Welcome to the premiere of First 5, where we crack open the first five pages of screenplays—iconic and in-progress—to uncover what makes them tick. I'm your host, Lindsay Stidham, and today’s guest is the wildly talented Maggie Lane. Maggie’s a rom-com lover, a cancer survivor, and yes—an alum of Sesame Street. She’s also a certified nose who studied perfumery in Italy and brings us A Cord, her steamy, sensory-rich period rom-com set in 1850s Venice and London. We dive into the art of scent, sensual storytelling, and why the first five pages must seduce. Expect masked meet-cutes, olfactory synesthesia, and yes—spontaneous orgasms (thank you, tuberose 🌸). ✨ Key Takeaways 💋 Seeing scent: Using synesthesia as cinematic language 🎭 Masquerade magic: Romance at first whiff 🌹 A heroine shaped like a perfume bottle 💄 Writing sex scenes with confidence + silk robes 🧪 Perfume vs. patriarchy: Pleasure as protest 🪞 Then & now: Victorian themes that still hit Whether you're a screenwriter or scent enthusiast, this episode will intoxicate. 👉 Listen now and enter the fragrant, feminist world of A Cord.
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32 mins