#IngerMargaretFoster

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Making It As A Writer?

For alumni of-a-certain-age, it might be time to kick-back, smell the roses, stop frantically ripping open those monthly envelopes with the 401K numbers and start working on some of those “me” projects. Now, if your direction takes you to writing you must find the topic(s), the writing space, the time and the sticktoitiveness to complete that epic poem or your personal offering for the Great American Novel. 

When it is finished, you would naturally sit back and wonder which you should pursue first: The financial reward or the artistic adoration? Perhaps you should meet Daina Smith (FCRH Class of 2008). You don’t know her-for good reason-but she has already completed 10 feature film scripts and 2 TV series. She has earned 2 options for her work and has two scripts current in pre-production with talent and award winning directors attached.

(IMDb.com)

“I wrote my first screenplay at ten years of age,” said the Westchester County native. “So, I went to Fordham and concentrated on independent study in the art of acting, literature, and film and had a concentration of screenwriting.”  

Listed in Forever Fordham under her maiden name of Defrancesco, the one time Finlay Hall resident (that’s ‘Old Chem’ to some of us and the former home of the medical school to no one alive today) once completed an internship with a Broadway producer. A passionate writer for most of her life, she spent her college years focusing on screenwriting and attending meet-ups with her mentor, former Fordham professor Meir Ribalow,  at The Players in Manhattan. After graduating she began teaching Visual and Performing Arts courses, while keeping her writing goals at the forefront.  

Question: Screenwriting, show biz, seems so foreign, even dangerous, to many of us. I recall reading that people like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Heinrich Mann went to Hollywood and figured it would be easy money. (After all, if you can write Great Gatsby or The Blue Angel how hard can this movie stuff be?) Yet they got frustrated and both apparently became alcoholics.

Heartland, a Canadian TV Show, that stars Amber Marshall and Kerry James. These two have signed on to star in and produce Daina’s original screenplay called Elke’s Magic that is in pre-production. Daina wrote the screenplay based on the novel Elke’s Magic by author Inger Margaret Foster. Stay tuned!

A Question That Came With Its Own Answer

Hearing this talk about Canada, I noted the other three names mentioned above were all born in the Great White North. I asked if she did much traveling?

At that most opportune moment, her 5 year old daughter came into the room. She apparently had a “bump” and  needed comforting; mom had to call me back. 

Question: Do you travel much for these assignments?

Smith: (The now Connecticut resident confirmed) In addition to being a writer I’m also a full-time Mom to my 5 year old daughter and 7 year old son. 

For Those Who Want To Get Involved

For those who want to take on writing on their own, she offers help in the form of Scriptwriting Coaching, Script Coverage, and Creative Copywriting services. She has written everything from screenplays to Bosch advertisements to radio scripts for 106.7 Lite FM. 

Question: It is said that the toughest thing for a person who is new to the craft of writing is to avoid too much expository writing. 

Smith: It is very important to remember that it is better to show something than to tell something. If “Laura is sad, don’t tell me that Laura is sad. Say that “Laura is sitting in her chair, staring blankly at the wall in front of her. Just as the phone RINGS she begins to cry.” It’s a tricky thing to learn, but once you understand that this is a movie- and it’s all about visuals- you become accustomed to SHOWING what you mean. 

Daina can be reached at https://dainasmithwrites.com/ 

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Other Fordham Connections

Daina wanted us to know that her father is a full-time member of the Fordham faculty as a lecturer, in marketing, for the Gabelli School of Business. He has held that position since 2009 after completing a career with Pitney-Bowes. Her brother Matt is a Fordham Prep alum, and her brother Anthony is a Fordham Graduate School of Business alum as well. The DeFrancesco (Smith) family obviously loves Fordham!

   Anthony DeFrancesco

https://www.fordham.edu/gabelli-school-of-business/faculty/full-time-faculty/anthony-defrancesco/