It Doesn’t Have to Be Good Yet | Mary Tilden on Drafts, Dialogue, and Making Room for Play

In this episode, comedian and filmmaker Mary Tilden joins Mishu to talk about the weird in-between of writing when you can’t tell if your ideas are good—or garbage. They get into how theater and improv keep her connected, how she navigates the chaos of multiple drafts, and why trusting actors might be the key to better screenwriting. It’s a playful, honest, and surprisingly precise look at process, procrastination, and the way dialogue starts to hum when you stop trying to make it perfect.

Mary Tilden is a comedian and filmmaker originally from South Carolina. She co-produced and starred in Cool for Five Seconds (Midwest Film Festival Grand Prize, 2021) and directed the award-winning Rough River Lake. Her comedy work includes the short films Yes, Andrea, The Unfinished Film, Fern, and the web series Collaborate & Listen, with screenings at Cinequest, SeriesFest, and more.

We talk about:
→ Writing when your drafts are all over the place
→ Using improv to unstick your creativity
→ The trap of comparing your script to someone else’s finished film
→ Why dialogue is a playground—not a performance review
→ Working on self-kindness when the draft feels like a mess

Listen to more episodes at mischiefpod.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @mischiefpod. Produced by @ohhmaybemedia.