Thanks so much, guys. How wonderful that technology allows us to meet amazing people we would otherwise never be able to 🙂

Really appreciate all the comments and your faith in the ‘true’ story dpg – let’s see if I can pull it off given a successful outcome is possible but not probable (as the true life story proved). Richiev your insights about what he wants vs what he needs are very insightful – in the real D Forde’s very own words, he is Bob Seger’s ‘Beautiful Loser’. Anyway, this is now where I’m at with it all …

When lonely middle-aged long-distance truck driver D Forde falls in love online with a city writer, he must get to the city and convince her to join him on the road, before he can win her heart and learn to love again.

Protagonist (D Forde). Inciting incident (falls in love online). Goal (win her heart). Action (has to get to Sydney to meet her, has to find ways to keep getting to Sydney, has to convince her to join him on the road and see what his world is like). Irony (someone so used to his own company is the character most unlikely to succeed in this situation). Theme: Can love overcome socio-economic divide? Can love conquer all? Weakness (inability to love/trust/truly give himself).

A) He wants a relationship (he likes being alone and loves his job but he is used to being ?in a relationship?)
B) He meets someone online that literally takes his breath away.
C) He is obsessed with getting her to love him.
D) He gets scared when he realizes he has actually fallen desperately in love so he runs away.
E) He realizes he?s made a mistake and has to win her back. (He accepts love)
The conflict of the story still being between what he wants (his life on the road and a ?relationship?) and what he needs (true love of the kind he had with his first love who was killed some 20 years before).

Hi guys, thank you 🙂

Well, from what I understand the inciting incident in a love story is when the boy meets the girl. In this case, it’s love at first sight when he meets her online. Then it’s the frantic dash to meet her in person, which is the absolute defining moment for him. Then it’s the constant battle to get Sydney freight and convince her to join him on a road trip. Then it’s the ‘fun and games’ on the road, the engagement, etc. Then it’s back to the real world and the struggle to make that s-t-r-e-t-c-h. Can he? Can’t he? Well, in the true story (this is based on a true story) he can’t. In the film ………… hmmmmm ……. yea he can; we’re going for a happy ending here.

Interestingly though Richiev, what you say about brokenhearted is true but the love of his life (childhood sweetheart) is killed in a car accident before they can get married. So that’s in there but not as the inciting incident, but rather the ‘key incident’ in ‘Save the Cat’ speak (or the ‘ghost’). I haven’t written the script yet but pretty much have the outline. Will write first (very rough) draft over the Xmas holidays. So, yea, I am still working on the logline.

Thanks for your feedback guys. 🙂