Member Spotlight: Crystal Willingham

I was first inspired by the movie franchise Star Wars at the age of 12 when my father took me to see Return of the Jedi. That experience sparked a fascination with storytelling, but my journey didn’t truly begin until 2006, when I embarked on an immersive storytelling adventure that awakened my passion for crafting detailed, culturally rich stories. Some of my greatest inspirations come from cultural-driven movie series like Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek—all of which shaped the way I approach building worlds and telling stories that can be around long after I’m gone.

I’m currently working on a novel series designed to be adapted into a film or series much like Game of Thrones and others like it. The story is layered with themes, complicated but easy to follow characters, and deeply immersive world-building. What excites me most is the opportunity to let my imagination build unknown worlds and territories while weaving in authenticity, stories that resonate with people deep in their soul while providing an escape into a world they never want to leave.

Without question, my favorite story will always be my first one, I Believe. It was an adaptation of The Wiz, which itself was adapted from The Wizard of Oz. This project brought so much joy to my heart, as I got to see young children acting, singing, and completely immersing themselves in the world of music. Watching their excitement and passion come to life on stage was truly unforgettable.

SoCreate helps me format my characters in plain sight, develop their archetypes, and stay focused on story mapping so I don’t get “lost in the sauce”. As an early adapter during the beta phase, I got to see how the people on this platform took their time to listen and address feedback from a lot of us amateurs and seasoned writers. They didn’t just read about what we wanted or saw in an email or chat, but they literally cared about the process and platform they developed. That caused me to be engaged more and more with my own story and pick it up where I’d left it sitting and collecting dust.

My mornings are sacred—I start with prayer & meditation, Bible readings of Psalms and Proverbs, and journaling, which center me and set the tone for my creativity. I love to get a playlist of music together that fits the mood of the part of the story I’m writing that day. I also visualize my movies, fully immersing myself in the scenes before I start writing.

This question excites me because there’s never one way that works for me. My process starts with music & visualization. I spend time fleshing out the world and characters in vivid detail, then structure the story in layers, weaving in emotion, action, and purpose. I use grammar tools, research, and a lot of readings from my friends or co-writers. Once the draft is finished, I literally recruit my family and friends for a little small table read so I can hear and visualize the story. 

I pump the brakes and walk away. One thing I learned is you can’t plan creativity, but you can’t procrastinate when the floodgates open. I find something else to do that I enjoy. I’ll call my daughter, who’s a music major, and talk about the music with her and the light bulb comes on again. I’ll also call my daughter who is a theater major and bounce a few scenes off of her and get more feedback from her. I have whiteboards all over my walls in my office so I’ll study my boards and see what I’m missing. 

The most challenging part of writing any story is believing that I can actually write the story. Trusting the process and trusting myself to get it done from start to finish. 

I like SoCreate because of its visual story writing platform. It’s not just tabs, spaces, and formats. We can give our characters faces, our scenes a location we can see, and if you decide to write your script as a story first, you can use the book platform and share it with a few fans and get real feedback.

Not yet, but I’m learning to stay focused on my journey as a screenwriter and the reward is watching people read them and ask for more.

An acting school in Atlanta once reached out to me to write scripts for their 24-hour improv challenge. The actors had just 24 hours to learn their lines and perform the skits I created in front of an audience and a camera. It was such an unforgettable experience to see my work come to life so quickly. Unfortunately, the owner of the school passed away, and I truly miss being part of that kind of creative collaboration.

Ultimately, I would love to see my novel adapted for screen come to life. I’d like to see my biggest project have the same journey as George Lucas, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. I love the feeling of seeing words I wrote come out of an actor's mouth as they put their own flavor to it. 

Don’t underestimate the power of community. Platforms like SoCreate provide invaluable connections and tools, so lean into them. Writing can be solitary, but having a supportive network makes the creative process much more fun and engaging. Shonda Rhimes talks about that in her series on the “Masterclass” platform. Team, collabs, and community is very important.

My coach told me, “Just write, you have an imagination that is authentic, bright, and intricate.  You build a story we can follow, engage, and want more of”.

I grew up in Detroit, Michigan, attending schools in the Detroit Public School system. I was among the first African American children to be bussed to my elementary school. Middle school was a particularly challenging time for me, but it’s also where I learned to fully engage with my imagination. I created a world to escape from and, more importantly, a world to escape to. My family is filled with singers and musicians, which is why music has always been such an integral part of my creative process, it’s a part of the foundation of everything I create.

My faith, family, and personal experiences, especially loss of life, are central to my story building process. Those times in my life give my narratives bricks of hope, resilience, and the belief that even in the darkest moments, there’s light at the end of any tunnel, if you just believe.