If we get too attached to the goal—get an agent, sell this project—and forget that writing is allowed to be fun.

Art conveys truth in ways that propaganda and misinformation of war cannot readily combat. And art is a means to a better future.

Clearly there is a knowledge gap out there … there’s something that a hell of a lot of writers out there need to know, and they don’t know it right now.

But for our other mediums we must travel to what some cynics describe as the least truthful place of all—Hollywood.

If cultural connection, curiosity, and interrogation is some bedrock to our interest in, and fondness for the genre, what else draws audiences so endlessly to these films?

Kids are very aware of what’s going on around them. And I think they want to escape into worlds that ultimately make sense, regardless of the offbeat concepts or quirks that define those worlds.

It’s true that some people are born with a natural loathing for screenwriting. But that doesn’t mean it’s unattainable for the rest of us.

If a writer is going to present his POV in those big, neon letters, becoming almost strident in his or her moral clarity, then one should hope to be as clever as Sorkin.

Let women be women, let mothers be badass. Let us fight! You won’t be disappointed.

It’s almost like I’ve got a blank page on which to write this new entity from scratch. Similar to creating a character for a screenplay.

It was time to grow. I could see it coming miles away, and I knew it wouldn’t be pleasant.

It's more valuable that you know how people answer their own questions without your input, since you won't always be in the room when audiences experience your work.

Unless you’re writing only for you, you need to keep the audience in mind. Especially if that audience is the gatekeeper to all your hopes and dreams.

The working-class is what I know, and they’re almost always at the heart of the stories I tell. As for why we’re not hearing enough about them—I don’t know. Superheroes are overqualified for the jobs out here.

Overworking doesn’t make you a better or more dedicated writer.