Today we’d like to introduce you to Tristan Young Mercado.
Hi Tristan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Some of my earliest memories are of me as a child entertaining my family with stories I would create. I had a love affair with worlds and characters, and loved the ability to bring an audience to laughter or tears. The problem with growing up is doubt often set in and I allowed that doubt to convince me no one would have interest in anything I had to say. My eldest sister shared my love of writing, and was a poet in her own right. Long before my own doubt existed, she had allowed hers to keep her silent. My sister passed away very unexpectedly in December of 2012 and in the weeks following her death I was given copies of her journal and poems.
When I saw a local ad for Austin writers to contribute essays on motherhood in a show titled Listen to Your Mother, I knew I had something to say. I thought if my sister and felt for the first time that I could summons my brave and submit. For once, I could be brave for both of us. When I stood on that stage and delivered my story, I stood shoulder to shoulder with other writers, many far more accomplished than me, and I realized we were all victims from time to time of doubt. A chain reaction started. I picked up my pen and never put it down.
Narrative essays turned to mini plays in local fringe fests, turned to an epic dive into screenwriting. I’ve received placement in screenwriting contests from ScreenCraft, Austin Film Fest, and Roadmap Writer’s Top Tier competition. Here I sit now and nearly 52 with many screenplays under my belt, stage plays in construction, and production talks of filming proofs of concept and short films. I understand I am not at my final destination, but I am no longer afraid no one will want to hear what I have to say. I have received 9 script requests from execs in the past month and a half, and I am determined not to stop until I reach my goal. I have many stories waiting to be told and I will be here to breathe life into all of them.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No road is ever smooth and mine has had it’s share of obstacles. My child was 4 years old when I started my writing journey and with that journey came his dyslexia and auditory processing diagnosis. Navigating a child that learns differently through a system catered to neurotypical children has often been a battle. My mother, who has suffered her whole life with bipolar disorder, was diagnosed with early onset dementia 9 years ago. Since I was a stay at home parent to my son, it was a natural conclusion that I would take over as her primary caretaker. The sandwich generation isn’t for the faint of heart, balancing raising a small child with special needs and a mother with mental illness and dementia. Most days do not have the hours necessary to write, or to keep an exhausted brain in a creative mode. Still, I make the time, waking in the wee hours of the morning, or waiting till they drift off at night.
My child, who struggled to read, is in his senior year of high school. He discovered his love of theater accompanying me to rehearsals and readings, and theatrical plays. He is an honor student, a football and soccer player, and a theater kid. He has already earned acceptance to 13 different universities. He has accomplished everything they told us he couldn’t and his mother is doing the same.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
When asked to describe my personal brand, I say my work centers around character driven stories where I tackle heavy topics with a light hand. Nearly everything I write contains a vein of humor, even when I’m writing about harder topics like my mother’s dementia. My hour long pilot Demented earned my entry into Roadmap Writers and finds the levity that caretakers need to get through their day. Whether I’m crafting a story about geriatric pickleball players or sports widows, who manage to banish football from the planet, you will laugh and cry and everything in between. I create stories that resonate with our greatest heartbreaks and makes the audience feel less alone.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Writing makes me happy because it is both a challenge and joy and leaves me with a sense of accomplishment. My child makes me very happy. He is the fulfillment of my dream to be a mother, and raising him to be the outstanding young man that he is, fills me with such a sense of pride. My husband makes me happy, a man who loves me for the hot mess that I am on most days. I recently did a staged reading of a play titled Evelyn’s Salt, loosely based on losing my eldest sister. At the closing of the piece several women in the audience asked to hug me with tears still in their eyes wanting to tell me how my story had affected them. This is the moment every writer lives for…human connection.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alightbluespot
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tristan.mercado.54
- Twitter: https://x.com/ALightBlueSpot
Image Credits
The image of the woman crying on stage was from my play Evelyn’s Salt and was taken by Minerva Villa of Lens of Athena photography. The other images were taken by me.
