InVision: How did you get started as a Writer? Did you have a mentor? How did the process work?

DD: I’d worked in development for a number of years prior to becoming a writer. My last job before I started writing was as the Vice President of Creative Affairs for director/producer Sydney Pollack.

I didn’t have a mentor, per se, but I had a couple very good friends who were a few steps ahead of me in their writing careers who were invaluable —both in terms of generously sharing their scriptwriting knowledge, and in their emotional understanding and support.

InVision: What was the first script you wrote?

DD: It was a talking animal movie, about a dog and a cat who are forced to live together and don’t want to. It didn’t sell, but it did help me get an agent, and then a writing assignment from Hanna-Barbera to do a treatment, which got me into the Writers Guild and bought me the time to write my second script, "Only You".

InVision: What was your first script that was made into a film and what was the process like for you?

DD: "Only You" (nee "Him"). It was a mixed experience. Norman Jewison was the director, he signed on almost immediately and was a true joy to work with. We had great fun going over the script. Unfortunately, I was at that time a "new" writer, and shortly after Marisa Tomei was cast, I was replaced.

I, naturally, think the movie is the worse for it – my script was a spec on which I’d spent a year working – it was close to my heart, and I think more of a romp than the movie ultimately became.

Regardless, although I’d been replaced, I did get to go to Italy for a portion of the shoot, and that, too, was interesting. Italy is Italy, so that part was fabulous, and Sven Nykvist, the cinematographer, and Robert Downey, Jr. were extremely kind to me, but at the same time, it was hard to be there and be treated as though I were virtually extraneous.

My creative input was not sought at all at that point—in fact, it was pretty clear it wasn’t desired, (except by Robert who, bless his heart, graciously tried to include me).

Being on set is typically not great for a writer, especially the original one, and I was no exception. Thank goodness the "set" in this case was Italy.

InVision: What is your typical day like as a writer?

DD: A lot of time spent staring at the computer screen—and checking and writing e-mail.

InVision: Typical day for you when one of your films is in the different stages of production?

DD: I’ve had two movies made. As I mentioned, on "Only You" I was quite involved in working with the director on the script up until about three months before the shoot began, then worked as an extra on the set, (no joke). Alas, on "What Women Want", another original spec of mine, I had no involvement whatsoever.

InVision: Tell us what your process is before you start writing a script, from the beginnings of the idea up to when you start to write.

DD: Once I come up with something that I think might be the germ of a movie, then I start to try to firmly identify various elements. I’m pretty structure-oriented, and have my own definitions for various elements, like, for example, the first plot point, which I’ve defined for myself as, "The action the main character takes to solve what they perceive their problem to be, which then results in unexpected consequences."

I’ve sort of distilled all my years in development and as a writer down into ten or so pages of notes to myself entitled:
"Before you start another script read this".

InVision: Is there such a thing as a 40hr-work week for you or is it a creative process at different times?

DD: I try to put in fairly regular hours, but I guess one of the perks of the job is that you make your own hours. I find generally, though, that you can’t sit around and wait for the muse to show up, but just have to put your butt in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard and move forward in any way you can.

Having said that, sometimes it is definitely easier to work than others, and when I’m really stumped what often helps me is to read the work of those I admire. (Or better still, to call and pester my writer friends for ideas.)

InVision: What is the most important resource for you in your job?

DD: My other writer friends, without question. Then, the internet.

InVision: What is the toughest part of your job?

DD: I would say the isolation, writing is a very solitary pursuit. And the lack of creative input, let alone control, when it comes to the actual movie-making. It is the nature of the beast, but it can be truly heartbreaking.

InVision: Do you have a part of your job that is most rewarding?

DD: Yup, the cash. As S.J. Perelman so eloquently put it, "You take all this abuse, you take all this crap and grief. And for what? For a measly fortune."

InVision: Do you have a favorite of all the scripts you have written?

DD: It’s hard to say, but I guess if I had to choose, speaking of "measly fortunes", it would be have to be "Only You". It was not only my first movie made, but I was really struggling when I wrote it, had given myself a year to make a go of it as a writer, and was at the end of that year and in debt when, much to my surprise, it sold in four days for $1 million. Definitely the fairy-tale experience.

InVision: What advice do you have for someone who wants to do what you do?

DD: It can be—though certainly isn’t always-- a financially rewarding career. And if you can survive all the struggle, it can sometimes be quite fun and exciting. But if you are looking primarily for creative satisfaction, to be a writer of motion pictures is probably not your best career bet.

InVision: What pitfalls in the industry did you have to watch out for to get where you are today?

DD: I hate to say it, but watch out for the women, especially if you’re female. Women, in my experience, are the worst to other women. Needless to say, it’s not a business exactly known for Boy (or Girl) Scout ethics in the first place, and maybe it’s because women still seem to feel they’re fighting an uphill battle to begin with, or maybe it’s more primal than that.

Regardless, I find they tend to be the most ruthless, the most duplicitous and most unethical. Everyone seems to know this, but nobody seems willing to say it out loud, (certainly not at those Crystal Awards luncheons…) Having said that, I have met and worked with some terrific, smart, supportive women along the way in the business, but, unfortunately, it’s primarily the ruthless who survive.

InVision: What is your best advice for getting your foot in the door in this industry?

DD: If you’re not already there, move to LA, and take any assistant type job you can get. (If your parents are wealthy, you can go to film school and pay them for the privilege of making your initial contacts there.)

Then, if you want to be a writer, try to get a job where you’ll be exposed to scripts and, even if it’s not your responsibility to read them, read as many as you can. Analyze what works and what doesn’t and try to figure out why.

See as many movies as you can, take the writing workshops, get the newsletters and other publications that interview writers and cover the various scriptwriting contests. Make friends with people who want to do what you want to do, commiserate with and encourage each other.

InVision: How long have you been in the industry and has it always been as a writer?

DD: 15+ years, the last ten as a writer. (yikes)

InVision: In the past ten years what big changes have you seen?

DD: The whole vertical integration thing which has only escalated and I see as a rather ominous trend on a multitude of levels. And, sadly, it seems to me there is even less respect for writers today than there was even when I began, (if such a thing is possible).

InVision: What changes do you see coming?

DD: Undoubtedly changes in technology in terms of how movies are delivered, but whatever happens with the technology, I’m convinced it will still always fundamentally be about "good stories, well told". On the positive side, I do think that someday the internet will prove a new viable market in its own right, (and not just as a delivery system).

InVision: As a writer, how have computers and the Internet affected your field and your work?

DD: I don’t think I could write without a computer. I find it difficult to write a letter long-hand at this point. I tend to have a mind like a sieve, but fortunately am a fast typist, and can get stuff down in a way I never could if I had to write it out manually. And, obviously, the internet is a great resource, (and gotta love that e-mail).

InVision: If you could change one thing of your profession to improve being a writer, what would it be?

DD: Greater respect for what we do, and a public awareness that we even exist. Nobody who isn’t a screenwriter can tell you who wrote their favorite movie. If it’s based on a novel, the average person might be able to tell you the name of the novelist.

But if it’s an original work created for the screen, meaning the screenwriter is the person who first pulled this story and these characters out of thin air, (or should I say out of their own heart and mind), they’re somehow a non-entity.

InVision: What do you do to get yourself ready for a major project or job?

DD: Try to find a way to have fun with it. The brutal reality is there is often much pain in this business, a lot of rejection and deception and disappointment. So little of what is written gets made or even sold, and even if it does, typically, especially if you’re the original writer, it is taken away from you.

The Callie Khouris and Alan Balls are greatly inspiring, but they are the extraordinary exceptions. So, you’ve got to find some way to try to enjoy the process. (Or become a director…)

InVision: How do you deal with difficult personalities?

DD: Not terribly well. (Hire lots of lawyers…)

InVision: And difficult egos?

DD: Ditto. At this point, I try to limit my exposure as much as possible – and then, corny as it sounds, do my best to focus on the good wherever I can find it.

InVision: Is there someone or something that has influenced your work the most?

DD: I’m "influenced" by good work—in writing, and actually in any of the arts. It’s what buoys my spirits when I get down about the ugly side of things.

InVision: Is there any person who has influenced you in the business?

DD: Honestly, it’s probably Sydney Pollack. Not that my work is really anything like the sorts of movies he makes, but I spent about three years working for him in development, and being around him I think I felt pulled to a new level of performance and expectations of myself.

Good enough just wasn’t good enough. Which was sometimes extremely irritating, but ultimately I think helpful training.

InVision: How did it feel the first time you sat down in a theater to watch your own film with an audience?

DD: Surreal – simultaneously exhilarating, (when my very own stuff worked), and excruciating (when it or the other writer’s stuff didn’t).

InVision: Is a project ever finished when you're the Writer?

DD: You must at some point abandon them in order to move on, but I try not to read my work once there’s nothing more I can do about it. I’m a chronic re-writer.

InVision: Did your friends and family encourage you or are they still waiting for you to get a real job?

DD: Well, fortunately, I guess the million dollar sale kind of took the edge off that.

InVision: What kind of story would you like to write that you haven't already written?

DD: One where I’m actually treated as a creative collaborator and involved from beginning to end in the making of the movie.

InVision: Any last comments for our readers?

DD: Yes. Don’t forget to live a life outside of showbiz, if for no other reason than to have something to write about besides that. (Not to mention for your own sanity.)

InVision: Thank you for the time and insight.

DD: My pleasure.