Intervew: Marni Sullivan, screenwriter of Syvertsen's Complex

ROFFEKE: As a sci-fi fan, I'm always curious about the years that sci-fi writers pick as the setting of their story. Why set your story, Syvertsen's Complex, in 2050 and not,say, 2150?

MARNI: This story was primarily a character study of Rylan. I picked 2050 to keep the world from being so futuristic that minute details would overshadow his journey. It kept the story more contained and focused on his development instead of large set pieces that would require extra time for explanation.

ROFFEKE: In your bio, you say that you begun your writing career interviewing punk, industrial and metal bands and that you carry that influence into the construction of your characters. Which two or three of the interviews you did, do you consider memorable? Briefly, what is your process of creating characters?

MARNI: I would say the most significant interview I did was with Jello Biafra at the time he partnered with Mojo Nixon on a punk/bluegrass country fusion album. We covered various aspects of his entire career, so it was a long and fascinating interview to conduct. Another favorite, which sadly never got published, was an interview with Dimebag Darryl in 1997. He was so easygoing and fun to talk to that it didn’t even feel like I was doing an interview at all.

In terms of character development, I tend to profile my main characters to get a sense of how they would truly react to a given situation, and how those behaviors would ultimately shape their journeys. I often think of eccentricities I have seen in people I’ve known in my life and try to work those into my characters’ personalities.
 
ROFFEKE: If you were given the choice, which three actors would you pick to play the protagonist?

MARNI: It would have to be someone who can emote under the surface. While Rylan’s trajectory is very emotional, he is also extremely repressed due to the programming he was subjected to become a praesidian. I could see actors like Alexander or Bill Skarsgard or Richard Armitage playing the role.

ROFFEKE: The protagonist (and the general world) has such a rich backstory. Do you take time to work on the backstory or do you add details as you write? Are you an outliner or a seat-of-the-pantser?

MARNI: I am very much an outliner. It starts with the primary engine of the story, which in this case is Praesidian Labs, and then build the potential socio-economic impact such an operation would have on the world. From there, it is matter of considering how those factors would manifest in day-to-day life, including how people treat one another. However, some extra details get added during the rewrite process when I see a place where I can add more dimension.

ROFFEKE: You have skillfully used flashbacks. How and why did you decide that THAT would be the opening scene? (You could have decided to open with the childhood scenes, or the 3D projector scene "About your new...", or a private school scene, or a Kirsi back story...)

MARNI: Because the story was a character study, I made the decision to tell it strictly from Rylan’s point of view. It was important to set the stakes for Rylan immediately and that would have to be at his moment of greatest duress. Combine that with the memory redaction issues, the flashbacks become an active device he uses in coming to terms with what was done to him so he can rebuild his identity.

ROFFEKE: How did you come up with the names "Immeren" and "Praesidian"?

MARNI: They are based off of Latin words for protectors and wards. I picked Latin because science tends to use either Latin or Greek word stems to form their terminology.

ROFFEKE: The details you include are just as important as the details you leave out. Why specifically a hydrogen fuel cell? (page 13)

MARNI: I deliberately picked a vehicle that seems very innovative today and put it in a perspective where people would treat it as dated a couple of decades from now. It was just a way of poking fun at how quickly we dismiss past advancements for what we consider to be “the latest and greatest.”

ROFFEKE: Advice for screenwriters, especially those interested in writing sci-fi?

MARNI: My advice would be to take what you know and utilize that knowledge to generate a storyline about a problem or a rising trend today. A writer doesn’t have to come from a scientific background to write something poignant in the genre. They just need a unique angle into the story and the strongest tool you have is your own life experience.

ROFFEKE: Interviewing rock bands, degrees in anthropology and neuroscience, a graduate fellowship in neurobiology and now an award-winning screenwriter. Any advice for anyone who wants to make that leap from one career path to a screenwriting career?

MARNI: My advice is to find a solid screenwriting program that really teaches the craft, so you have structure down, and then just write about what is interesting to you. It is tempting to try to write what you think is selling at the moment, but what you have to remember is trends shift at a moment’s notice. It’s hard to chase those, and more importantly, the story won’t have the same resonance if it isn’t something you want to write. If it feels like a chore, that is a sign to reassess if it is really worth your time.

ROFFEKE: What life lessons did your neuro-atypical brother teach you, knowingly or unknowingly? How do you take care of your mental health?

MARNI: I watched a lot of people torment my brother because he was different. He was the target of bullying throughout his school years, and then bad medical practitioners who misdiagnosed his condition. His struggles taught me that we have a long way to go in our understanding of how the mind works and what we decide is “normal” or “abnormal.” Normal doesn’t always equate to being ideal. In fact, a lot of behavior that has been normalized is exceedingly dangerous to our minds.

One of the ways I manage my own mental health is by paying close attention to what I see and hear through media and questioning it. The most common way we get programmed with bad messaging is through repetition. You hear something enough, it can take a hold before you realize it. Once you know that, you begin to see how news outlets will repeat the same concepts over and over to push their own agenda. Managing how much time you spend listening to those outlets, along with fact checking, is critical in maintaining emotional regulation.

Marni Sullivan's Website:https://arcanevistas.com