Like practically everyone else on the planet, I started reconnecting with old friends last year on Facebook. There was one I couldn't find online. Her story turned out to be so shocking, everyone I told it to said I had to write a screenplay about it.

I kept it on the back burner for months, making notes every now and then about things I might want to put in the story. Eventually, it seemed to be calling out to me to be my next project. But there was a problem.

When people heard the premise, I could see them picturing a dark, sensationalized, noir thriller. The story that was gelling in my mind, however, was more of a quiet, personal story, like a Garden State or The Good Girl. It didn't feel commercial enough to be worth pursuing.

Cut to January. I'm having lunch with a director who is well known in the horror genre. He's been a mentor of mine for years. He asks what I'm working on next. I can't decide between this personal story that has no hope of selling, or a mainstream comedy idea I had in the vein of Liar, Liar. After hearing both premises, the director recommends pursuing the more personal one.

He was not just giving me the standard "write from the heart" advice. Yes, he was saying that. But he was also saying that he might be interested in directing it. He had always been complimentary of my work before, but not as material for him personally. Now he's telling me he has a name actor in mind whom he'd worked with before who loves this type of material.

With that kind of encouragement, I dove right into outlining and whipping up a treatment, eagerly reshaping it into the type of movie I thought this director was looking for. Over the top. Lots of blood. All of his staples.

His reaction? He liked it better the way I first described it. A quieter version. More personal. And I happen to agree with him. I think that is the better way to go with this story. A Hollywood lesson: Write it the way you want it. Don't try to make it what you think they want. Right?

Before I heard back from that director, I had also shared the treatment with my agent. He pitched it to a horror producer who was blown away by it and was already thinking of other directors he could send it to. So now, which way do I write it? Stay tuned. I'll have more as the project develops.

Dan Margules is a Los Angeles based screenwriter. His award-winning short film, Begleiter, is available in a Special Edition from Amazon.com or happy-the-dog.com. He was also a music journalist and co-founded and was president of San Diego Filmmakers.