Happy Birthday, Luke!

If you have ever wondered how this blog got its name, it derives from this familial interchange:

Awhile back the night before I started writing my next screenplay, on a whim I asked my three-year-old son if he had any advice. He looked at me with his huge blue eyes and without hesitation said, “Go into the story, and find the animals.” I laughed — pretty funny. Over time, however, I’ve discovered wisdom in my son’s words. As writers, we do, indeed, go into the stories we create. And the animals? How about characters, plot, theme, dialogue, subtext, and all those other mysterious, magical creatures prowling in the jungle of our imaginations?

The name of that young fellow who uttered those words is Luke and today he turns 12. Whatever this blog means to you, the fact is it wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the inspiration of my youngest son.

So I thought it would be nice for any of you who have the inclination to drop by comments and wish Luke Myers a happy birthday.

By the way, Luke is a huge movie fan who I would venture to guess has seen more films in his life than many of you [we have a neighborhood theater two blocks from our house to which we walk to see the latest releases]. I just asked Luke his favorite 10 movies as of his 12th birthday. Here is his list:

The Dark Knight
The Descendants
Little Miss Sunshine
Monsters, Inc.
Ocean’s 11
Princess Mononoke
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The Seven Samurai
Spirited Away
Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back

Happy Birthday, Luke! And thanks for inspiring us all to go into the story, and find the animals!

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