Q&A with Drea Lee

Drea Lee headshot

INT. STUDIO SET – “THE CAROL CAROLSON HOUR” – DAY

A cozy, book-lined talk show set. Two armchairs face each other with a small table in between. Mugs labeled “CAROL CAROLSON HOUR” rest beside a stack of notecards. CAROL CAROLSON flips through her notes as DREA gets settled across from her.

CAROL
Welcome back to The Carol Carolson Hour. Today’s guest is someone very special—we’ve got writer and educator Drea Lee here for a self-interview… hosted by me. Let’s get into it.

CAROL
What sparked you to become a writer? How did your literary journey begin?

DREA
I’ve been writing stories since I can remember, but I really feel my writing journey started when I was about ten. My best friend and I would take turns telling stories late at night during sleepovers. Our stories were always about evil mannequins that came to life to get revenge on the person who bought the dress they were wearing.

CAROL
That’s specific and spooky. I like it. What’s the earliest thing you remember writing?

DREA
I was a huge Nancy Drew fan as a child, so the earliest thing I remember writing was a mystery story. I don’t remember what it was about, but I would sit and type on my dad’s word processor.
(Glances at camera.)
If you’ve never seen one, it’s more like a typewriter with a screen—but not quite a computer.

CAROL
I’ve seen one of those. Very vintage. But let’s get to the sweet stuff – what’s your favorite kind of chocolate?

DREA
My Grammy was a huge fan of milk chocolate and she taught me well. It’s still my favorite to this day.

CAROL
Have you ever struggled to write something—or are there genres or forms that just don’t work for you?

DREA
I find poetry, nonfiction, and short stories to be challenging forms to write in. I love them all and try to challenge myself to explore them when I can, but I don’t think they are my strongest forms. The genre I find most challenging is contemporary realistic fiction. Every time I try to write something in that genre, fantastical elements always end up creeping in.

CAROL
 Let the magic in, I say. On the flip side—what kinds of writing do you feel drawn to?

DREA
I love writing novels, screenplays, and play scripts. I even have grown to love flash fiction as well. My favorite genres to write are dystopian and science fiction, with a smattering of urban fantasy and paranormal horror elements. It doesn’t hurt to throw a little mystery in while we’re at it.

CAROL
What’s the biggest literary project you’ve ever taken on, and what did you learn from it?

DREA
I once wrote a screenplay about a friend from high school. She had passed away in a horrible event and her family wanted to honor her story with a film. A friend and I sat down and poured through all of her journals, the music she made, and interviewed people who knew her. I had written a screenplay before but never done anything that intense or personal. I got to know aspects of a wonderful human that I didn’t know before. It was challenging to capture her short but meaningful life in a two-hour screenplay, but it was beautiful to see the end result. The film never got made, but her family still treasures the script to this day.

CAROL
That’s incredibly meaningful. Shifting gears a bit—how do you describe your teaching style?

DREA
I consider myself a wise companion on the writing journey. I like to see every student in the class as a member of a band of literary travelers. Much like in an adventure story, we all have strengths to bring to the writing experience, and I like to create an environment where we can recognize this and learn from each other. I think young writers in particular have a lot to offer on the journey, and I want to see them grow their unfettered creativity in a welcoming space.

CAROL
And what do you wish you knew when you first started your journey in literature?

DREA
I wish I knew that my weird, offbeat ideas are what actually makes my writing special. That I don’t have to write like other people—and that the goal with writing is to uncover the uniqueness and depth of the worlds living inside me, rather than writing based on other people’s ideas about what “good” writing is. It’s taken me a long time to learn that and to return to the creative freedom of my childhood, but I’m making progress to get back there.

CAROL
Weird, offbeat, and brilliant. Drea, thank you for joining me. We’ll see you all next time on The Carol Carolson Hour.

Carol lifts her mug. Drea does the same. The set fades into soft lighting as The Carol Carolson Hour theme music plays.

FADE OUT.

Carol Carolson is a character Drea Lee has written for the skit comedy series Saturday Morning Incorporated. You can watch her skit “The Carol Carolson Hour” here.

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