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Dr., you MUST see the movie "Wonder Boys." It's about a writer with the same problem- "I don't believe in writer's block," he says... because he has this 2000 page manuscript that just keeps going and going. Most inspiring movie ever!

In "Story" there's the sentence about creative choice ratio- 4:1, 5:1, 10:1... and you say, "perhaps 20:1" ahaha and that really tempts one to say, "welll howw about 30, 40, 50, 100 to one!" NOW that could be a great movie!

My experience to date is that I start with a beginning and an end... and the fun is writing/creating the story between the two. It sounds oxymoronic but the rigidity of the beginning and end, allows me to indulge in flights of creation and letting the characters take me to where they need to go.

McKee is right on the ball here.

In my personal experience, I find that I am an unending font of ideas and choices when I don't know what my story is about. Makes sense; if I knew what it was about, I'd be able to make choices. But until I know, everything seems possible.

Once I know what the story, a scene, or character (or whatever) is about, I suddenly find the opposite problem happens - I can't come up with anything. Every idea I have isn't good enough or expressive enough or just wrong in some way.

So, I think (and McKee mentions this) the 'can't stop writing' feeling is a symptom of not knowing what the story is about.

One day I will finish something, I promise. I bought that book, The War of Art, at one of your seminars. I think it is time to re-read it!