What motivated you to become a writer?

My motivation comes from reading the works of other writers since my high school days. The ones who inspired me the most include William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Bernard Malamud, Isaac Bashevis Singer and the Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer. Whether it is novels, short stories, poetry or screenplays the best writers shifted my brain into a higher place. I thought this was the most important thing I could do in life.

Starting on a blank page is not easy- where does your creativity come from?

I never regard the screen as being blank. Before I write one word, I have an image, a theme, a conflict, a main character (or characters) in my head. Or maybe just a feeling. This is my starting point. I am well-suited for this line of work because there are always images in my head.

I have notebooks full of ideas for future projects. Something in my subconscious takes events that have happened to me or other people I have known and translates them into coherent stories. Some people ask “Why do writers try to create a new world? Especially one that doesn’t quite line up with reality.” The best writers do not try to create a new world. They just want to make sense of the one we’ve got. That “making sense” can sometimes have a very imaginative (even scary) response.

Do you write projects knowing that so many other factors need to happen to get it to screen and does that come into your project creation?

I am very aware of this. I was at a screenwriting conference when one of the speakers (the VP of Production for a major director) said, “Movies are made or not made in Hollywood for reasons you couldn’t possibly understand.” Several minutes later she said she admired us for having the courage to be writers and that it was a courage she didn’t have.

These “other factors” are real. I just have to ignore them or else I would never write anything. So I write what interests me. Whatever wild images come into my head. I have to follow them through to completion. I don’t see any other way to do this.

I can’t wear myself out with what is trendy or what market research says will sell. If these things were the determining factors and could accurately predict audience response, then Star Wars never would have been released. (Thank you, Alan Ladd Jr.)

What is your dream for this project and what other ancillary revenue do you think it could generate? Please include script title in reply.

The title of this screenplay is The Reborn. It is science fiction in the tradition of Frankenstein and Blade Runner. Various cultures, religions and nationalities blend together in the 2035 version of Silicon Valley. Because it is internationalized and has appealing heroes and villains I believe it is more likely than most films to have worldwide appeal.

The Reborn is ripe for sequels. It is ambiguous as to whether some of the heroes and villains died at the end of the first movie. Even if they died, there is also the possibility they will come back from the Other Side. More dangerous than ever.

Besides the worldwide box office and sequel, The Reborn could also become a comic book series in the Marvel tradition. The physical appearance of the characters (particularly the villains) is so remarkable they could be sold as framed posters. The possibility of action figures is also there.

How has your experience been with screenwriting contests for this project so far?

An earlier version of The Reborn reached Finalist status in several screenwriting contests last year. However, two months ago I read through the script and I kept seeing ways to make it better on every page. Rather than make notes and list all the changes I wanted, I ripped through the screenplay and made the changes onscreen at warp speed.

I didn’t plan ahead or stop to think about it. I just did it. I estimate that I did six months of work in four weeks. Tiring but productive. The result is a much better screenplay. Any scene or character or anything that slowed the story down was deleted and replaced with something better. As Sean Connery said in Finding Forrester, “Don’t think. Write.”

If you could stand in a room full of investor partners looking at many projects what would you like them to know about you and this project?

I have put in a huge amount of time and effort into screenwriting. My resume proves it. I have written feature films in different genres, a science fiction limited series and a dozen short films. I was an English major in college and made the transition to a Silicon Valley technoid. My combination of literary, corporate and scientific background is quite rare and produces some wild stories.

The Reborn is a wild story. The primary theme is how the loss of a loved one can push someone over the edge psychologically and morally. How do people living in the year 2035, with the technology that will be available to them, deal with this? They will no longer have to accept the idea that death is the end and there is no coming back. Perhaps this view of life and death is no longer accurate.

Do you have any website links for your writing, credits, background, etc that you would like to share?

My website is currently “Under Construction.” However, my screenwriting resume is up to date and available on request in .PDF format.