David Lynch, the Writer

Jennifer Lynch with her father.

He was always writing. On anything. Paper napkins. Receipts. Placemats. Match book covers. Legal pads. Index cards. Paintings. He always had a pen, and was always catching ideas. He wrote in the same amazing voice in which he spoke, a dreamy, mysterious and pure voice. He was generous—his fingers moving as the words came, suggesting mood and flow. He could tell you any story and have you riveted. He could comfort with familiarity and seduce with the unknown. Words were the way to get the ideas out. Get them going. His writing was special.

I remember being 15 and reading the screenplay for Blue Velvet, a perfect piece of writing, in my opinion. Beautiful and dark, shocking and tender. The film thrilled me, a true realization of the screenplay. My father’s films received different types of attention, but his written words were often overlooked. When he learned he was receiving the 2025 WGAW Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, he was incredibly happy. It meant so much to him, this recognition, this nod to his writing. Be it screenplay or song, he treasured the words. He built worlds as if they were the reason for his being. He invited people in and cradled them. He gifted them new moments, shaping the way people listened.

Due to his failing health, my father was working on a video acceptance piece that would play in place of his attendance. He might have done any number of amazing, absurd, or joyful things in this video. Even after a lifetime with him, I could not guess at what it would have been. I can, however, tell you exactly what he would have said. With a smile and a quick wave, he would say: “Thank you. Thank you so very much.”

Read a scene from Blue Velvet, Written by David Lynch.

David Lynch will be posthumously awarded the WGAW’s 2025 Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement at the Los Angeles ceremony on February 15, 2025. A two-time Writers Guild Award nominee, Lynch died on January 16, 2025, shortly after being informed of the award.

WGAW member Jennifer Lynch got her start in feature films writing and directing the cult classic Boxing Helena when she was still a teenager. From there, she went on to direct multiple features in the genre and thriller sphere, including Surveillance, Girls! Girls! Girls!, and Chained. A trailblazing filmmaker, Lynch was the first woman to receive the New York City Horror Film Festival’s Best Director Award. Her television credits include being the first female director of American Horror Story, as well as episodes of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (of which she directed four episodes), Feud: Capote vs the Swans, Ratched, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, The Walking Dead, Agents of Shield, Salvation, The Strain, Quantico, Elementary, Finding Carter, and more.