A Brief Interview with Tika Peterson

You’re a TV writer and you also write fiction. What’s the biggest difference in how you approach working in each medium? 

With TV and Film, I for sure need to outline before writing. I've tried not outlining a lot and it usually ends with me getting lost and frustrated and abandoning the script. With fiction, I really love discovering where something can go on the page. That's probably my favorite part. I can write for pages for pages and just sort of see where things wind up. But I feel like both kinds of writing sometimes blur together in my head. I often realize something wouldn't work in a script because it's more prosaic and too hard to play--or I realize that I've written a dialogue scene in a short story too much like actors are going to be playing it. 

I can’t tell if there aren’t a lot of fiction writers in L.A. or if L.A. is just so spread out that it’s difficult for fiction writers to find each other. Do you have any theories? 

I think in L.A., it's so easy to justify staying in your house because it's so spread out. You really have to put in effort to find and maintain community. I'm sure there's a self-consciousness thing going on too. Maybe everyone's waiting for someone else to organize something...I know I was until you organized this!

Thanksgiving is coming up. What are you thankful for this year and/or what’s your favorite dish?

I'm most thankful for being able to learn new things and for the people who are willing to teach. I love Thanksgiving stuffing. But really, I love the combo of mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and turkey. A couple of years ago, my partner David made Parker House Rolls. They were great. I don't know I love all of it. I know that's a cop-out...