When I was in third grade, I lived in the Palm Springs area. My father had told me the story of The Iliad, and I was fascinated by this story of a war with a walled city, since I was surrounded by gated desert resort communities. I was inspired to write my own version, about a war between two housing developments in Palm Desert.

Years later, when I was starting out in Hollywood, I was in a meeting and I brought up the story. We ended up selling it as a pitch — it was my first original sale, and that script was my ticket in the door the USA network to pitch "Burn Notice".

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/the-write-stuff#.mfgXNnGBY