Tell us about yourself and your most current project/s?
I am based out of Los Angeles, CA and have been working in the entertainment industry for a little over 6 years now. I have held several titles as a professional in the industry, including Writer, Talent Agent, Casting Coordinator, and most recently my title as Studio Page at Paramount Pictures. I am about to publish my first ever Fantasy and Sci Fi novel which is set to publish on Amazon on October 21, 2025. It is the first book in an intended 4-part series, and I have already finished the second manuscript. I have a keen passion for the world I created named Konatsu in the epic series with key elements alluding to the detrimental tide of environment decline.
Where did the inspiration/idea come from this project?
The journey of The Legend of Rangard began back in 2019 during an advanced screenwriting course at the University of Colorado Boulder. I was tasked with writing a short-form screenplay under 15 pages. Out of that came Rangard, a character seeking vengeance against Orloff. My professor advised me the idea wouldn’t work as a short screenplay - I agreed and took her advice. So I set my sights on turning it into a 4-part novel series. My passion for the story comes from my curiosity with the world, its environment, and my own trauma I’ve dealt with. Some people I’d like to give direct inspiration to are David Attenborough, George RR Martin, Shigeru Miyamoto, David Benioff, Hidetaka Miyazaki, Hayao Miyazaki, JRR Tolkien, Akira Kirosawa, Ami Vitale and of course my mom, dad, and sister to name just a few. I feel their art and passion represent the ideals that are important to me.
What does the writing process look like for you?
As I go through my novels and screenplays, I personally find it’s best to listen to cinematic music in the background, a tea on the desk so I have some caffeine as I write, and a bunch of hand written notes around me so I can refer to plot-points and characters. I’ll also set my goal for what I want to write per chapter. Let’s say I’m writing an intense action chapter, I know right off the bat I want it to aim for around 3000-4000 words. And most of the time, the chapter will hit 5000 words which is too much so you run into a happy mistake of needing to cut down. However, sometimes cutting down sucks so I always try to keep in mind how many words I’m at per chapter. I tend to think of writing like playing the piano too. My hands doing the same motion as playing a piano on a keyboard. Once you get in the groove you can just keep going. Also, I love to experience life. Life itself is the main inspiration for my work and it drives what I talk about in my stories.
How do you handle writer’s block?
Honestly, to just keep writing even if it doesn’t make sense. Let’s say I’m talking about a piece of the story that is extremely difficult to create or formulate an idea on how to execute an act transition - I’ll just write through it even if I find myself stuck typing at the keys. For instance, if a sentence goes like “And Rangard was the only one who saw the scene unfold. The treacherous nightmare of reality unveiled in front of his eyes” and let’s say I can’t think of anything else or how to end that statement. I’ll literally talk about a recent nightmare I had. For example, “And who knows like Rangard couldn’t wake up from the nightmare, it was awful. The villains were just destroying everything and it reminded him when he woke up in his bed in a cold sweat and saw a looming figure of the Devil in the corner of his bedroom, taunting him, laughing at him. Cancer sucks.” So you can clearly see my process. That lucid sentence has nothing to do with explaining what Rangard was seeing, but it kept me writing and creating and eventually you get to some good answers. So from there, I would take it in the direction of darkness as a symbol of the Devil, in this case a metaphor for cancer.
How do you feed your creativity when feeling drained?
So, like everyone else, writing isn’t easy when you simply don’t want to write for the day. If I’m not physically writing, I’ll try to watch movies to give me inspiration or honestly focus on something else like a sport or working out to keep my mind going. I don’t think writing in public places helps me at all. Collaborating on writing is great if you’re trying to gather feedback for some things, but I feel myself slowed down when I’m co-writing with somebody else. It’s not bad, it’s just a different approach.
What advice would you give writers who feel stuck or uninspired?
Definitely travel and experience life outside of the confines of your mind/imagination. Experiencing new things is stimulating and it keeps your mind active which could produce some great ideas to add to your own work. Or literally just forget you have that paper that’s due or that you have a deadline for your new screenplay you wish to write. Forget about it and come back to it. But, never put it down. Even after you’re done, every word can be changed, every sentence can be restructured, and every original idea can have more vivid detail. You’re never done, but don’t let it consume you. My novel has gone through 6 years of edits, pauses, and restructuring. Just keep with it.
Have you ever thought about giving up writing? If so, what pulled you back?
I wouldn’t say I’ve ever given up writing. Putting it down for a bit, of course, but never give up. A writer naturally has writing in their DNA and even if I put down a story, it’s still inside of me bursting at the seams. It’s really hard to explain but I can put down The Legend of Rangard for years and I would still know what’s going on from book 1 to book 4. Pausing because I want to spend several weekends away or finding myself focusing on other work? Absolutely.
How do you keep your voice or ideas fresh over time?
Again, I would route this to being active. Experiencing new things. Trying genres I haven’t tried that much before. Unfortunately, heartbreak and major life events are what shape my process so I’ve had some things happen in my own life that have pushed unwanted ideas in, but it’s always good to balance the dark with the light and not overdue it at a bar or something.
What do you wish more people understood about the creative process?
Ultimately, the creative process is the passion you have for it. It’s not about money. It’s about giving your time to something you feel is important and it isn’t easy. Society looks at somebody like me and they think “oh you’re just having fun over in LA working (or not working) in film, making movies, being around stars, and writing. Sounds like so much fun, I wish I was doing that, you have it easy. Instead I have to look at expense reports and deal with bosses and weekly team meetings.” That’s a real thing somebody said to me one time hahaha My response to that is, “Ah damn all you have to do is look at spreadsheets on a computer and talk to people in an office and join team meetings and you earn a steady income? I’m jealous.” There’s a lot to entertainment, film, music, media, that goes under the radar with how much effort you need to put into it and it’s only those that “make it” that get the praise of success and hard work after the fact. Everybody is working that hard.
What is the most honest thing you’ve ever written - and did it scare you?
I presented a eulogy one time in front of a crowd. To be honest, I don’t remember it much, but what I do remember was feeling safe. As if I was standing alone without anybody in front of me. The eulogy was not a typical one - it was about a Jester and a Monkey and the short-story was a big metaphor for my relationship with said person. I ended up turning it into an animated screenplay which, by the way, I am still working on and won’t ever stop.