1. What am I thinking?!!!!!!!

When I was 7 years old my parents watched the movie E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. I remember my mom telling the story to my siblings and I. We followed her around the house as she talked and took care of her daily duties. We were captivated! I swear she took as long to tell the story as it took to watch the movie. Even though my mom was a great storyteller her rendition did not satisfy our desire to see the movie.

A few days later we were enchanted by one of the greatest movies ever made. I don't remember much about the movie. I do remember seeing the title "Directed by Steven Spielberg" on a black screen. I don't know why but that image is forever ingrained in my mind. The other thing I distinctly remember is when E.T. says, "I'll be right here." I thought he meant he would be right here on this spot of ground when he came back. I was sure there would be a sequel and I was so excited for it. I waited and waited but the sequel never came.

In 2003 I was thinking about the sequel that never happened. I thought about how cool it would be to write it myself. The more I thought about it the more it appealed to me. The impossibility of it is what I liked. If I failed then it would be no big deal because it was never meant to succeed in the first place. Anyway I also wanted to be a screenwriter so I thought this might be a worthwhile task. I thought about it, I brainstormed, and I researched aliens and UFOs at the library. I really tried! I came up with a few ideas but nothing substantial. After a month I gave up with the conclusion that the reason it had never happened was because there is simply no story.

In January 2007 my mom died. A month later I moved to Hollywood. Out of the blue I found myself thinking about the sequel to E.T again. It was constantly on my mind. It became an obsession. I got a few more ideas for the story. In April 2007 I told my screenwriter roommate about some of my ideas. He liked them and that inspired me to make another attempt. I started writing and I don't know where it came from but two and a half years later I have a full screenplay.

The greatest thing in the world is being illuminated by thoughts and ideas, the genesis of which you do not know. I also love those rare glimpses of the story waiting to be written and experiencing the moments of clarity where the story seems to come together on its own. Sometimes I wonder if the story was already written and I only discovered it. Writing truly is discovery. I really love the story!