This screenplay is essential because it helped me show readers my journey as a writer. I have struggled with the right story to tell, which is me. That’s when I created Iris, a struggling English student unsure of herself. She feels isolated from her peers; the only person who seems to get her is her girlfriend. I’m like Iris. I never really had anyone appreciate my art. You see, I ended up finding my own Amethyst, and she’s the one who told me to explore my past and write stories about these moments. Personal stories that show me as a writer. I have had to deal with grief in the aftermath of losing a family member. As we all grow old, we start losing loved ones. I wrote this story to cope with what could’ve been if my family, who is no longer with us, were still around and could see the things I have created. To this day, I continue writing, imagining what my family would say if those gone were still around. I write what I do because it helps me remember key moments in my life. Every character in this story is inspired by someone I know. It’s important to tell these memories as stories so I don’t forget them and the people who shaped my life.

My writing process started by watching movies and reading scripts that had to do with the themes of my screenplay. I read my first act repeatedly back to myself, and I had an idea of where I wanted to go. However, it quickly dawned on me that I wasn’t supposed to tell a story about a mother and daughter but rather a brother and sister. This inspired me to go back and rework what I had to tell a story about a brother and sister who are reconnecting after years away and how the past is haunting them, and they must learn to move on to heal from the pain of losing one another. Something that I struggled with in my writing was my pacing. When writing, I brought the characters to the house and noticed I needed more time with them so they could breathe and readers and audiences could begin to care for them. Otherwise, my process was calculated. I took time to do so many pages a day and go back to revise to see what wasn’t working. 

I plan to finish this screenplay during the summer and get it made one day. This is my baby, and I want to ensure it gets the care it deserves. I am excited to share more details about it soon, but it’ll have to wait until it's completed.

My name is John Eberle. I am graduating with my Bachelor’s degree in English with a Creative Writing emphasis in May 2024. I have been a storyteller all my life, but I have always struggled to come up with a story that is me. That’s until I started writing Forgiving The Past. This story is my life, and I have pushed myself out of my comfort zone to tell a compelling story about loss, guilt, family, and perseverance. As my time at CI ends, I must look back at all the lessons I learned on this adventure. After graduation, I plan to start a career in social media and publishing while I continue to write my novel and get it published.

My goal was to expand on the screenplay that I wrote previously. I struggled to decide where I should go from where I left off. I won't lie. It wasn't easy going back to write something I hadn't written for a few months. I had to reread what I had to remind myself of the story I was writing. Writing this screenplay taught me a lot about being a writer and exploring personal themes. I can proudly say that I accomplished my goal of adding to my story and furthering my screenplay to the best of its potential. I hope to finish this screenplay and film it one day with my peers.