Her indie film, the comedy SKID, was deadCenter Film Festival’s Best Oklahoma Feature Film Winner in 2015 and also won Best Oklahoma Feature at Red Dirt and Trail Dance. She is a creative consultant on Boo, a script based on her beloved novel series, which is in development at Sodium 11 Entertainment with Andrea Nasfell (Moms’ Night Out) as screenwriter. Her novel My Life as a Doormat was adapted into a Hallmark film called Love’s Complicated which premiered in January of 2016 and scored 2.1 million viewers. She is a full-time writer for The Skit Guys.
Find her on Facebook and Twitter or at her website, www.renegutteridge.com
You have had quite a diverse career as a writer. Is there
anything, in particular, that you’re most proud of?
I guess I’m most proud of not giving up. When I set out to be a
writer, when I decided that was the thing I was good at and how God wanted to
use me, I had no idea what I was doing. I had studied screenwriting in college,
and I knew the nuts and bolts of it all, but there really is nothing at all
that can prepare you for the climb. For
every individual writer, it’s not like you’re climbing Mt. Everest, it’s like
you’re the first person to ever climb it.
It’s so individual to each person, that there is nothing that can
prepare you for the exact path that is going to be yours to take. It may be riddled with failure. It may be a
soaring success. It may take a turn you never saw coming. And so there’s really
no roadmap. I tried to stay true to who I was as a writer, while also being
humble enough to learn. I really had no business sense at all when I started
out, so quite frankly, I can’t believe I made it at all. I have to thank God’s
goodness and a lot of gracious people who cheered me on and offered advice
along the way. I’m just really glad that I didn’t give up, because there were
some awfully trying days. There still are.
You’ve written in several genes, including suspense (The Storm
Series), romance (My Life as a Doormat) and mixing it up with comedy and a bit
of detective work (The Occupational Hazard and Boo series). Is there one genre
you enjoy over any other?
Not one above the other, really. I always say I follow the story,
not the genre, so each one is enjoyable. I feel suspense lets me play more and
I am able to enjoy the process, not worrying so much as I write. Comedy is the most difficult, but it has the
biggest pay off for me. When you write
that thing that makes someone roar out loud with laughter, it’s the most
amazing feeling. But it takes so much work. I don’t think people know what
precise detail goes into writing comedy.
That one funny line that made you laugh took twenty lines to set up, all
in an exact order, all with particularly chosen words leading up to a big
moment. At the end of a day of writing
comedy, I usually have a headache.
Speaking of series work, you’ve done at least 3 of them (Storm
Series, Occupational Hazard and Boo). What was the motivation behind going
beyond one book?
Some ideas lend themselves better to series. They’re usually
stories with a set of characters that will be interesting no matter what kind
of setting you put them into. Boo, interestingly, was my third book and I did
not set out to write it as a series. But when it came out, it kind of shot
right out of the gate and it was so peculiar I think it sold well just because
it looked and seemed so weird. But it did
well enough that the publisher came back and said, “Hey, do you have another
idea for a book like this?” I didn’t
have an idea, but I did have a title: Boo Who. So I sat down and wrote out an
idea that went that title. I did two
more after that, both of which were based solely on the title that I had first:
Boo Hiss and Boo Humbug. It was a little
magical for me…it was like these books had their own little way about them and
they just needed a writer to find their way out.
You’ve novelized a few films (OLD FASHIONED for instance).
What was the attraction for you?
Novelizations have for the most part come from the publisher’s
end. They’ll typically buy the novelization rights to a movie and then seek out
a writer they think would be a good fit for the project. I’ve been very
fortunate to do several of them and they’ve all been a blast, and I always felt
very humbled to be a part of them. The
other novelizations I do, from script to book, before the movie is ever made,
come from my relationship with screenwriter Cheryl McKay. I got to know Cheryl
after I novelized her movie THE ULTIMATE GIFT. She showed me another script
she’d written called Never the Bride. I read it and loved it and decided to see
if I could pitch it as a novel. We’ve done four script-to-novel projects so
far. They’re really fun.
You’ve had two of your novels turned into films (Skid, and My
Life as a Doormat, which became the Hallmark Channel’s LOVE'S COMPLICATED).
What was that like? Can you describe your involvement in both of these
projects?
They were both really amazing and in completely different ways.
SKID was a small indie film that we filmed locally in
Oklahoma. It was fully funded, paid for
in cash by one investor. That hardly ever happens and I can’t explain what a
gift it was. It took a full three years, from beginning to end, to finish and
it was the hardest work of my life. It
was immensely rewarding because of all the creative involvement I had. I wrote
the script, adapted from my book, but I also got to be on set every day and
make big and small decisions along with the producer and director. It was a
very emotional experience for me. I remember walking the actress who played
Lucy to the set, and she was in costume and we were just chatting and I was
just struck with how surreal it was to be walking next to my character and
talking with her! She’s living and breathing right off the page!
Hallmark was interesting because I had literally nothing to do
with the making of the movie. My project was in the hands of other artists, and
they adapted it how the envisioned it. It was thoroughly thrilling to watch it
unfold. Having worked in both the adaptation of novels to movies and movies to
novels, I think I have a unique perspective on the process, so I can really
appreciate how difficult it is to adapt a book to a movie. A movie to a book is a far easier process. It
was thrilling in every sense of the word to see writers, actors and the
director interpret my original vision. I’m thankful for their talent.
How about your work with The Skit Guys? How does skit writing
differ from writing a novel?
If you talk to my screenwriting professor, he will undoubtedly
tell you that I stuck out from the crowd because every semester of
screenwriting I would write a full-length screenplay, instead of the thirty
pages that was required. I’ve always
been a long writer, so I knew Skit Guys would be particularly challenging for
me. They do high-level short film work so I had a lot to learn. But what I
brought with me was years of experience writing Christian comedy sketches. It’s
been an absolute thrill working with them. They’re really good at what they do,
but also very humble and encouraging. I’m one part of a large team of people
who work to uplift others with their talents.
You are such a prolific writer! Do you have a writing routine
that you follow?
You learn pretty early on as a professional writer that
discipline should be as close of a friend as creativity. I’ve navigated a lot of different seasons. I
became a professional writer at the age of 22, and I’m now 43. I’ve had so many
different seasons to work through as far as the discipline of writing goes.
I’ve had newborns, toddlers, seasons of health problems, teenagers. Every
season presents its discipline challenges, so you find your way. Right now, with my kids really very busy and
self-sufficient, I do a lot of work at coffee houses. It’s been a good change
of scenery from my years at the desk.
But in every writing day, I try to read the headlines. It takes me out
into the world for a little bit, before I go into my imaginary world. My biggest rule, though, is that my kids have
access to me at any time during the day. It has helped them know they’re more
important than anything I’m doing on the computer. When they were little I had this sign hanging
on my door that said: No entry while writing! (Unless you’re John or Cate). They
loved that.
What’s your biggest challenge as a writer?
Well, the challenges have always been the same: believing in
myself, trusting my gut, working through what seems impossible. Every story
starts the same way, with a big, blank, white page. And it’s always
intimidating.
One of your earlier novels (Listen) has a distinct moral
lesson driving the plot. Looking back, was your writing process for Listen any
different than for your other books?
It wasn’t. But it has an interesting story to it. I wrote this
book about the power of words, and then as I was finishing the final editing,
we learned that our son was enduring some horrible bullying at school. It was such a strange whirlwind of a time. I
ended up speaking about bullying and the power of words in a very personal way
that I hadn’t expected when I set out to write the book. I did one radio interview where they set me
up as sort of this “bullying expert” and it was difficult because I kept thinking,
“I’m no expert. I’m a novelist and now the mom of a bullied kid. I’m
heartbroken, but no expert.” But I also
knew, if I could tell our story, I could help others. So I did, as painful as
it was.
Speaking of writing process, overall, how would you say yours
has developed over the years?
Well, hopefully for the better! I’ve learned to write tighter,
that’s for sure. And I think I’ve learned to have more fun in the process…worry
less, play more. I’ve never enjoyed the
editing phase, so I’m still one who tries to write a very strong first
draft. I have friends who just spill
everything out on the page and then love the editing process. I can’t do that at
all.
What is your definition of success, as a writer (artist) and
as a person?
As a writer, success to me is always loving it. The writing
business can be harsh and beat you down a little. If I still love writing a
story at the end of the day, then I feel successful. As a person, it’s simple for me. Love God and
love others. And not eat a gallon of ice
cream in one day.
Who are a couple of your favorite writers? And why?
Right now I’m mesmerized by the writing of Karen Thompson Walker.
Age of Miracles blew me away. I’m
a very eclectic reader, so I just sort of follow what interests me. But I
always, always love C.S. Lewis.
Considering your own success, I’d be remiss not to ask if you
had any lessons you’ve learned that you’d like to pass along to aspiring
writers.
Never hold on too tightly.
It can wreck your life. Love
books. Write books. Enjoy books. Work hard. Write hard. Learn as much as you
can. But don’t let success or failure wreck your life. A wrecked life really
robs all creativity. It stifles the artist’s heart.
You also helped develop Write Well. Sell Well. Can you
describe what that’s all about?
It’s a regional writer’s conference held in Oklahoma City. We’re affordable and smaller, and pride
ourselves in equipping writers creatively and on a business level as well. We
have a lot of fun too. You can find out
more at www.writewellsellwellokc.com.
Photo Credit. www.tyndale.com
Photo Credit. www.tyndale.com
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