About Amy Jayne

I’m a British screenwriter based in Belgium, writing high-concept, genre-driven film and television that blends modern worlds with unexplainably supernatural stakes. I create stories where ordinary people are pushed into extraordinary, impossible situations, and must step into power whether they’re ready to or not.

Hello!

Originally from the North-West of England, now based in Belgium, I’m working across film and TV, developing a slate of original projects spanning sci-fi fantasy, crime, thriller and animation. I write genre- and character-driven stories that combine contemporary settings with speculative or supernatural elements, using heightened, impossible stakes to explore themes of identity and personal power.

Regardless of genre, my work centres on characters under pressure, navigating both the moral complexity and the cost of them becoming who they need to be versus who they want to be, while forcing them to step forward and take back control. I love writing stories that pair emotional intimacy with high-concept hooks, where genre functions as the tool for character transformation rather than spectacle alone.

I’ve been writing for over sixteen years, starting with fiction as a teenager and moving into screenwriting in 2021. Creating has always been a huge part of my life, whether that’s developing stories; artwork, or making things with my hands: I knit and crochet when I need to think, or not think at all!

I speak French, I’m currently learning Russian and Swedish for fun, and train Muay Thai boxing which has taught me discipline and resilience - with the occasional bruise! I'm fuelled by good coffee, Pixar movies, and meatballs (which are absolutely a food group).

Professional Development

  • The Circle: Mentorship group

  • Write Now: Short-form improv writing group

— The Process —

Much like our thumbprint, every writer’s process is unique to them. For me, an idea can spark with something as simple as movement through a car window that turns out to be a tree’s reflection (KILLING HENRY CARTER) or an abandoned bouquet of flowers on a window sill (MURPHY’S LAW). Other times, it’s more complex - a friend’s back-handed comment that cuts so deep it’s hard to gauge the damage properly, until months later (THE THREAD). Once I have the spark, the character follows. Then the world they’re living in, and then we get from point A to point… well, how long is a piece of string?!

The characters are the most important aspects/elements of the story for me. Characters drive plot, because they react to their settings and stressors, and the worlds built around them. A well-developed character breeds a well-rounded and rich story. Think of all the times you’ve been to the cinema, and come away inspired - all because a writer sat with their characters and developed them, hurt them, poked their bruises, then made it all better… my motto for writing is ‘hurt your protagonists’.!

Dialogue is my second favourite part to write. Nothing beats getting to use perfect one-liners that have come from snippets of conversations overheard on buses or trams, or in coffee shops/restaurants. The world around us is filled with dialogue - it would be a crime not to use it, right?! Beware the writer in the wild - your passive rants might inspire the next BAFTA-winning script!

A lot of my characters end up stepping into their own power at some point or another. Whether it’s to help someone else, or because they’re so tired of people pleasing, or because they’ve realised they simply cannot survive in their current state, my characters tip their own scales and take back what usually should have been theirs this entire time. And it usually comes with a wonderful circle of support, and a whole New World Order that’s far more balanced than whatever came before.

Physically putting it on paper? I use Final Draft and Scrivener - two tools I’ve found to be indispensable for creating a fun read! Honourable mention to the poor sagging drawers of notebooks in my desk…