Building Worlds on Page and Screen with Josh Mendoza

My guest today is Josh Mendoza, an award-winning filmmaker known for his post-apocalyptic feature film, What Still Remains. His debut novel, Shadow of the Eternal Watcher, which combines sci-if and film noir, was released in January. Josh joins me to talk about his start in creative writing and his move into film, the similarities and differences in writing fiction and film, the necessity of learning through failure, the democratization of creative pursuits like filmmaking, and more. Episode breakdown: 00:00 Introduction 04:42 Family support fuels persistence in creative pursuits. 08:51 Emphasizing positivity over negativity in sharing creative feedback. 13:40 Unexpected audience reactions highlight creators' limited control. 16:25 Importance of not focusing on negative reviews or criticism. 20:14 Film structure rules help shape and tighten storytelling in novels. 24:05 Editing and trimming elevate both novels and screenplays significantly. 28:14 Books become lasting physical achievements compared to shelved scripts. 32:07 Movie-making demands flexibility and compromise with real-world constraints. 36:02 Intellectual property’s role in getting projects greenlighted discussed. 39:56 Technology enables democratization, but creates challenges in standing out. 44:02 Bad creative work is necessary learning for improved future art. 48:13 Letting characters shape the story often leads to authenticity. 52:10 Duster Raines, Josh's protagonist, is both flawed and compelling. 55:38 Genre mashups and series building.   Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.   If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk. Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack. Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks! If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.