SCREENSHOT with our Messy writer-actor Lola Szczotarska 🫐
From our series peeking into lives of writers at different stages!
Lola Szczotarska is one of our OG Messies and she’s finally letting us explore her wonderful mind, her dreams for the future, her love of stage and screen and of course, how she came to be a Messy in the first place.
How did you come to be a Messy?
I met Jessica Riches through one of my best friends, Jessica Rowlands, when - together with another now OG Messy Megan Prescott - they came to see me in a dark comedy play ‘Coffee, ten sugars’ at the Hen & Chickens Theatre. After the show, we clicked immediately. Conversation flowed (as did soda with tequila) and when we got onto the topic of the state of things, the frustration of being a woman in the industry, how isolating writing can be, Jess Riches mentioned that she and her wonderful, talented friends, Isobel Bruce and Sorcha Kurien-Walsh, were going to do something about it. Enter stage right: the blossoming idea of Messy Women. It sounded like exactly what I had been missing in my life: a close community of vibrant, curious, creative minds who embraced the wilderness of it all, were nevertheless determined to carve a route through and wanted to ride the rollercoaster with their friends. Very soon, WhatsApp groups having been dutifully created, we were gathering in various central London locations, chatting and sip sip sipping.
The singularity with which each Messy approaches their process and creative choices is so inspiring to me. I’ve loved taking part in the bootcamps and live reads, reading and listening to the brilliant writing, supporting the successes and the struggles, cheering on Messies at the Edinburgh Fringe (where I too survived the month) and of course attending many a party. There’s been familiarity and discovery in equal measure. I’ve learned and grown a great deal over the past couple years, but perhaps most importantly, I’ve made many life-long friendships. These really are the relationships I value, nurture and feel so lucky to have. Perhaps fate is too strong a word but certainly something aligned and smiled down on me.
What was the first project you were proud of?
I was very proud when I finished my first feature screenplay - a fast-paced coming-of-age crime drama set in 90s London. It was recognised in competitions although now it naturally needs a re-write. But it did confirm my ability to write a big complete story in a world I had imagined with characters who seemed to know what they wanted to do before I did. Central themes of dual identity, violence and renewal emerged and I realise they thread through much of my other writing too.
I was also proud when a short screenplay, Terma, that I wrote was brought to life on screen in soft Greek hues. It’s a retelling of Homer’s Ulysses from Hera’s perspective with themes of self-discovery and defiance against prejudiced opinions on gender and sexuality. Here is the link if you fancy a watch!
What is your writing routine?
Good question. And one that makes me a tad nervous because it holds up a well-dusted mirror to my insecurities and vulnerability.
I don’t really have a set routine since I’ve worked mostly freelance, at odd differing hours as side hustle income gigs usually are, and also it depends on the project and the deadline. Ah, a deadline. Now that gets me going. Of course I won’t type until absolutely necessary (why the self-inflicted stress I don’t know*) but the accountability does coax me into submission - I don’t want to let others down. Time and energy is precious, and deserves the utmost respect.
If I’m working with others on a project, as I have done quite a few times, then it’s a back and forth, as and when feedback is exchanged kind of process. This fuels my writing rhythm since I’m responding to questions and suggestions from another writer, a director or producer: I enjoy the collaboration, the play, the digging. I’ve worked in translation and with international teams whose perspectives often expand my own. It also means I have to be able to clearly articulate my vision and justify and negotiate my choices.
I’ve learned quite a few writing lessons in this way, working on short films that haven’t received enough funding for production, treatments and pitch decks that died in the shopping basket, and short films that have been made and screened at festivals.
Writing solo is also delicious. When I wrote my first two features scripts in 2020, I made a habit of being at my laptop every day for any length of time but always a minimum of one hour. It takes me some time to warm-up, detach from my ever-present to-do list and submerge myself in the world or the emotional space of a particular scene. Sometimes I’d delight myself with a stream of pages or sometimes I just tinkered with the same five lines of dialogue and daydreamed. Either way, the sitting down and the thinking is part of the doing. I definitely like being on public transport, or like a long train journey, and mentally workshopping story ideas or finding inspiration for characters through people watching. I find being in transit meditative.
There’s also the natural ebb and flow of being creative and witnessing creativity that I welcome and believe is vital - watching films, going to exhibitions, theatre, live shows, concerts, listening to podcasts, reading books and articles… Experiencing these and being moved is cathartic and invigorating: I know better what I care about, what I find funny or upsetting and why. These realisations work in tandem with developing my outlines, the shape of a character’s arc and answering the inevitable question: What’s your script about?
But it’s hard to do everything at once. Plus sometimes I’m just not in the mood to write. Plus I need to devote equal time and energy to my acting career. Plus work to pay the bills. Plus maintain adequate health. Plus socialise and live life. Plus family, admin and cleaning the bathroom.
But of course I do need to put actual words on the page. Enough rationalising of excuses. Ok. Words. Page. Once I’ve done the required research and put together images or references, I like to first outline and then map moments in a scene - a kind of collage rather than strict beat sheet - which then reassures me when I start the first draft and scroll down. I prioritise the habit of sitting at my laptop every day to work on a writing project, whether in notes or research stage, treatment, first draft or third re-write stage. Once I’m in the flow, I go hard and go home, and write until there’s a draft done. Then a breather and some distance before I re-read, edit and mumble incoherently.
Now for the practicals. I tend to be a late morning or late afternoon/evening writer. It’s either too much strong coffee in my favourite mug, a herbal tea or a gentle tipple. Post-meal I’m too lethargic and want to sink into a comedy like Abbott Elementary, Shrinking or Hacks. Writing in bed is fun, or on a sofa, or in any position that will require a chiropractor’s visit. I listen to blues, The Growlers or the playlist I’ve carefully curated for the script and protagonist. A nail file nearby is handy before I expose my nail bed.
* I do know. It’s fear, procrastination, self-doubt, laziness and perfectionism all tied up in one. Old habits do die screaming.
What projects are you working on right now and how do you juggle them all?
I’m writing a drama feature that I started in 2023 during the first Messy bootcamp. I recently discussed the premise with a good friend, who I had met at a Messy event (!), and the themes really resonated with her. The script is very personal, and probably the reason why I struggled to finish it the first time round, but with distance and re-examination, I realised it needed something else. We re-jigged the structure, streamlined the story and added magical realism.
I always have a handful of projects brewing so I’m now also deciding which one to get cracking on, whether in script or play form. Something new and shiny and strategic as I want to get it produced (on stage or screen), perform one of the roles and get a writing rep.
I also have the two features which need a page one re-write… so I guess juggling is the name of the game. If I have multiple ideas percolating at once though, I tend to stick to working on one project per day to avoid feeling overwhelmed. I also like working on projects in different stages of maturity since they each use different types of brain power (science ya?).
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
I’m very ambitious and have been visualising myself fulfilling my grand ol’ dreams since I decided when I was little that this would be my career. As an actor, I want to be on stages playing juicy roles with full houses and be in international films that spark conversations and TV that charms and comforts audiences. As a writer, I want my scripts and plays to bring hope and humour, to open hearts and stir action towards social, economic and environmental justice. The only thing is that my age seems to be getting incrementally yet noticeably older in these visions… reality slaps!
My career expectations have certainly adjusted over the past five years, acknowledging and surrendering to the fact that my path is unique in its trajectory and meanderings. My journey has its own pace, comparison is futile, and I’m trusting the process of these darn hurdles. Sometimes reluctantly. I’ve also found that I do better rather than worse when I embrace the surprises and the big risks, say yes and trust my inner child instincts. And also my definition of success has evolved. Right now, success is being able to ditch my side hustle and earn a basic living with writing and acting slash anything creative.
Over the next year or two, I aim to develop my feature script to be ready for pitching and financing, and get the train rolling for independent production. I want to turn one of my brewing concepts into a low-budget short film script, and another into either a solo or strong ensemble play that I can put on at a fringe venue in London. And in an ideal world sign with a writing rep so I can get my foot in the door and my scripts on desks. And then beyond that, I strive to continue producing high quality, singular and bold work with passionate people I respect and admire, and of course, my Messy friends!
Thanks, Lola!
With love,
The Messy Women x