We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Garry Charles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Garry, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I have ever taken happened quite recently, late I know considering I am fifty years old.

I turned fifty on 16 August 2023 and on 31 September I suffered a heart attack. I had three days of warning signs, a burning sensation in my chest every time I stood up that dissipated when I sat back down. Apparently this was angina. On the forth day the pain started creeping in when I was sat down and moved from just my chest to left arm and up, into neck and jaw.

One hospital stay later I returned home with a stent fitted in my heart. The artery had been 99% blocked.

After five months recovery I returned to the day job as an Engineering Shift Supervisor in a food factory and this is where the risk kicks in.

I’d only been back a few weeks when, after a long discussion with my wife, we decided it was time for me to hand my notice in and see if I could make screenwriting pay the bills on its own. The heart attack made us realise that life is too short to keep doing a thing that is not good for and move on.

This experiment has only just started so you’ll have to come back and see how its going.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

What I thought was my first novel was written at Primary School. In face it was the length of an exercise book and it was a horror story entitled ‘The Radioactive Cream Cake’. Said cake goes on a rampage, killing the locals.

After that I didn’t write again until I was older. In the interim I had worked in a Butchers, a fruit and veg shop, a factory and completed my apprenticeship working down one of the North Yorkshire Coal Mines.

When the Mines were shut I started working at a Paper Mill and, it was at this time that I decided to start writing again. This led to the publication of my first novel, a dark fantasy entitled ‘Heaven’s Falling’. This was followed by a sequel, both of which received mixed reviews. People either loved them or hated them. I was told this was the best kind of reception, no writer ever wanted a ‘Meh’ review.

I enjoyed the novel writing but my first love was film so I began to experiment with the format. I read a couple of books on ‘The Art’ and then decided I would gain more insight by reading actual screenplays. I purchased as many as I could and I absorbed them. Then, when I thought I was ready, I began to write.

Eventually, after networking as hard as I could, I was approached by a director named Jesse Baget (Breathless, Cellmates) and he asked if I would write him a screenplay based on an idea he had.

This led to my first feature ‘Day Of The Mummy’, a first person perspective horror movie starring William McNamara and Danny Glover. It was made with next to no budget yet still remains a proud start to my screenwriting career.

Since then I have continued to work, not every project making it to the screen but enough to let me know that this is what I want to do.

I have tended to move away from horror and write more within the action genre, always with a slice of humour. I would happily write horror again but I haven’t been ask for quite a while.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

This is an interesting question that does not have one story to answer it. All I can say is that if anyone decides to become a writer they have to be resilient or they will never make it.

Someone, I can’t remember who, told me when I started writing that I faced a ten year journey and if I could make it out the other end I might make a career out of writing.

This journey includes numerous rejections from agents, publishers, producers etc… You have to be resilient and not let the rejections break you down.

I kept working the day job so that I could pay the bills and then use my days off to write, to network, to self promote and to write some more. I did this for over ten years and, despite many days of wanting to give up, I kept pushing and kept faith in my own talent.

After Day Of The Mummy I honestly thought things would get easier but there are hundreds of writers out there all with the same goal. The fight continues with each and every script written.

Resilience and thick skin are a must.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I actually had this discussion with a potential producer a few days ago and I think I surprise people with my top three rewarding moments as a screenwriter.

1: Actually writing the screenplay. I love the first draft, the very act of telling the story for the first time and knowing I’m the first person who gets to hear it. I love watching the characters grow and become ready for fleshing out during the second draft.

2: Watching the finished film for the first time. It’s a great feeling to see the complete product for the first time, witnessing who the screenplay has been brought alive by everyone else’s input. You get to see things that you love, that exceed your expectations and there are always bits you would have done differently but there is always a sense of wonder that it got done.

3: The moment someone emails you to say they loved the movie. It only takes one person and you know the job has been done. You will never please everyone but if one person enjoys the ride I feel like we’ve succeeded.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garryc1973/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garry.charles
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garry-charles-25110211b/

Image Credits
6 Hours Away – Rog Films Lights Out – Firebrand Films Garry Charles Logo designed by Nathan James