We recently connected with Giulia Corda and have shared our conversation below.
Giulia, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I believe we learn from example, and I come from a family of Stoic workers. Once we commit to something, it needs to be done, no matter the obstacles or hurdles. Like a marriage, or perhaps that is not the strongest analogy nowadays. I learned my work ethic from family example, but also from my years of playing competitive tennis. Like any sport played at a higher level (and perhaps even more than others) tennis requires discipline, commitment, and mental strength. Repeating drills over and over again, refining your technique (because that evolves, too, with the development of new technology and strategies), improving your physical and mental conditioning… whoever read “Open” knows what I’m referring to. To become a better tennis player, you can’t stay still. There’s always something you should be doing. That’s the same with screenwriting, at least for many of us. You need to constantly train your writing muscle, and not just wait for a stroke of genius to hit you. Write a few pages every day, go to the movies, read scripts, and brainstorm in a writers’ group-you need to love your routine to stay in healthy writing shape.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a freelance screenwriter and story analyst, born and raised in Rome. After completing my BA in Anthropology, I relocated to the US, earning an MFA in Screenwriting from USC, where I studied as a Fulbright fellow. I’m based in Los Angeles, and offer my services in both Italian and English. I am currently developing a feature film—an adaptation of a short story titled ‘Il Confine’ (The Boundary) by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri with writer/director Federica Cellini and writer Mirko Cetrangolo. The story is part of Lahiri’s collection ‘Roman Stories’ and our movie adaptation is supported by the Ministry of Italian Culture. Additionally, I am working on two original feature projects.
My motivation to become a proficient story analyst originates from a sense of inadequacy. While at USC, providing insightful feedback on my classmates’ work was challenging; I struggled to keep up with the weekly writing assignments. Returning to school after many years, writing creatively in my second language, and doing so in one of the most competitive screenwriting programs in the world, was incredibly hard. I promised myself I would improve at this, and I did.
In 2018, I had my first professional opportunity at the Screenwriters Lab at Sundance (Asian American Fellowship) and have continued to work as a freelancer ever since. Over the years, I have read, analyzed, and rated thousands of scripts, collaborating with organizations such as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Sugar23, and currently, since 2020, the Black List (blcklst.com).
I was trained as a writer, but there’s something immensely satisfying in helping another person bring their story to life. This reminds me of my transition from playing as a striker to a midfield position in soccer, discovering more joy in providing an assist than scoring myself. If soccer is not the most sophisticated reference, I revert to my classical training. I’ve always been fascinated by the Socratic maieutical method. The ideas are already within, and as a story analyst, I aim to elicit and bring them to life. This aligns with Michelangelo’s concept that the sculpture already exists within the marble block, and you simply remove the superfluous. I like to follow up with a phone call where my clients can voice their doubts. We go over what works and what prevents the script from achieving its potential. My golden rule is never to impose my version of the story on the writer but to assist them in shaping the story they envision. It is something incredibly fulfilling.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Discipline is indispensable for success in any field, and particularly in screenwriting. Regularly engaging in sports such as tennis nurtures this quality. Patience is another essential trait for a screenwriter, especially a feature screenwriter, as it may take years to see a movie come to life. It’s not easily teachable or improvable through techniques; rather, screenwriters need a shift in their mental approach. We must recognize the limits of what we can control and learn to let go of the rest, not taking it personally. Once we put our efforts into writing and self-promotion, there’s not much more we can do. Our projects are in the hands of industry gatekeepers (and the Screenwriting Gods), subject to their ups and downs, different tastes, and shifts in the zeitgeist.
I believe another crucial quality of a screenwriter is focus, a challenge in an era rife with numerous distractions. I’ve found a method that works well for me called the Pomodoro Technique. This time management approach suggests alternating Pomodoros (focused work sessions) with short breaks to promote sustained concentration and limit mental fatigue. Pomodoro, meaning tomato in Italian, refers to the kitchen timers shaped like tomatoes. For example, when reading a script, I can ideally set a Pomodoro timer for 25 minutes (or pages) and then take a 5-minute break once I’m done. After four Pomodoros, I can take a longer break of 15/30 minutes. While it may not be a cure-all, it works for me. Perhaps it’s because I love tomatoes and like the Italian name, but as always, whatever works.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Sooner or later, we all experience being overwhelmed, but screenwriting can cause a unique sense of frustration that few other professions evoke. Structuring an idea, completing a draft, or reworking a project after receiving conflicting notes—it often feels like we’re banging our heads against the wall. Some people revel in the structuring phase, They find it exciting; it gives them the thrill of cracking a formula, or solving a math problem. I’m not one of those people. Achieving a working structure is undeniably satisfying, but the journey to get there can be excruciating. When I reach that point, facing the seemingly insurmountable challenges of my story structure or scene problems and experiencing full-blown writer’s block (or whatever we want to call it), I find it pointless to force my way through it. My strategy is to step completely away from writing for a few hours or half a day, distracting myself as much as possible, either alone or with a friend. Being in nature usually helps—whether it’s going for a hike, to the beach, or playing tennis in a nice park (Vermont Canyon and Glorietta are my favorites). Whatever works; we all have our go-to spots. Sometimes, it’s in these moments when we shift our focus that the best ideas emerge.
If not, at least we’ve burned some calories and breathed fresher air.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giugliett500/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giulia.corda.378
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giulia-corda/
Image Credits
Francesca Forquet for my profile picture.
