A question as deep as you want to make it, and I’d love to know!
Your work here matters. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.
So, where does this passion come from?
Other stories you enjoy?
Thematic imperative?
Encouraging relationships?
Somewhere deep within yourself?
Someone might respond, yes. For others, perhaps it’s more specific. Perhaps it’s more broad?
I would like to know, in as many or little words as you like.
Sincerest,
Talia
Photograph in
Oradour-sur-Glane, France
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Hi, Talia Frank. I get inspiration from movies, shows, pictures, life, and so on.
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I read books and the news. Whenever this gives me an idea, I write it down before I forget it. If I run out of ideas when I am screenwriting, I go through my collection with about 4,500 modern urban legends. And many ideas come from "nowhere".
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Talia Frank What a beautiful and essential question! This really gets to the heart of why we do this work, especially during those inevitable moments when the industry feels overwhelming.
For many writers I work with, inspiration seems to come from:
The Unsaid Stories - Those experiences, perspectives, or truths they've never seen authentically represented on screen. There's something powerful about writers who feel compelled to fill gaps in the cultural conversation.
Personal Alchemy - Transforming pain, confusion, or wonder into something that might help others feel less alone. I've noticed many writers are essentially asking, "Did this happen to you too?"
Pure Wonder - Some writers are just endlessly curious about human behavior, relationships, or "what if" scenarios. They write because they genuinely want to explore and understand.
The Conversation - Writers who feel they have something essential to add to ongoing cultural dialogues about identity, justice, love, or meaning.
What strikes me most is how often writers discover their deepest inspiration isn't what they initially thought. They start writing action scripts but realize they're really exploring father-son relationships. Or they think they're writing comedy but they're actually processing grief.
Your reminder that "your work here matters" is so important. In an industry that can feel rejecting and impersonal, remembering that authentic storytelling has real impact keeps writers grounded in purpose rather than just ambition.
What about you, Talia? What draws you to the page?
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Talia Frank Hi Talia, happy Saturday. Let’s go cosmic - I get my inspiration from the Universe. Sometimes that comes from dreams, other times from having read the right books or seeing the right films.
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Talia, thank you for asking!
I draw my inspiration from lots of things...TV shows, movies, books, history, music, articles I've found while surfing the Internet, and personal experiences.
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I get my inspiration from life. Shakespeare wrote, 'All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." I have had the good fortune to travel the world and observe many stories that were interesting enough to share through my writing. WTS, I have also been given the opportunity to write a script from another era as witnessed by a WW2 resistance fighter. Observations of human nature interacting with environment. Different decades, different stories, universal themes.
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Addenda. Put yourself in a new situation. One example. First mom died when she was 84 and later dad when he was 90. During those months when I and my siblings had plenty to think about, my imagination ran completely wild with ideas related to what can go wrong with funerals and inheritances.
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Talia Frank,
I pull my inspiration from places most people overlook — old comic book ads, patent filings from 1913, forgotten poetry, and conversations with chickens (really).
But deeper than that, it comes from contrast. I grew up around darkness, instability, and pain. I survived things I don’t often talk about. So now I create worlds filled with humor, hope, absurdity, and music — because those are the things I needed most as a child.
My musical, animated, and film work all spring from one idea: joy can be revolutionary. That doesn’t mean ignoring the hard stuff. It means laughing in the middle of it. Singing despite it. Offering kindness when the world offers none.
I get encouragement from dear friends, including a Holocaust survivor named Inge who calls me a genius (I disagree, but she’s very persuasive). I write songs faster than most people make coffee, and every single one is a small spark against the dark.
So where does it come from?
Somewhere deep. Somewhere scarred.
And now… somewhere free.
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I love the conversations with chickens. Good title too. I'd go to it. It will make big bucks bucks bucks.
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Jon Shallit, thank you. I am an American from California now living on a small farm in northern Germany. While I am primarily a songwriter, I have also developed four TV series, four films, and a stage musical.