I have a friend back home who’s an accomplished screenwriter. While he hasn’t sold anything (and it’s a damn shame that he hasn’t), he has written five feature length screenplays, running the gamut from drama to horror to comedy. A couple of years ago I pitched an idea I had to him and another friend (who despises horror films). It involves what I think to be an interesting mix between zombies and the Salem Witch Trials, or rather, the hysteria that came with it. In describing the film, I unknowingly made the zombies a MacGuffin, and in doing so I somehow turned the concept from your typical zombie film (albeit period zombie film) into a character driven story that relies more on suspense and actual emotions than mindless gore.

Anyway, the friend who despises horror actually agreed that it was a good idea, and from there I decided I wanted to write it. Over the past two years I have attempted several times to write it, and every time I sat down, type out maybe half a page, then gave up because I thought it was awful. At one point I tried outlining it, drawing up characters and major plot points, but that too fell by the wayside as both graduate school and my uncanny ability to not believe in myself got in the way. in a few weeks I will be graduating, and the only thing on my plate is working, so I thought to myself “Why the fuck not?”

Generally when I start a project such as this I know almost immediately if I’m going to go through with it. A few days ago I picked up a book on the Salem Witch Trials I purchased months ago and started the research necessary to effectively write the script. Three days in and I’m more excited than ever. The pitfalls that hindered me in the past – no research, expecting perfection every time – are gone (I hope), and I’m more excited than ever to write it.

I’m not going to delude myself into thinking that this will be a great script. As it’s my first, it will probably be absolutely laughable in every possible respect. But that’s ok. Just completing it, however bad it may be, will make the whole thing worthwhile. As a horror fan, contributing to the genre is probably the best thing you can do.

Unless, you know, you’re J. S. Cardone.