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Commentary: Ride Forward!

The idea for this story came about after watching the documentary American Movie. The film, which is fairly well-known I'm sure, follows the grim exploits of filmmaker Mark Borchardt. Who, at the cost of nearly everything in his life, wants to succeed as a filmmaker.

I liked the movie a great deal. I had seen it during my three weeks in Richmond, developing my play It's So Different Out There for it's production at the Empire Theatre. And almost immediately after seeing it, came up with the idea for the short story you just read.

Originally, it was going to be a monologue.

It could probably still be one.

The idea to me, when I thought of it at least, struck me as being remarkably funny. I tend to find a lot of humor in people like the husband and wife in Ride Forward!

People who are remarkably casual about horrible, bizarre circumstances.

That's comedy!

In the end though, it became one of those ideas that was better in theory than in execution.