The Winding Path to My Writing Career By Stacy Wise

Back when I was in third grade, my mom returned from a parent-teacher conference with the news that my teacher had said I was a good writer. I’m not sure what else she said—she could’ve come home with a litter of fluffy puppies for all I knew—but I was off dancing in the clouds. It was the biggest compliment anyone could’ve paid me.

The interesting thing is, I never considered that I could be a writer. No, I was a reader. An avid little bookworm who thought getting the newest Judy Blume novel in hard cover was the best gift in the world. (I still have them all.) So while I was thrilled by what my teacher had said, it didn’t allow me to entertain the idea of becoming an author. That was something other people did. 

Flash forward to my first job out of college. I began working as an intern (read ‘worked without pay!’) for a casting director. To be honest, prior to my senior year in college, I’d never heard of the job. But I learned quickly, and I discovered I loved the creativity of the job, and the fun of interacting with actors and agents. Following my internship, I landed a job as a casting assistant on The X Files.

Eventually, I became the casting associate for Married…With Children and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and finally, I became a casting director for Party of Five. With both my positions as associate and casting director, my job involved auditioning actors. Depending on how many guest and co-starring roles were in the script, I would sometimes see up to fifty actors per day. All those different personalities and energies charged me in a fabulous way. 

One day, a twenty-something actor came in, did his audition, and burst into tears. So many thoughts coursed through my mind—the first of which was, his audition wasn’t bad—why is he crying?! I waited a moment and asked if he wanted to try again. 

Waving his hand, he said, “No, no. It’s just—my cat died today. Maybe I should’ve cancelled.”

The poor guy. “I’m so sorry! I have a cat, too. Pets become part of our family.”

He nodded. “Can I try the audition one more time?”

Of course I said yes. Later, when I told one of my co-workers what had happened, he smirked and said, “Yeah, I’ve heard that one too. I bet he doesn’t even have a cat.”

Huh. How interesting, I thought. 

Another day, a guy who reminded me of George Costanza from Seinfeld came in with a hefty spiked dog collar around his neck, because he “thought his character would wear one.” (I totally didn’t agree, but choices!) It didn’t land him the part, but his quirkiness was absolutely delightful, and that’s what made him so memorable. 

I wasn’t one to rush through auditions. I often spent a few minutes before and after the audition chatting with the actor. The idea was to create a relaxed environment so they could do their best. Turns out, people would share some deeply personal things with me. Maybe they could see how interested I was in their stories. Whatever the case, it made me realize in a very profound way just how fascinating people are, and I wanted to write about them. 

During my hiatuses from the show, I tried to write scripts. They were terrible. Like so bad that I kept them in hidden folders on my computer in the off chance that someone discovered them. And besides, I loved my work as a casting director, so being a writer was just a wild idea.

But the universe had other plans. Party of Five came to an end, and by then, I was losing the passion I had once felt so deeply for the entertainment industry. I wanted a big change. As the daughter of two educators, teaching was the natural choice. I went back to school and earned my credential and masters and taught both kindergarten and third grade. 

It wasn’t until years later, after getting married and having four kids, all two years apart, that I entertained the idea of writing again. I had just read an interview with Stephenie Meyer where she mentioned that she told herself stories all day long.

The interviewer insisted that not everyone does that, but I wanted to flap my hand in the air and shout, “I do!” So I took the story that was playing in my head (rather loudly, I might add), and I started writing. Characters came to life in brilliant color. And yes, all of those amazingly creative, kooky, interesting actors I had met flew to mind in snippets and flashes.

I learned that unforgettable characters need to be real–strengths, flaws, and all. In a stroke of luck, I learned that two other women I knew from my kids’ school were both aspiring writers. We formed a critique group and became each other’s biggest cheerleaders. I was with both of them when I received “the call” from my now agent, and that made it even more special.  

Like many authors, my path to becoming a writer hasn’t been a straight line, and I think that’s the beauty of it. My path has been a fun road trip with lots of curious stops along the way, and all of the treasured mementos I collected on that journey became the foundation for my stories. 

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About the author 

Stacy Wise is the author of the just-released Lie, Lie Again, Maybe Someone Like You, winner of the YARWA Athena Award in 2019, and Beyond the Stars, winner of the Athena Award in 2017.  Prior to her writing career, she worked as an elementary school teacher and in television casting on shows including Party of Five, The X Files and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. She lives in California with her husband, four children, and three dogs. For more visit stacywise.com. 

LIE, LIE AGAIN

Lie, Lie Again (Lake Union; January 1, 2021; 9781542022774; trade paperback) by Stacy Wise “starts with a bang—a body at the bottom of a staircase,” says bestselling author BFFs Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. Combining the dramedy of the Netflix hit, Dead to Me with the scheming of the classic Melrose Place, Lie, Lie Again is a darkly funny, fast-paced suburban drama by award-winning novelist Stacy Wise, chronicling the dangerous entanglements of three women who live in the same apartment complex – and who all have a lot to hide.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing