Hi y'all! My name is Mandi Smith. I came across this website by word of mouth. I have been lurking for a couple of days, you know...checking y'all out while I gathered my courage to register. I've finished my first screenplay and am on to my next one. I thought I'd write one in each genre to see what felt most comfortable. I'm not sure if that's what you're supposed to do or not. I know nothing when it comes to making movies but have been obsessed with movies since I can remember. So last November, I took my best friend to Hollywood for her birthday. We spent a lot of time at the Chateau Marmont (have the seared lamb or lasagna-excellent by the way! And if you haven't been but ever get the chance to go--GO!) Anyway, I met so many aspiring writer/actor/directors/comedians that worked there. And what I got to see was that most of the people aspiring to make it there weren't any better or worse than me, they just had the courage to follow their dreams. And the really amazing thing was how encouraging and supportive these complete strangers were to me. So when I got home, I followed their advice and bought a scriptwriting program and then went to work. And here I am. I'll probably have a thousand goofy questions at first, so please be patient with me. I really am looking forward to being a part of this forum. Other than that, I'm 36, married and have a teenager (ugh) and a six year old (both boys), a dog named Tinkerboxx and two cats--one named Milo and the other named ZZ.