Sara Komatsu, Class of 2023: Screenwriting

Over the course of summer 2022, I had the privilege of working on an independent writing project with the support of the Harvard English Department’s Literary Careers Award. I was able to develop my screenwriting practice with this time, which culminated in my finished and revised 50-page pilot. Heading into the summer, I knew that I wanted to gain experience creating narratives for television, beyond the walls of the classroom. I embarked on this project with two mentors. Professor Teju Cole served as my faculty mentor, and due to his experiences in both the English department’s Creative Writing program and commercial publishing, he was instrumental in helping me set deadlines and talking through broad concepts (e.g., of character development and theme). Hanna Armour, Director of Development at Skybound Film and TV, provided an industry perspective. She was able to offer invaluable insights into what elements producers and showrunners might be looking for in a writing sample. Working closely with both mentors has allowed me to gain a sense of confidence and direction about entering the TV and film industries.

This was my first time completing a significant work of screenwriting, and it was undoubtedly a learning experience! I found the style and sparseness of the script difficult to get used to, having previously written fiction and journalistic pieces. However, the process of applying the lessons and critical work from my studies in English studies to a significant work of my own was immensely satisfying. Professor Cole reminded me of the exercises that we worked on in his creative writing workshop, “Words and Photographs,” and I found that the links we created between visual and literary languages in that class—as well as Professor Cole’s focus on concision—essential in developing my sense of screenwriting. I’ve also been lucky enough to read a significant number of plays in my English studies, from Shakespeare to more contemporary plays in Professor Derek Miller’s “Broadway Bodies” class. That exposure allowed me to see the parallels between playwriting and screenwriting, from the centrality of dialogue to the stage/screen directions. Screenwriting is ultimately a visual language, and the modes of analysis that I’ve practiced in the English department helped me dive into this complex discipline.

In my sophomore and junior English tutorials this past year, I struggled a lot with the revision process; I found the class structure, as well as the support of the tutors and writing fellows, incredibly helpful. Still, it was a challenge to apply those experiences to the kind of creative, self-directed work that I was taking on this summer. I had to learn how to set deadlines for myself and how to seek out feedback on my own (which was terrifying — I hate having anyone read my writing). The guidance of my mentors and of the LC Award team helped me to not be overwhelmed by this freedom. Moreover, in this self-driven project, I found space to experiment and take risks. I was able to be vulnerable in a way that I couldn’t have been within an academic space. Some truly terrible writing came out of this, of course, but in the end, it all helped me start to slowly figure out the stories I wanted to tell.

Throughout this time of focused writing, I was able to center my creative work and life in a way that I’ve never had the privilege of doing before. Because of this, I finally had the ability to experiment, explore, and learn — I had room to play and fail. I am grateful to the English department and the Literary Careers Award team for their support, and for making the work I did this summer possible. More importantly, I am grateful for what this support has emphasized to me: that the work of writing and storytelling is important, that it is possible to place it at the center of my life. This semester, I am taking another creative writing workshop that focuses specifically on television writing, and I feel lucky to be able to bring the experience I gained this summer to this class — and to develop my writing further.