks to write the first draft. A couple more weeks to edit and add details.

What were some of the challenges that you faced during the writing process?

I'd just begun this story when my oldest son was diagnosed with melanoma of brain and spine. I wrote the play during the weeks I was dealing with his death sentence. A catharisis, I guess.

What is your writing background?

I began writing and producting for radio shortly after I went to the Middle East with my husband. I completed several hundred programs over nearly nine years. During that time, I kept journals and several novels have grown out of those. (see N.E. Thompson at Amazon.com or Authorhouse.com)

Do you have formal training as a writer?

Those years of listening to different dialects and phrasing of English corrupted mine. Once home, I took all the creative writing courses I could find around Washington D.C. I have an Associates degree in Fine Arts and I'm nine credits short of a BA.

Do you have advice for other writers who are dealing with Christian themes?

Yes. Do NOT hit people over the head with religion. It should be subtle, like pinches of seasonings in food. Jesus never use a baseball bat on those around him. He invited them, piqued their attention, the perfect example for any Christian writer.