The Blank Page...

There's something beautiful about a blank Final Draft page. Before you type, you think about the story you're going to tell, obviously, but there's more. You think about how your script is going to sell for thousands, get made by the best people in the biz, and then win every award known to the human race.

But I've got to resist the urge to start typing on that blank page. For the latest rewrite of The Bestsellers, I'm doing a long and detailed sketch of every aspect of my characters and their motivations throughout the script. If there's one thing UCLA taught me was that I can write a damn solid structual script. My characters hit their marks, just like an actor hits their marks. But what I need work on is knowing why my characters are doing what they're doing. For this script to work and the ICM agent to like it 100%, I better have characters that not only walk along the plot, but have a reason for going on the walk. Think the Wizard of Oz and the Yellow Brick Road. We all know the way to the Wizard, but that's not important. What is important is the motivation each has for GOING to the Wizard. Everything else are just obstacles. Maybe when I'm rich and famous, my book on scripts will be called The Yellow Brick Road? Nice. Then again, it's 4am and I'm rambling. I should sleep.