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David Scearce is hoping for a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call soon. On Tuesday, Feb. 2 the Oscar nominations will be announced pre-dawn in Hollywood and in Vancouver where Scearce, 44, is a federal government lawyer by day, screenplay writer by night. His adaptation of A Single Man, the Christopher Isherwood novel about a gay college professor mourning the death of his long-time partner, is considered an early favourite for an Oscar nod in several categories, including adapted screenplay and best actor. Colin Firth, who plays the lead, won best actor at the Venice International Film Festival where the film had its world premiere in September to a standing ovation.

Nomination or not, Scearce is feeling pretty special. 'It’s like winning the lottery,' he says of his work appearing in cinemas around the world. 'There’s lots of screenplays around. Fewer get made, and fewer have this success.'

Even more remarkable is that A Single Man is Scearce’s first finished screenplay. And it was written on spec. He casually knew Isherwood’s long-time partner who held the book’s literary rights and encouraged Scearce to tackle the story.

Scearce did not set out to become a writer. In fact, he did not take a single literature course as an undergraduate at Wilfrid Laurier University. Instead, he studied business, intending to enter politics, a childhood dream since growing up in Burlington, Ont. And to be successful in politics, Scearce figured he should also be a lawyer.

But before he went to law school, he spent a year on Bay Street working for Lloyds Bank. A s'pirit of adventure 'drew him to Vancouver and the University of British Columbia’s law school. I' wanted change, but intended to return to Bay Street,' Scearce recalls. 'Then, I fell in love with the place.'

Upon graduation, Scearce articled with Fraser and Beatty in Vancouver, now Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP. During his bar training, a federal lawyer recruited him to the justice department in 1993. He soon moved to the Aboriginal affairs unit where he has remained.

'There’s tremendous variety,' Scearce says.

'Estates, governance and land development. I specialize in leasing of reserve lands that formally belong to the Crown.'

Politics is now a rejected dream. 'It’s become much more polarized, even vicious,' he says. 'That’s not the life I want.'

Another dream took its place. Says Scearce: 'I always read a lot and always tried to write. I did some short stories, but never sent any to publishers. I knew they were not good enough.'

A film buff since childhood, Scearce realized that when reading fiction he imagined what the story would look like on the screen. Knowing nothing of screenwriting, he tackled the subject as lawyer’s work — through diligent research. He read screenplays, read books about screenplay writers and books about how to write screenplays. He even took a weekend course on storytelling.

It took him eight weeks to complete the screenplay for A Single Man. 'I loved it, 'he says of the writing process when it went well. 'It’s similar to the law where you are constantly trying to find creative ways to achieve your goal.'

In his limited spare time, Scearce helps his same-sex partner of 14 years, a university professor, run an animal sanctuary on Mayne Island where they have a 2.5-acre property. 'Orphan animals seem to find us,' he says. 'It’s lots of responsibility and keeps me anchored.'

Scearce has been approached to do other film projects, but he’s unsure whether he wants to make the career shift that would likely entail. He found the red carpet treatment 'surreal' at A Single Man’s Hollywood opening in November.

'Cameras were flashing and people were calling out my name,' Scearce says. 'Two days later, I was back at work.'

For now he’s dreaming about that wake-up call and another walk down the carpet.