Now Entering The Fourth Circle

I'm trying to work on a script that has been in various stages of Development Hell for what feels like at least a year. It could well be that long, I honestly don't remember when I started the damn thing.

Ordinarily, when writing a script, it takes a few weeks at most; once the plot's established. The things I write aren't notoriously long; something I've tried to work on. I'd like to pen a few full-length plays, if I can just get the words down and A) find a story that hasn't been done a dozen times already, B) pull together some characters and C) get 'em talking.

That's just it. I have the story. (Not mine.) I have the characters. (Also not mine.) I have the premise for wackiness to ensue. What I'm missing is... something I don't have a word for.

On using someone else's characters: I'm hardly the first. They're in the public domain, they're easily identifiable, which means making them funny will be a relatively easy job. The concept won't be a hard sell. Satire's always an easy sell.

Still. Getting them to open up and chat a spell is taking some doing. It's currently taking more doing than I can do... if that makes any sense.

*IQ drops 30 points* Urgh. Writing hard. *smacks keyboard w/ club*