Meet Joslyn Jensen | Screenwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joslyn Jensen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joslyn, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I used to be really ashamed of having to maintain a day job in order to pay rent while spending as much time as I could writing, pitching and making my own art. Then, I realized that the physical requirements of my day job (walking several thousand steps around a restaurant, carrying heavy plates, multitasking, etc.) was really an essential part of my writing process. My day job gets me out of my sick little introverted head, burns off pent up energy and gives me a little mental break from my work in progress so I can come back with new perspective. Not to mention the people-watching and character inspiration! To be honest, I do look forward to the day when I can can live off my writing — but even when I reach that milestone, I’ll still be committed to seeking out hobbies or other activities that provide the same kind of inspiration and release.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a professional screenplay reader as well as a screenwriter myself! As you might imagine, these things go hand in hand — and being a writer helps me give better feedback to others, just as reading 150-200 screenplays a year really improves the level of writing in my own scripts.

One of the major challenges, particularly in my reading work is my own dang attention span! When I’m stressed (which I always am) or there’s something going on in the news (which there always is) it can be difficult to give my undivided attention to your little script. When people ask me the methods that I use to lock in and stay focused, I can really only admit the sordid truth: I’m a freak for scripts. I really, truly love to read narrative writing and even if the script or the book manuscript is “bad,” I still find a ton of joy and inspiration in having spent time taking it in.

Ok, now dig this: The more time I spend reading scripts, the more I wonder if there is such as thing as a good one or a bad one. But, I guess this tracks because I never want to become a script reader who thinks she knows it all. I’m having too much fun reading your work — whether its structurally stunning or totally bat-shit.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I can only speak for myself — an introverted woman of very particular tastes, who rarely leaves The Valley because that’s where I live and work. Here are things that I like (in no particular order):

-The Antique Mall in Sherman Oaks (walking around, looking at everything and probably not buying anything).

-Eating a perfect sandwich (there is a new deli in Studio City called Ggiata that does it right.)

-“Burden of Proof” in South Pasadena (a shameless plug for my friends’ new N/A bottle shop that is the best store in Los Angeles or anywhere else.)

-Going to the movies at Vidiots, Braindead or The Lumiere. (The popcorn is best at Lumiere.)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My friend Erin Wagoner is a television writer, a mother to a 3 and a half year old and, if I may say, a total goofball.

I met Erin when she was pursuing a graduates degree NYU in the screenwriting department and I was one of a handful of local actors that would read the writers’ work aloud for the instructor to critique. (It was actually a really great gig for me, because the other actors and I were actually discouraged from memorizing our lines — so the dialogue could be heard exactly as written, keeping the focus on the students’ writing. Plus I got a stipend at the end of the semester for 50 bucks.) Erin became my friend and one of my favorite writers, but I think the most important thing I learned from her, professionally, was how to take criticism without letting it ruin your day, or your love for writing in your own style. I dedicate my shoutout to her for being my role model and my friend for so many years!

Instagram: @joslynjesnen_