While not everyone is lucky enough to sneak onto a studio lot and claim their own production office as Steven Spielberg famously did during his early days at Universal Studios, many of you in the Los Angeles area have the ability of getting close to – or even on – a studio lot.

As a runner in Hollywood, I made the rounds around the studios on a daily basis – and I always felt the magic of the studio when pulling up to the security window and waiting for the officers to check the drive-on list. And then … the gate would lift and it was like I was actually driving into Hollywoodland.

I came across this photo I took a while back while at Paramount – the water tower didn’t strike me as an interesting place to write at the time, but thinking back to what happened later that night sparked the idea …

I had returned to where I parked in the parking lot – up against the large backdrop, which is doubled for oceans and lakes when the parking lot is filled with water – only to find that I had a flat tire. It was one or two in the morning the parking lot was empty. To cut to the chase, I ended up changing my tire under the water tower and being struck with an electrically charged idea for a new story. I’m not sure if it was the overwhelming smell of rubber from my spare, or the magic from the water tower, but it definitely sent me on a journey I’m still on today.

There’s just something about the water towers that inspire you with those great, old Hollywood ideas and originality.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area and need some inspiration, consider driving near a studio, either Warners, Universal, and Disney or Paramount, and look for the water towers – if possible find somewhere where you can park and let the water tower inspire you.

For me, everything about the studios are inspiring, so even if you can’t see the towers from where you are, consider letting the studio itself inspire your writing. If you can, write a thousand words under a water tower and post it below in the comments.

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