Jana Savage, WILDFLOWER
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[1:03]Today I have a special guest who is Janice Savage, who actually wrote the movie Wildflower.
[1:10]If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that my husband Kyle started a production company
[1:15]called Morning Moon Productions.
[1:17]And their first film recently, very recently, came out on Hulu, streaming on Hulu, and is
[1:24]a really powerful, wonderful film about a dark comedy about a high school senior who has
[1:30]has been raising her neurodiverse parents.
[1:33]It's funny and smart and all the good things.
[1:37]And a big part of that is the script, which is written by Jana.
[1:40]So I talked to Jana about the movie and about her career as a screenwriter and the strike
[1:45]and everything else that's going on.
[1:47]So I hope you enjoy this episode and you should go on over to Hulu and watch Wildflower.
[1:52]It's amazing.
[1:54]Janice Savage is an LA based writer, producer and actor.
[1:57]She's currently writing the sequel to a popular early 2000s film for 20th century studios
[2:03]and is joining forces once again with Wildflower director Matt Smuckler for their upcoming
[2:08]featured Derry.
[2:09]Jana is also a part of the writing team Murder Inc., whose credits include Netflix's
[2:14]hashtag reality high and Universal's praise this.
[2:17]Their blacklist script homecoming is set up at Lionsgate with Murder Inc., producing alongside
[2:22]Mandeville and get lifted.
[2:23]And their feature Black Don't Camp is at New Line with macro producing.
[2:27]They currently have two television projects with Universal and are writing features for
[2:31]STX and Amazon Studios.
[2:34]I hope you enjoy our conversation and again, go check out Wildflower.
[2:38]Welcome, Jana.
[2:39]Thank you so much for coming on Moms.
[2:40]Don't have time to read books.
[2:42]Thank you for having me.
[2:43]I'm very, very excited.
[2:44]Uh-huh.
[2:45]Well, you are not only the screenwriter of Kyle's produced movie, not just Kyle, but the
[2:52]whole team effort Wildflower, which is amazing.
[2:56]But you're just such an accomplished screenwriter in general and have done such wonderful
[2:59]work.
[3:00]So this is such a thrill to chat with you about your whole history.
[3:04]And now I'm a mom.
[3:05]And now you're a mom.
[3:07]Congratulations.
[3:08]Congratulations.
[3:09]So does it do now not have time to read books or did you not really read books that
[3:13]much?
[3:14]Or what?
[3:15]You know, I'm funny.
[3:16]I, for somebody who's a writer, you'd think I'd read more.
[3:20]I read a lot of Stephen King books I have since I was a kid.
[3:23]I was like the first book I ever read was a Stephen King book when I was 11, which
[3:27]in retrospect was probably not great for my psyche or wonderful because there's, they
[3:31]still remain my favorite books to this, to this day, but we didn't have much time for
[3:35]them before and I definitely don't.
[3:38]Yeah.
[3:39]I tried, but I usually, it's just a good way to get me to sleep.
[3:43]But yeah, I love them anyway.
[3:46]How did you become a screenwriter?
[3:48]What happened between you reading your first Stephen King novel and today?
[3:53]Good.
[3:54]So yeah, I grew up in a family where, you know, theater and arts were important.
[4:00]My mother was choreographer and I grew up a dancer.
[4:04]And so I always had a player for the dramatic anyways, but I think, you know, it didn't
[4:10]really seem like entertainment was like a real path you could do being from like a smaller
[4:14]town in Maine.
[4:15]So it was something I love, but never really thought about I could actually do.
[4:18]And then one summer, my friends had raised money to shoot this independent film and I had
[4:25]the small role in it and I was like, too.
[4:28]So I secretly, I was at Boston University studying economics and I secretly started taking
[4:35]acting classes and then I weasel my way into the communication school program out here
[4:40]in LA and I actually interned and I had no idea at the time like what amazing shows
[4:45]I was interning on.
[4:46]Like I knew they were popular, but I was interning on the West Wing in Malcolm in the middle.
[4:52]And I mean, that's such wonderful access and I'm not going to the middle.
[4:56]I wasn't the writing room.
[4:57]They didn't let me in the writer's room, but I was outside.
[5:00]I was an intern.
[5:01]And I was stationed right outside, but anyway, I came to LA and I did come here and
[5:07]totally to act and I did for about eight years.
[5:10]And then I auditioned for a sketch show in which I had to write my own jokes.
[5:18]And I had no idea what I was doing, but I went in and I was so good that they didn't
[5:22]cast me.
[5:23]They liked my joke writing and so they asked me to start writing with them and that's
[5:27]how I met my writing partners.
[5:28]I do individual projects, but I also do I write with two partners and they really taught
[5:33]me how to write.
[5:34]And so I kind of people say they fell into something like I really did follow into writing
[5:39]and realize that I love acting, but like I really loved writing and I can lose myself
[5:46]in writing in a way I never really did with acting.
[5:50]And so you'll notice I still write myself a little cameos.
[5:53]Yeah, fabulous job is a policeman and so yeah, I credit my writing partners for teaching
[6:02]me on I totally lied when they said, do you want to come write with us?
[6:07]Again, I'm a writer, I'm a great writer.
[6:10]And then I turned in my first script in Microsoft Word and I thought if I did the tabbing
[6:15]correctly, they would notice I didn't have final draft which track they did, but yeah,
[6:22]that's how I came to be a writer and I love it.
[6:26]Wow.
[6:27]So what are some highlights from the acting part of life?
[6:30]So I mean, I had a lot of good success in commercial acting, which I loved.
[6:36]to my not say, oh, this is the highlighter acting treatment.
[6:39]I did a couple of blue buffalo dog food commercials and I do dog rescue.
[6:45]And so one of my shoots was literally just a menagerie of dogs and I showed up and it
[6:51]was so funny because they were all these beautiful like pure red dogs.
[6:55]And I was like, can I have the mud because I do rescue.
[6:58]And so they gave me the mud who was like, not trained.
[7:01]Oh, no, I had the longest monologue and I got all the way to the end of it.
[7:06]The dog would just slowly because I had my arm round it, slowly lean out of frame right
[7:11]at the end after I had done the whole thing.
[7:13]And so then he had not getting replaced by his beautiful golden shirt.
[7:16]I loved acting and I got to act in another one of my movies that I got kind of.
[7:21]But I mean, while flower is the first movie where, you know, it's out there.
[7:26]I'm so proud of it, you know, to tell me to go watch it.
[7:30]And so it was actually as for one small scene, like it was nerve wracking because, you
[7:36]know, the tone of the scene totally changed from the time I wrote it to the time we shot
[7:40]it.
[7:41]I tend to write a lot of comedy.
[7:43]And so it was kind of a comedic scene, but as we went to shoot it, dash my hawk who is
[7:48]in the movie.
[7:49]He said, you know, I don't think this is like a funny moment to my character.
[7:52]I think this is a really dramatic moment for him.
[7:54]And so I think we should play the scene more dramatic.
[7:56]And I was like, yes, of course, that totally makes sense.
[7:59]And so it went from kind of supposed to be a little bit of a gag, like almost Kramer
[8:05]versus Kramer gag of like, don't you open that back door to the police car, don't you
[8:10]do it?
[8:11]And then he does it to him really showing up and being very, very nervous about, you
[8:17]know, why his wife is in the back of the police car.
[8:18]This is out of context of the movie.
[8:20]But, you know, I ended up having to like kind of manhandle him and cuff him.
[8:25]And I was like, gosh, it just was more, even more respect that I did.
[8:29]for actors, because it's, you know, one thing behind the camera, but in front of it is
[8:34]like a, you know, a whole other ballgame.
[8:35]So, but that was really, really fun to see like, you know, watching people say your words
[8:41]is like so thrilling, it's a different kind of thrill to be in front of the camera.
[8:44]And then I was like, okay, I'm done.
[8:45]This is great.
[8:46]I'm glad I don't have anything else to do.
[8:49]So I say that was a pretty, pretty good highlight.
[8:53]Wait, tell me about the process of writing the script.
[8:57]So Matt had this family story to get across and you linked up with Matt and tell me
[9:03]what happened and how did you, yeah, how did you take that story and turn it into what
[9:08]it is?
[9:09]Because it is like a dark comedy.
[9:10]And maybe talk about what, how you would even summarize the movie.
[9:14]So Matt and I had, you know, worked on another project which hadn't seen the light of
[9:18]day, but we just worked so well together and we had such a similar weird sense of humor
[9:25]and also just, you know, as a director, he just is so like supportive of the writer
[9:32]and, you know, always there to kind of push you along, but, you know, just allowing
[9:39]you to create and then really taking your vision and then making it his vision while
[9:45]still maintaining your vision and like that is just such a gift for especially for film
[9:50]writers.
[9:51]So I could just tell for that first project that I was like, oh, you know, we should find
[9:56]something else to work on and it's funny because we have different kind of memories of
[10:00]Oh, wow, flowery came to be, but mine is,
[10:02]and of course it's right, cause it's mine.
[10:04]It was that, you know, we were talking different projects
[10:06]and I just kind of said to him,
[10:08]like, what are you most passionate about directing?
[10:09]And he said, he had said a narrative version
[10:12]of this documentaries that I did, you know, on my family.
[10:15]And so I was like, great, send that to me.
[10:18]And so I watched Wildflower.
[10:21]And it started and I was like, oh, this is gonna be nice.
[10:23]It's gonna be sweet.
[10:25]I get what this is gonna be, this documentary.
[10:27]And I was wrong.
[10:28]As I watched it, it was sweet and all those things,
[10:30]but it was so much more.
[10:31]It was like, it was so funny and sad and real.
[10:35]And I was like, oh, this is actually something
[10:39]I would really love to do.
[10:41]But I knew like, I didn't wanna do a straight drama
[10:45]just knowing my, you know, the way I tend to write.
[10:48]So I said, I wanna do this as sort of a dark comedy
[10:52]coming of age, you know, are you open to that?
[10:54]And he was like, yes.
[10:55]And he said, I think it has to be that way
[10:56]because there's too much, you know, serious subjects
[11:00]and sadness to just make it a straight drama.
[11:03]And I think in doing so, it allowed us to really pull
[11:06]out a lot of the joy and humor that you saw
[11:09]in the documentary.
[11:11]And it was a challenge because you're always trying
[11:14]to walk that fine line of laughing, but not laughing at.
[11:20]And that's, you know, I mean, it's been very, very hard
[11:23]to do.
[11:25]So yeah, so once Zoey decided we were doing it,
[11:28]admittedly at the time, it wasn't, you know, very busy.
[11:31]We're getting kind of another script together now.
[11:33]And he's like, so you'll be done in two months, right?
[11:35]And I'm like, oh, different time.
[11:37]But we wrote it super quickly.
[11:41]We had no attachments and it was a very much credit
[11:43]your husband for reading it and seeing something in it.
[11:47]And he, you know, I think for the time,
[11:50]we wrote it to being in production was like,
[11:53]I don't know a year and a half or something,
[11:54]which is nuts and Matt is a very like prolific
[11:58]celebrated commercial director.
[11:59]And I was like, don't get used to this.
[12:01]It's never happened.
[12:02]But, you know, we just, he had such a vision
[12:06]and the pieces just fell together so quickly.
[12:10]And yeah, for somebody sat down with morning moon producers,
[12:13]you know, I was convinced and I always tell the story
[12:16]because I'm a screenwriter and so I'm so used to being
[12:19]like rewritten and I was like,
[12:21]they're just, I know what these guys want.
[12:23]They just wanted to get this script
[12:24]and then they're gonna take it and give it to their big time
[12:28]Hollywood writer and I'm gonna be kicked out of here
[12:30]and they're like, we don't want to do that.
[12:32]And I'm like, yeah, right.
[12:33]And they really did it.
[12:35]It really was not, it was funny that we laughed out today
[12:37]and now that I know that it really, you know,
[12:40]how supportive they were of me and my script
[12:44]and the process and Matt, it was just a dream come true
[12:48]because again, you know, as a screenwriter in film,
[12:52]so much of the time you're not involved all the way through.
[12:56]And I, you know, it was something I'd said to Matt
[12:57]was like, this is, you know, so important to you
[13:01]and it's so important to me.
[13:02]And I just, I want to be a part of it in a supportive way
[13:06]throughout and I got to be in this,
[13:08]like the coolest experience I've ever had.
[13:10]And it's just, I'm so excited for it to come out,
[13:14]you know, for people to see it.
[13:16]It's amazing.
[13:17]Well, the script really brought to life
[13:20]the complicated nature of what it's like
[13:23]to be sort of a neurotypical child
[13:26]or to neurodiverse parents.
[13:29]I think that's the respect and I know you worked
[13:31]with respectability and all the terminology
[13:34]and making sure everything was great, which it is.
[13:36]I mean, there's so much respect for every single person
[13:38]in this film and it's so moving and, you know,
[13:42]really makes a difference.
[13:44]It really shows a sign of, you know,
[13:46]what is it like to live with all different types of people
[13:50]and what does it mean for self-care and all of that?
[13:54]And I have to say, after my younger daughter saw the part
[13:59]where B is making herself serial
[14:01]and then like cleaning up the kitchen and doing all of that,
[14:04]I mean, I literally used to like pour her cereal.
[14:05]Anyway, from then on, she like, she would go in the kitchen
[14:09]and just, she's like, oh, okay, got it, I am so powerful.
[14:13]Like, she was taking care of both her parents
[14:16]and the household, like, I'm just asking you,
[14:18]like put your dishes in the sink.
[14:21]So that was the thing that was so beautiful
[14:24]about the documentary is there is such a,
[14:27]obviously, independence that she had
[14:30]because she was kind of, because of the situation
[14:32]that she was in.
[14:33]But I think, you know, it's that balance of, you know,
[14:40]she was able to do certain things, you know,
[14:43]that maybe other kids her age couldn't
[14:44]and there's pros and cons to that.
[14:48]But I think, you know, we really just wanted to show a family,
[14:51]you know, like this is a family
[14:53]and these are their challenges
[14:56]and these are their joys.
[14:57]And, you know, it wasn't easy for anyone involved
[15:02]but we wanted people to walk away from the movie,
[15:05]you know, first and foremost saying,
[15:06]we just watched a story about a family
[15:08]and this was this particular family
[15:11]but the universality of it.
[15:13]We're hoping that really shines through
[15:15]because the drama, you know, in laws,
[15:19]generation, intergenerational,
[15:22]all those things exist in almost every family
[15:24]and it was just, this was another, you know,
[15:26]obviously very big layer that was added onto it
[15:29]but that's what we really wanted to highlight
[15:33]and I hope we did.
[15:34]We wanted people to be able to feel like they could laugh
[15:37]even though it was such a difficult, you know, subject
[15:40]and so we hope we accomplished that.
[15:43]You totally accomplished that.
[15:44]I mean, it was so funny and it comes,
[15:47]it's all from you.
[15:48]I mean, it's really awesome.
[15:51]I feel like I'm having a funny week at Red,
[15:53]like two really funny books
[15:54]and now talking to you about this funny script
[15:56]in the way you write comedy, it's great.
[15:59]I mean, it's like that dry humor, you know,
[16:01]like very witty and it's just hard not to laugh.
[16:04]It's great, so.
[16:06]It's kind of sarcasm dry humor
[16:09]which got me in trouble a lot as a kid.
[16:13]I was like, I'm just being honest.
[16:15]I don't know why I'm getting in trouble.
[16:18]And then you come to LA and everybody's so nice
[16:22]and then you start throwing your sarcasm at them
[16:24]and they're like, I'm like, no, no, no, I'm very nice.
[16:27]I swear.
[16:29]But yeah, that was one of my family,
[16:31]I'm a very large family that's all back in Maine
[16:33]and they, you know, when it came out on VOD,
[16:35]they all, they rented it and all side down
[16:37]and launched it together and that was,
[16:39]you know, something they were saying,
[16:40]you're like, oh, that's, that's you.
[16:41]I've heard you say that before, you were.
[16:45]So it was really fun to be able to kind of
[16:47]infuse that in a bunch of different voices.
[16:50]So again, in that credit, you know, Matt and I
[16:53]having the same kind of dry, weird sense of humor
[16:57]that people don't always get it.
[16:59]So you appreciate it when you find someone that does.
[17:03]I think most people are getting in.
[17:04]People are loving the film and so great.
[17:07]Yeah, I think, you know, even just contrasting
[17:11]the two families.
[17:12]I know you said this is so universal,
[17:13]but even just having siblings and seeing how like,
[17:16]most siblings don't have identical families
[17:19]or identical child raising things.
[17:22]You know, my brother was like,
[17:23]always getting in trouble as a kid.
[17:25]And now like, if any of his kids has behaved at all,
[17:28]you know, it's like, hey, and I'm like,
[17:29]are you kidding me?
[17:30]Do you remember what you were like?
[17:31]You know, like, I can't wait for us.
[17:34]So anyway, everybody has their own styles.
[17:38]So for anyone with the family.
[17:40]Yeah, it's for anyone with the family.
[17:42]And yeah, I was gifted with such amazing, you know,
[17:47]people to base these characters off of.
[17:49]And you know, we did take liberties
[17:52]and fictionalize things, but the spirit of the characters
[17:56]are these real people.
[17:58]And so many of the stories and scenes came from
[18:03]somewhere somewhere in the documentary,
[18:04]but a lot of them were stories that I had heard.
[18:06]And I kind of had to, you know, obviously,
[18:09]imagine what would that conversation have felt like,
[18:11]you know, are gone.
[18:12]But I was gifted with such amazing people, you know,
[18:16]and there's a scene in the film where, you know,
[18:18]one of the grandmothers busts out singing.
[18:21]And I think it was an outtake from the documentary
[18:24]where, you know, one of the grandmothers did it.
[18:27]It was a Frank Sinatra song, which we couldn't afford
[18:29]to film, but I saw that.
[18:32]And I was like, oh my, like, who is this person, you know,
[18:36]that that unironically not, you know,
[18:39]bust out into song when nobody asks them to.
[18:41]And so it was like those kind of gifts
[18:43]that I was able to just kind of explore.
[18:46]So that was, you know, it was obviously very nerve-wracking
[18:50]because there is a character in the film
[18:52]that is representative of the director and his wife,
[18:55]who I know, obviously.
[18:57]And so I really leaned into it.
[18:59]I really leaned into the Santa Monica-ness of them
[19:02]and their family and the world that they're in.
[19:04]And when I first said the script,
[19:06]I was like, oh my God, are they?
[19:08]And of course, it's still, it's a fictionalized version of them.
[19:11]But, you know, I was kind of nervous,
[19:13]but they loved that they were so supportive.
[19:15]His wife was, that made it meant everything to me, you know,
[19:18]for her to read it and feel like I had done her family,
[19:22]you know, justice.
[19:23]And that was really, really exciting.
[19:26]So it was a huge gift, but also very nerve-wracking.
[19:29]And what is it like when you're doing a script like this
[19:32]on your own versus when you're working with your partners?
[19:35]Like, which do you have a preference?
[19:38]Like, which stress level is higher?
[19:41]I think different parts of the process are more stressful.
[19:44]You know, I love working with my partners, you know,
[19:47]when the process looks a little bit different
[19:50]because when there's three of us, you know,
[19:53]we sit down and we outline everything together,
[19:56]all the characters, all the outlines,
[19:58]and then we break off and we kind of break the...
[20:00]Gifted to thirds based on like, oh, I really identified
[20:03]with this part of the story.
[20:04]And then we come back together and we just rip it apart.
[20:07]And so it's a lot like a TV room type thing.
[20:10]And so the outlining process is very,
[20:14]we need to be on the same page before we go off to write.
[20:16]And so that's like my least favorite,
[20:18]just because it's so much like that's just so intensive.
[20:21]And there's so much debate.
[20:22]And it can be fun, but it's exhausting.
[20:25]But by the time you're done that process,
[20:27]you've had three people really,
[20:29]really run it through the mill.
[20:31]And so there is so much fun enjoying that.
[20:34]But it's also, it's exhausting because you're,
[20:36]you're fighting for things that you believe in
[20:39]and you're constantly having to check yourself and say,
[20:42]like, okay, why am I, why am I pushing so hard on this?
[20:45]Is it because I wrote this, this page?
[20:47]Or is it because I really, you know,
[20:50]feel this is important.
[20:51]And so it's, it's tiring, you know,
[20:54]but when you're doing it on your own,
[20:56]obviously you have more freedom
[20:57]and I can go into an outline much more fluidly
[21:00]because I don't have to, you know,
[21:03]be on the same page, I don't know about myself.
[21:05]But then, you know, you wonder, you know,
[21:08]you don't have the outside notes yet.
[21:10]So you're, you kind of are constantly having to check yourself
[21:13]during that process.
[21:14]So I find both processes very challenging
[21:18]and I love them both.
[21:20]And I think it's nice to be able to kind of go back
[21:23]and forth and even in, you know,
[21:26]I was able to, you know, produce while far
[21:28]as a nice negative producer,
[21:29]that was just another thing where it's like,
[21:31]it's nice to be able to take a beat away from writing
[21:34]and be on set and practice that muscle
[21:37]and that kind of stress and so it's kind of,
[21:42]I'm very lucky that I've been able to kind of move
[21:45]between these different experiences
[21:48]and I love them all.
[21:50]Multi-hyphenate.
[21:51]Yes.
[21:53]Actor, writer, producer.
[21:56]Everything, you know, what are some of your next projects?
[22:01]So it's an interesting time right now.
[22:03]That was you.
[22:04]Of course, we're in the writer's strike.
[22:05]What the writer's strike?
[22:05]So all, you know, writing has halted.
[22:08]I'm very lucky I was able to before the strike.
[22:11]I was able to finish up a project,
[22:14]which I can't say the name of because it's IP.
[22:16]It's a sequel to a,
[22:18]early 2000s teen movie.
[22:20]Oh, a project that a solo project I'm doing
[22:23]and I'm really, really excited about it.
[22:25]I think it's gonna be so fun.
[22:27]I'm nerve-wracking again
[22:28]because it's a movie with a bit of a cult following
[22:31]and so I'm hoping I do that justice.
[22:34]And then with my team,
[22:36]I'm doing first ever animated film that I've done.
[22:40]And again, it's another IP I'm going to the name of
[22:42]but it's a, it's a spin off of one of the characters
[22:46]in that universe and it's very, very, very fun.
[22:49]So I look forward to being able to pick up on that
[22:52]after the strike and also doing a basketball film
[22:57]with Chris Tucker, which after the strike will be able
[22:59]to pick back up all, which I'm super excited with my team.
[23:04]And then just a lot of, you know,
[23:05]trying to the one thing about a strike,
[23:08]which is I wouldn't say nice,
[23:10]but it does allow you to have time to work on some specs,
[23:14]you know, that you don't always have time
[23:15]when you're under contracts.
[23:17]And one thing I'm really excited about
[23:18]is Matt, the director of Wildflower and I are,
[23:21]are doing a coming of age horror film.
[23:25]Oh, yes, that I'm very, very excited about.
[23:28]And so that is a challenge.
[23:32]Again, it's like I'm, one thing,
[23:34]but with Wildflower, we were always kind of walking the line
[23:37]of what is the tone of this movie?
[23:39]What is this movie?
[23:40]And we were like, trust us, it'll work, it'll work.
[23:42]And then we're like, it's just gonna work.
[23:44]So this is when we're as a lot of humor, drama, family drama.
[23:48]And it was really inspired about my experience
[23:51]growing up down the street from Stephen King
[23:53]and being, you know, influenced by his books
[23:56]and how that kind of shaped the way I saw the world
[23:59]around me.
[24:00]Some super, super excited about that.
[24:02]And so we're looking forward to hopefully
[24:08]having a resolution to the strike.
[24:11]It's been a long time coming.
[24:13]And so I'm very supportive of it,
[24:15]but also you go to get back to work doing what I love.
[24:18]So anything, do you have any advice
[24:21]for aspiring screenwriters?
[24:23]I would say more writers of any kind.
[24:26]I think, you know, in this business in general,
[24:30]I think it's such a hard at times, lonely venture.
[24:36]And I think from like a holistic level of a human,
[24:42]I've found that what I think allowed me to persevere
[24:47]and stay was just having a full life.
[24:52]You know, so like having things outside of this
[24:55]that made me feel good and helped with my feeling
[24:59]of self-worth so that I could charge my battery
[25:02]to not only do the work, but then also sustain,
[25:06]you know, the long row that, you know,
[25:09]unfortunately there are a lot of rejections
[25:11]and there's, you know, a lot of challenges.
[25:14]And so for me, you know, that was always like,
[25:17]I do again, more rescue.
[25:18]And so like for me, having that sort of outside love
[25:22]and passion was really, really important to me.
[25:24]And so that's not, you know, specifically in writing,
[25:26]but that was something that was very, very important to me.
[25:30]And then I think the other thing with my path of writing
[25:33]is like just being open to your success
[25:37]or path being a little bit different
[25:39]than you think it might look.
[25:40]You know, I started as an actor.
[25:42]I think if I had been shut off to the idea of writing,
[25:46]you know, because it wasn't, you know, acting,
[25:50]I funny enough would have gotten less acting opportunities
[25:52]that I've gotten, you know, since writing.
[25:55]And I think just being open to it looking different,
[25:58]you know, and within writing, you know,
[26:00]there's so many different ways, you know,
[26:02]TV writing is like a whole different world
[26:05]than film writing, you know, is novel writing.
[26:08]And so you might fall into another version of writing
[26:13]then you really expected, but to be open to that
[26:16]because you might love it, you know,
[26:19]even more than you imagine.
[26:20]But I think, you know, it's the same thing
[26:22]everybody says just don't stop, you know,
[26:25]I think again in anything that's very, very hard,
[26:28]you have to really love it.
[26:30]And if you, you know, really,
[26:33]this is what you want to do in those times
[26:36]when you want to give up, you won't
[26:38]because there's no other option, you know.
[26:40]And, you know, some people find out like,
[26:42]hey, this isn't for me.
[26:43]And that's totally, totally fine too,
[26:47]but I think that's what kind of keeps you going.
[26:49]It's like, well, what else would I do?
[26:52]It's a good thing when you have those moments of like,
[26:54]yeah, I could clip it, then what else would I do?
[26:56]You know, I'd be miserable.
[26:57]And that's kind of as a huge gift, you know,
[26:59]I have a friend who said, you know, that's amazing,
[27:03]you know, she's never felt a passion like that
[27:06]for any sort of job, you know, she hasn't it
[27:09]and other aspects of her life.
[27:10]But, you know, I don't, people don't always think
[27:13]of that as a gift and I think it is a gift to go,
[27:15]well, you wouldn't allow yourself to do anything else
[27:17]and that makes it kind of simple in a way
[27:19]to get to those hard times.
[27:21]Yeah, just do it.
[27:23]You gotta get through it.
[27:25]Good, there's gonna be really great times
[27:27]and really crappy things, but man, the good times are good.
[27:32]It's say the same thing for your new motherhood as well.
[27:37]Or so, or the end product is so worth it.
[27:42]Well, Jana, thank you so much for coming
[27:44]on mom's no time to read books
[27:45]and thank you for writing such a fabulous movie
[27:48]in Wildflower, so exciting.
[27:49]It'll be on Hulu, June 23rd.
[27:52]And can't wait to see what you do next.
[27:55]Thank you, thank you, Ms. Smith, for having me
[27:57]and so much for your support of our project.
[27:59]It means so much.
[28:01]Of course, okay.
[28:03]All right, have a great day.
[28:05]YouTube, bye bye.
[28:07]Thanks for listening to this episode of mom's
[28:09]don't have time to read books.
[28:10]Don't forget to follow me on Instagram at zibi Owens
[28:13]and at mom's don't have time to read books.
[28:16]Also sign up for my newsletter at zibiowens.com
[28:18]and sign up for my virtual book club
[28:20]and meet lots of authors on Zoom every other week.
[28:22]Thanks so much to Steve and Ryan.
[28:24]In fact, texture sound for the sound editing.
[28:26]And thank you to Morning Moon Productions
[28:28]for providing this fantastic intro and out trim music.