Thank you for those encouraging words and the genuine compassion with which you wrote them. Your advice was highly useful and much appreciated. May I also applaud you on your four scripts. I beg to differ on a number of points though: Firstly, contrary to what you may believe, very few can tell a decent story. 90 percent of what is coming out of Hollywood is soul-less shite. A good script - one worth investing so much money in to shoot - actually requires far more than an understanding of basic dramatic principles. It requires a profound grasp of universal human needs; it requires a clear message; it requires identifying which cinematic genre will most powerfully showcase your material. Unfortunately, most screenwriters fail to fulfill these criteria. And their number includes those employed by the big studios. Ultimately, it currently includes me, though I strive to rise to the challenge. My hope is to direct. My efforts to write at the moment are to serve that goal, not because I believe myself to be particularly gifted at screenwriting. Secondly, I never cited Columbia in an effort to show off, or as a "badge of honor." My point was that even a school with supposed prestige can fail to equip its graduates with automatic skill in screenwriting. Screenwriting is a difficult, rigorous pursuit, and I have great respect for those who not only "just do, just do, just do," but also do it *well*. Personally, I happen to think Columbia's film school is terrible for teaching screenwriting. Good thing you never went there. As for Syd Field, I have not only read his books, but I've heard him lecture in person. While he comes across as an intelligent, sympathetic person, his approach has not particularly helped me. Neither have the books of other gods from the screenwriting pantheon, Robert McKee, Linda Seger, Christopher Vogler et al. Right now, the only one I find truly helpful is John Truby. If you haven't already done so, perhaps you'd care to check out: www.truby.com. Then again, you probably don't need to, given your apparent mastery of the process. Desire is the currency of the Universe.

Cryptic but intriguing comment. Does your watery nature incline you to shun anything to do with discrete, unambiguous forms? Conversely, does the intangible, ineffable intrigue you? *grin* actually if you're usually that cryptic, you might just be a Scorpio. In which case, you shouldn't worry. Other people will inevitably come into your path to do the disagreeable things for you. Which is fine... as long as one doesn't abuse the privilege! Desire is the currency of the Universe.