I just returned from a screenwriters retreat at a caslte in Spain. Such a treat. There were 13 or 14 screenwriters and four mentors. The mentors had approximately 4 mentees to guide. The mentor was only responsible for reading the scripts of their mentees. I was mentored by Michael Davis, a British director, producer, documentarian. I brought my screenplay Return to Spalding Drive which I had written while at UCLA. Michael is very much a proponent of structure as outlined in books such as Save the Cat or the book The Hero’s Journey. Although it was taught at UCLA, I often strayed from the formula. And, so he asked me to structure my screenplay to fit the plot points outlined in these books. He gave me a sheet with the plot points and asked me to outline my script using them. As I began to do so, I became aware very quickly that my story must be completely retold. Very few things lined up, or were completely missing. In my review, Michael said I had a real gift for comedic dialogue. He said he actually “laughed out loud” at some of my scenes, the gun shop owner in particular. One of the other mentors, Barnet Bain, a producer, told me I should lean in to comedy writing as I apparently have a gift and comedy is always needed in the industry. Instead of trying to fit a round peg in a square hole, I’m going to rewrite the screenplay as a new project and make it a comedy. I promised Michael I was going to incorporate his structure. Below are pictures we took on our last night at the castle. The people include the four mentors, the mentees, and other people who made the adventure so enjoyable and stimulating. One day the winds in Spain whipped up so violently that we lost electricity. We had to eat by candlelight. I love it. The last picture is of me, my mentor Michael, and two other mentees, Amanda and Katherine.