From Reddit Star to Killer Shorts Finalist: An Interview with Chris Hicks

As Season 2 of the Killer Shorts Contest begins to wrap up, we thought we would take a moment to highlight one of Season 1’s finalists, Chris Hicks, who won 3rd place for his short script The Butter Street Hitchhiker. From growing up on horror novels to writing and performing sketch comedy, Chris discovered his passion for telling stories and found his voice in horror, first bringing his talents to Reddit. Chris initially wrote The Butter Street Hitchhiker as a short story on the popular subreddit, r/nosleep, which also has a performed narration on YouTube. From there, he decided to adapt the short story into a screenplay, and the rest is history. Part of Chris’ prize for placing in Killer Shorts was detailed coverage notes from The Script Butcher, a script consulting service that offers in depth feedback and analysis to help the screenplay reach its full potential, an immense help to any screenwriter. Chris’ logline for The Butter Street Hitchhiker is as follows:

Haunted by his past, a driver picks up a ghostly hitchhiker who will answer his deepest, darkest question if he drives him to his destination.

Based on the success of The Butter Street Hitchhiker, Killer Shorts helped Chris set up meetings with literary managers and producers. His high ranking in our contest gave his script some reputable attention, positively impacting his Coverfly score, and placing him on The Red List, a list of top rated monthly screenplays. That attention would then be the key to Chris’ next step as a screenwriter. He was selected by Coverfly for a special feature on writers with a background in science. This selection offered mentorship by Coverfly’s development team, who connected Chris with the manager that he is currently signed with. So if you ever have doubts as to whether screenplay competitions are worth it or if they actually help, just take a look at Chris’ story to see how far just one competition can push you into the industry. Read my interview with Chris below.

Conversations with Chris

When did you realize you wanted to become a screenwriter?

I’ve always been a writer, even during periods when the motivation and attention wasn’t getting words on the page. My life took me in a new direction just as I was about to turn 40 – I ruptured my achilles tendon, lost my job, got divorced, and moved three times while bouncing between jobs.

As I was getting back on my feet, I saw an ad on Facebook for a sketch comedy group in my area. It was a “I’ve always wanted to try this” thing for me, and finding myself with a lot of spare time I decided to give it a shot. I wrote sketches and performed in four comedy sketch shows (note: I am a terrible actor, just awful), and it was amazing. From there I transitioned from writing comedy sketches, to writing pilots, and eventually features. After some success in contests and just enjoying the process of creating stories, I knew that I wanted to do this full time.

What films inspired you to start writing? Was horror always your genre of choice?

My writing was more inspired by books than films. It began in the fifth grade when I snuck my mom’s copy of Pet Sematary from the headboard of her bed. She worked a rotating swing shift, so I waited until she was on nights to take it back to my room. I read every book she had – Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub, Jonathan Kellerman, Danielle Steel (I was eleven… and curious). As I got older and finished her stash of books I started buying my own. It was many years later before I tried my hand at crafting my own stories, finding success on Reddit with viral short horror stories. I enjoy all sorts of writing, but most of my success has been as a horror writer.

What was your writing process like for The Butter Street Hitchhiker? Did you write this short specifically for the Killer Shorts Contest, or was it ready?

The Butter Street Hitchhiker began as a short story that I posted on Reddit’s NoSleep back in October of 2018. Being a VIP member of the Screenwriters Network I had some free entry options to the Killer Shorts Contest, so I decided to adapt the short story into a short script. Since I already had the short story as an outline, converting it to a script was pretty easy, although I did have to make some changes to the story to make it more cinematic.

What was your experience like with the Killer Shorts Contest? Were you surprised/elated your script made it Top 3?

It was a fun experience! I felt like it was a very solid script from the feedback I had received from my early readers plus the success of the short story. But with all contests, you’re at the mercy of the reader so you never know if your story will connect. I had two scripts advance to the semifinals of Killer Shorts, which was amazing enough, so to finish in the top three was incredibly cool. Plus I got an awesome trophy. Or should I say, a Killer Trophy?

Without giving too much away, can you give a brief synopsis of your script? What was the inspiration behind The Butter Street Hitchhiker?

A driver picks up a ghost hitchhiker from a local urban legend, who will answer any question if you drive him to his destination. 

The short story was inspired by urban legend and folklore rituals where if you follow a set of instructions a supernatural event will happen (e.g. Bloody Mary, Candyman).

What was the biggest challenge you faced when writing The Butter Street Hitchhiker?

In the short story version much of the dialogue is internal, so I had to capture that in the script, without leaning too heavily on the voiceover, since it can be a polarizing story device. Also for the script version, I needed a bigger, more cinematic ending.

Since placing Top 3 in our contest, you’ve been featured on The Bloodlist, and others, leading to Coverfly featuring you on their site. Did you expect all of this when you submitted The Butter Street Hitchhiker?

I can’t say I expected any of it, but it’s been a great experience!

What has it been like signing with a literary manager? Do you have advice for writers who might be looking to take that step?

At the beginning it’s just about making sure you’re both pulling in the same direction. Do you share the same vision and game plan for how you want your career to proceed? It’s a partnership, so it has to be a good fit. I’ve seen this repeated from a few sources so I’ll add to the chorus: it’s not about finding A manager, it’s about finding YOUR manager. Any writer looking to take that step should start by asking themselves what about you and your writing makes you unique and marketable? You’re building a brand, so you want to make yourself stand out when you present yourself to prospective managers and producers.

What helps get you going when you feel unmotivated to write?

I do daily pages almost every morning. It’s an exercise which consists of three handwritten pages of stream of consciousness writing, or what I call “thought dumps”, into a notebook. It really helps untangle the mind and even find some story ideas.

What is some advice you can give to aspiring screenwriters who may not know where to begin?

Start writing! Network with people in the same boat! Fail upwards together! Success is an upwards cycle of failure, reflection, and improvement. Three years ago I would’ve been thrilled to be where I am right now, but right now all I can see is how far I still have to go. The target moves, so you have to be willing to work to elevate yourself to the next goal. But while chasing those goals, don’t forget to celebrate the milestones you pass along the way.

The first and most important milestone? START WRITING!

What is some advice you can give to aspiring screenwriters who may think it’s too late for them to get started?

I was wondering when the “old” question would pop up. You’re going to get older anyways, might as well get older and do something you love.

What’s next for you and where can our readers learn more about you/follow you?

Right now I’m researching potential project ideas to build up my short story catalog.  I have also been working on a feature version of The Butter Street Hitchhiker. 

The best place to keep tabs on me is on Twitter (@writechriswrite).

Think of this interview and story as motivation the next time you’re thinking of submitting to Killer Shorts. There’s a chance that we can set up meetings with managers, which can build your network, or even get you signed. You never know where it can lead and there’s absolutely nothing to lose. Chris gives some powerful advice on goals, stating that success is an upwards cycle. You have to start somewhere and you can’t be afraid of failure, as it’s an integral part of growth and improvement. Chris’ story is inspiring and goes to show that it’s never too late to do what you love, and if you want something, just go get it!

Check back in with us on the Killer Shorts site when we announce this year’s Top 3 winners on April 26th!

For more on screenwriting, visit The Screenwriters Network and join the discord server to network with over 6000 screenwriters.

Images provided by Chris Hicks.