Words Will Never

This is probably my best work to date, a black comedy that takes a real whack as religion as a scam. I've run out of money, so I can no longer afford to go to LA, pitch this and have it rejected because, well it just isn't "Away We Go" is it?

This is the version I wrote for the Hollywood producer. I tried my best to keep the integrity of the piece and there are some additional scenes I'm proud of writing, but that shit on the train where the terrorist as hero tries to save the day is a pure action film stupidity puke fest. Fuck me. I can laugh about it now, I guess.

One agent sent a hand written note, now a framed favorite, saying this piece was too controversial. Mile 111 is the story of terrorist seeking revenge through a plot to destroy a major U.S. weapons installation. Optioned in the summer of 2008, the producer convinced me to do a rewrite on spec (no pay). How stupid am I, I get to do six months of work and sell out my values and try to please some guy I don't really know who says he's going to produce my script, but it won't really be my script after I'm done and for all that I get: NO MONEY. These were the days that I still thought I had a chance to be a filmmaker and do meaningful work. Long story short, he had me take this gritty, scary little character piece and make the anti-hero more sympathetic. I did what he asked. He still was not happy and he called me months later to apologize. Seems he was having a difficult time making a living and took a gig writing a what he told me was a "stupid sci-fi pic." (Probably the next Star Wars).

Based on Richard Cook's fabulous insider account of the Challenger shuttle tragedy. Hey, Hollywood! This project ought to be made! I met Richard (Rick) Cook online. I'm a true believer in his economic thinking and practical ideas for fixing the capitalist system. Regarding the Challenger/NASA he is a true unsung American hero. He saved lives.

Two years of research into the Galileo story and it was worth it. I wrote this oh so many years ago when I lived in Manhattan and worked on it with a "writing group." A writing group is a small number of people that write, read each others work and don't like anybody's work but their own. Everyone in the group thought it sucked with the exception of my close friend, Dave, who thought it was way fucking too long. His hand arc across the sky as he would exclaim, "Galileo the eighteen part mini series." Years later I put this script up on Kevin Spacey's TriggerStreet site to let yet another group of writers have at. It was nearly immediately voted Top Ten Favorite and then later the site's highest honor: Screenplay of the Month. I optioned it to an aspiring (read: wannabe) producer. She had it for two years and couldn't move it. But you know what, that woman put everything into it she could and then some. She really believed it was a great story well told. Good job, Shelli, good work. I love you.