It was a dare, really. I had been a corporate attorney, practicing in Manhattan for 22 years at the time, and quite convinced that would be the end of my bio, when late one night, in August of 2023, I got into a very heated discussion with my best friend over the future of AI and its effect on humanity’s better nature. He’s a bit of a curmudgeon, and was adamant that AI spelled the end of humankind’s sense of individuality, goodness, and that we were consigned to a future as mindless zombies devoid of any redeeming qualities.
I’m a bit more of an optimist, and took the other argument, explaining that we as a species have faced pretty tough times before, and made it through the other side, and that even if AI did cause the apocalypse, and even if it were experienced by every type of human, even if it were to occur to The Breakfast Club, and even if The Breakfast Club had the worst jobs in the world, even if they worked for Amazon in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, they would still find a way to do the right thing.
I was so convinced my argument was right I took out my iPhone and opened up my Notes app for the first time and jotted down my allegory so that the next day at the breakfast table the rest of the houseguests would hear it and tell me I was right; I did and they did, but they also told me that was a hilarious story and I should write a movie about it. Ten weeks later the first draft of my first script, “Good,” was completed. Two years later I am on draft 19, it has won over 200 international awards, and is currently under production to be made into a major motion picture. I recently completed my sixth script.
It’s funny, once I began writing in earnest, I really have not gone longer that two months before feeling compelled to write again. I’m not sure if it is the joy it brings, the intellectual hunger to return to that state of world creation, or a simple longing to mold something completely new for the world, but writing has continued to call me ever since I learned it was a language I knew.
It starts with a thought, just like any other, but one that refuses to float away like the ones before it. It lingers, stubbornly building into an idea, until I am forced to set aside my other thinking and provide it with my attention. At that point, the energy focused on this idea springs it to life, and suddenly what was a one sentence “what if this happened” has plot turns, crisis, time, place and characters. Still skeptical, I allow the idea to expand, only to test the theory that it probably won’t work as a story. Three out of four times it does. If that is the case I stop what I am doing, take out my phone, and record the idea on my Notes app, to be revisited later. Later is typically within the hour. Within 24 hours I am likely at my laptop, typing the first scene. By page 20, I have a solid idea how the movie will end. By page 50, I have discovered what about the story makes it special. The first draft is almost always overdone in some way. Refining the tone, characters, and pacing helps me bring out the spirit of the story I felt that very first day.
I typically choose at least one character that I base off of a close friend or family member. That provides me with the authenticity I need to build the other characters. Whether they are wildly out of the norm, or steady and solid, I am able to gauge their personality’s veracity relative to their measure to what I know to be accurate.
A couple of weeks ago, I finished a family holiday dramedy called “All Downhill From Here.” It follows a blended Jewish-WASP family on their first joint vacation following the wedding of their respective children, at a ski chalet in Vermont. Beginning with a mystery dog discovered at the home, followed by an announced pregnancy by the non-married sister to the OTHER brother, one suprise after another frays, then stretches the limits of decorum for these members of polite society as they try to survive the weekend long enough to find the true value of family.
One thing I believe I bring uniquely to my writing is a consistent message underlying the stories. I have written sci-fi, drama, horror, futuristic, thriller, and comedy now, and throughout it all, every story at its core has been about the resilience of humanity’s better nature. Recognizing that this is first and foremost an entertainment industry, this message is not preached, or overtly laden in the stories. The truth of its message is simply shown, through the characters, their journeys, and hope they represent.
Movies need to make money; people need to want to see the movie for that to happen. Making the movie an enjoyable experience is the most effective way to accomplish this. It is very possible to make an entertaining movie that tells has a message of meaning – I posit the very best movies accomplish this very feat, and that this is what producers, directors, and other collaborators would ultimately prefer, since most do not have $300 million to make a superhero franchise.
To say my first script was dense would be kind to density. The most consistent note I received was that so much story was expressed, so much character development introduced, so many subplots begun, that one script simply could not accommodate so much story. Now, typically, that would be a signal to trim down the script by cutting out story lines and character threads. I wrote three more scripts.
With market tastes turning away from comic franchises and AI integration threatening creative originality, a lane seems to be opening for original content expanding substantially within the industry. That has been my only form of contribution thus far, and one I feel comfortable continuing and expanding my role for the foreseeable future.
Don’t be timid. Take the chance on the storyline that seems a bit daring, rather than the one that seems safe. It is almost always the daring one that the producers having been hoping to find.
Long-term, I would like to write and only write, from here on out. I would be very happy to be remembered as someone who tried to give a little hope, to a whole lot of people.