Books and films that have inspired me
I have recently read the books Damaged and Beautiful child which were both true stories these books gave me the ignition write my script, I chose not to go down the physical abuse path as they both are, but to use the subject of mental abuse. The ideas for my script came from some true to life situations. I chose to use a mother daughter relationship because I have always found mine with my mother very good, and have been able to discuss anything with her, and I thought of this as a challenge to see if I could write something which I didn’t really know about.
Imaginary Girl is a short, but unlike ours it is ten minutes rather than six. It is about a young girl whose mother is never happy, she doesn’t want the young girl to play with made up villages anymore, which are made by the father. She wants her to go out and play ‘like all the other children’. The girl’s mother and father are either split or divorced, and this seems to be why the mother doesn’t want the child to play with the things her father gave her, she seems to take her anger from the father out on the young girl. This inspired me to write about mental abuse rather than physical because it is quite common from parents who push their children for more.


Imaginary Girl- Writer/Director: Richard Porter
Damaged by Cathy Glass
Beautiful Child by Torey Hayden