A PIECE OF STRING IN MY BALL OF TWINE

If I look at my life through a film lens I can see the stereotypes that make up the character I am today. When I sit down to write a script I start off with the main character - what would he wear? What was his childhood like? Was he an altar boy? Did his parents divorce? etc. etc. The answer to these questions are invariably stereotypes. If my character is a disillusioned, angry youth, you dress him in grunge or punk clothing. That way, the audience, consciously or subconsciously, makes assumptions and you want those assumptions to lead them to specific place.

Looking at myself as a character is interesting - I see the stereotypes that make up who I am. For instance, up until recently I've obsessed about loneliness. I've really focused a little bit too much on forcing love to me instead of waiting patiently. When I was seven years old I told my mother I needed glasses. I didn't need glasses, at least not yet. I asked for glasses because the girl I liked in my class wore glasses. I still remember that to today. That would go into the background of the character that is me.

That's just one example. I was an altar boy, my parents are still together but endured rocky times, my father was a father too early, I'm short, I was a good athlete only because I outworked people, I fought against expectations. I could go on and on. The point is, every day is an experience that assembles the person we are becoming...or the person we are to become, depending on your point of view. If we look with an open mind I think we can see why we are the way we are...which is freaky and kind of exciting at the same time.

If I thought about this every time I had a decision to make, no matter how big or how small that decision may be, I think I'd lead a better life and be a better person.