We’ve been recapping Chasing Life since the beginning of the season and now with only two episodes left we got chat with a writer from the show, Allison Rymer.
We talked writing about really heavy topics, whether she’s team April and Dominic or April and Leo, and where she sees Chasing Life going.
(Breathe easy, we also found out Chasing Life will be back in the winter!)
Keep reading for a pretty awesome Q&A!
HOW’D YOU GET INVOLVED WITH CHASING LIFE?
I worked with the show runner before and we had a previous working relationship and then I got hired on as script coordinator.
WHAT DOES A SCRIPT COORDINATOR DO?
I want to write and I’m a writer, but what a script coordinator does is work with all of the writers and take care of anything the script needs. A script goes through revisions and things like that during the process of writing and shooting, so I kind of handle all that.
WHAT EPISODE OF CHASING LIFE DID YOU GET TO WRITE?
I got to write episode 16, which won’t air until February. It’s a great audience and I was given a great opportunity.
CAN YOU SPILL A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT YOUR EPISODE IS ABOUT?
I can tell you the name. It’s called “Model Behavior” and it’s just about being a role model and what’s the right way to act, standing up for yourself and stuff like that.
HOW IS THE PROCESS OF CREATING THE SHOW BEHIND-THE-SCENES?
It’s fascinating because…we know what’s happening and it’s interesting that we have to be very aware of the ways things are said or done. We have to make sure there aren’t any errors in what the characters are saying because otherwise people watching are totally going to know.
WHAT DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM FOR YOUR EPISODE AND FOR THE OVERALL FEEL OF THE SCRIPTS OF THE SHOW?
I think personal life. Everyone has their own life story and that’s what every writer brings to it – their own life story. We’ve all been through hardships and everything; no one is immune to it. I think we all draw from that.
SINCE THE SHOW DEALS WITH PRETTY SENSITIVE TOPICS — CANCER, GRIEF, LOSS — DID ANYONE FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOK OVER THE SCRIPTS OR EPISODES?
We had a consultant who was also dealing with the same things and she would come in, we’d talk to her, email her questions. We got to find out a lot about her too.
WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF WRITING THE SCRIPT?
For me, the hardest part of writing the script was just making sure all the characters…that you’re getting your tone of voice and you’re getting what the creators wanted.
DO YOU THINK ABOUT WRITING IN AWESOME QUOTES OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT JUST HAPPENS?
I don’t think you do. I don’t think you know what’s going to [be quoteworthy] or not. When you’re writing it you just write what you think is great for that moment or that scene and sometimes once it’s acted out or once you see all of it come together you’re like that was very powerful.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE SHOW SO FAR?
My favorite part of the show so far is the love triangle. Love that.
AH. BUT, WHICH LOVE TRIANGLE?
For me it would be April, Dominic, and Leo! It’s fun.
HAVE TO ASK — TEAM APRIL + LEO? OR TEAM APRIL + DOMINIC?
I feel like I shouldn’t spill! I’ll keep it to myself. It’s always a running joke in the room.
WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO SEE CHASING LIFE GO?
I just feel that because it’s such an interesting time for all of them and a hard time, I think it’s going to impact all of them a lot for the future. Something that wouldn’t have necessarily if this hadn’t come up. It’s going to send them in such different directions than they would have gone.
HOW DO YOU GET THE HONESTY IN THE SCRIPT/CHARACTERS?
I think it’s just the same as we’ve all been through things and we just try to convey that and convey it the way we feel we would probably react, as the character. I think all of the actors are great and they really feel it as well. They really know the character and have that pain in a sense by being a part of the character.
WHY DO YOU THINK EVERYONE HAS FALLEN SO IN LOVE WITH CHASING LIFE?
I think it’s the acting. I think it’s the writing. I think the characters are very lovable and I think it hits home for a lot of people. It’s very real.
IS IT HARD TO WRITE IN THE FUNNY MOMENTS OF THE SCRIPT BECAUSE OF THE OTHERWISE HEAVY TOPICS?
A little bit, but I think we try to think about what we would do in a moment. I know that when I’m dealing with grief I try to make jokes, so I think this is a very real reaction to the moment.
THERE’S SO MUCH HUMOR INJECTED INTO THE SHOW, WHICH IS BASICALLY HOW REAL LIFE IS. LIFE IS HAPPENING IN THE MIDST OF EVERYTHING ELSE.
Exactly. I think sometimes the reactions are…you laugh sometimes in a time of pain. That’s real. That’s the real part of it.
Image: Chasing Life Facebook
