Jessi Finn Wilder

I’m a screenwriter and script consultant who writes atmospheric, character-driven stories infused with mystery, humor, and a sense of wonder. Writing gives me a place to explore freely, follow my curiosity, and turn the movies playing in my head into something tangible. On the page, I can build entire worlds, inhabit every character, and discover where the story wants to lead. Writing is both my creative outlet and the place where my imagination feels most alive.

My storytelling journey began along the coast of South Carolina, where marshes, historic towns, family stories, and the region’s layered history helped shape my imagination. I’m deeply inspired by setting, not simply as a backdrop, but as a living force that influences the people within it. Marshes, old houses, forgotten towns, family legends, and places charged with memory often become the starting points for my work. I’m especially drawn to mysteries and coming-of-age stories in which ordinary characters encounter something extraordinary and emerge with a deeper understanding of themselves.

I earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature before completing a master’s degree in Creative Writing with a specialization in Screenwriting. My education deepened my understanding of character development, theme, story structure, and the relationship between a character’s internal transformation and the external events of a plot. I love analyzing why stories work, exploring philosophical questions, and building emotional arcs that challenge what a character believes about themselves, the people around them, and the world they inhabit.

For me, every story is ultimately a study of character. My influences range from Little Miss Sunshine, Fight Club, Forrest Gump, Harry Potter, and Pride & Prejudice to Stranger Things, Never Have I Ever, The Gilded Age, Hacks, and Game of Thrones. Although these stories differ widely in genre and scale, they share many of the qualities I’m most drawn to as a storyteller: complicated outsiders, unexpected humor, transformative journeys, sharp social observation, immersive worlds, and characters searching for meaning and connection.

My current projects include the family fantasy-adventure pilot Saltwind, a quarterfinalist in the Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest; the Southern Gothic young-adult fantasy series Deliquium; the dark comedy feature The Vagary; and the teen comedy Senior Assassins, co-written with Steven Duffany. While each project occupies a distinct world, my stories often return to similar questions: How does the place we come from shape who we become? What do we inherit from our families? What happens when the familiar becomes mysterious? And how do we find humor, wonder, and connection when life refuses to follow the path we expected?

Although I’m especially passionate about writing for younger audiences, my work spans fantasy, mystery, dark comedy, and heartfelt adventure. I want to create stories that take young characters seriously while preserving their wonder, humor, and capacity for transformation. Above all, I hope to tell layered, moving stories that linger with audiences, stories that invite reflection, inspire curiosity, and still know exactly when to make you laugh, because we all need a good laugh sometimes.

As a script consultant, I enjoy helping other writers discover the strongest version of their stories. I bring a thoughtful, collaborative approach to character arcs, structure, theme, tone, and world-building while working to preserve each writer’s individual voice. I also love collaborating with other artists and discovering the unexpected ideas that emerge when different creative perspectives meet. To me, storytelling is deeply personal, but it becomes even more powerful when it creates a connection between people.

I now live in Texas with my husband, our two sons, two dogs, and a lively assortment of ducks and geese. When I’m not writing, I can usually be found gardening, beekeeping, painting, experimenting in the kitchen, or disappearing into a good book, film, or television series. Follow me on social media or subscribe to my newsletter for updates on my latest projects, explorations of the writing craft, and glimpses into the wonderfully strange creative life behind the stories.