Today we’d like to introduce you to Phaedra Michelle Scott.
Hi Phaedra Michelle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a writer, I am grateful for the many experiences I had that helped to shape and create who I am today. Storytelling has always been a passion of mine. I started my writing journey through my love of history, specifically American History. I loved learning stories about the history I longed to learn more about, history of Black American women, intersectional history, queer history, and local myths and legends.
For the longest time, I wanted to be a historian in order to get people as excited about history as I was. When I had the opportunity to work at multiple museums and develop exhibits, I learned very quickly that the fastest way to get people to care is to tell a really great story.
Writing was the next evolution on my journey, and where I find myself today. Through plays, musicals, podcasts, and television and film, I have been able to share my love of story across mediums. I love writing historical adaptations, and I am also deeply inspired by local history, mythology and magical realism, traits that are woven throughout my work.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like any artist, I know what it’s like to experience those incredible highs of success and those devastating pits of rejection. It’s part of the job that I embrace, and personally never shy away from. I am a big believer in that I learn from success, and I learn even more from failure. Art is subjective, oftentimes decisions are made completely out of my control, and I’m totally cool with that–it’s all a part of the process of learning how to surrender. Not in a defeatist kind of way, but in a “let’s keep creating and see what happens next” kind of way.
Understanding yourself, your limits, your boundaries, your strengths will only help you in the long run. Once I learned to stop fighting myself (my personal insecurities, that doubt that tells me ‘oh this is a silly idea’), my creative life has gotten significantly smoother. It’s something I’m constantly interrogating and practicing, but I want to embrace the process so I can celebrate the victories when they come.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a writer. Playwright. Screenwriter. Musical Theater Librettist. Storyteller. I am a proud member of the Writers Guild of America and the Dramatists Guild. My work has been seen all around the country, including my plays Diaspora! (2024 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding New Script) and my plays Plantation Black, Good Hair have been published through Theatrical Rights Worldwide. I have had the honor of writing for my first television show where I am a proud member of the Writers Guild of America.
As an artist, I thrive on intersectional stories that are filled with practical, relentless optimism. I love stories where bad people do good things, where good people do bad things. Themes of ships passing in the night, the power of friendship, and just a hint of the supernatural. I adore science fiction, fantasy and horror, genres that I love to use in unexpected ways in my work. Oh, of course, if I can make the story into a historical adaptation or set during a specific time period, I’m even happier.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
In the wise words of Toni Cade Bambara “the job of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.”
Pricing:
- $500 / script consultation
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.phaedrascott.com/
