Mark Steven Johnson stepped behind the lens to direct Finding Steve McQueen, the true story of a gang of Ohio bank robbers that attempted to steal $30 million from President Richard Nixon’s secret illegal fund.

“All we really have is what we make and put out. And that’s the only stuff I enjoy doing.”

He was never quite able to pin the magnificent, ethereal creature inside his head to paper, and that fact consumed him.

It's okay if your creative flavor isn't for everyone, as long as you're telling your own truth—there is an audience that will respond to a genuine, well-told story.

Nailing your professional bio, and understanding that a single bio cannot rule them all, is an invaluable skill for every aspiring writer, filmmaker, director, and beyond.

1985 gave us three such movies blending commerciality, narrative discipline, and daring—their scripts a marvel to behold.

The first pass was—traumatic. I was re-reading every single word of my novel, dissecting where I could have written it better, second-guessing so many things. I had to stop that critic in my head just so I could get the work done.

I just want­ed to write about a chick who’s into the ocean, then I men­tioned hero­in, and you judged me, and I went on an apolo­getic at­tempt that be­came in­fest­ed with pol­i­tics, doubt, and a lack of cre­ative juice.

"Who am I to suggest such a thing? This fear, which affects every writer. Myself included. People think it doesn't affect those who are successful, but, of course, it does." - Jane Friedman

I knew about 12 pt. Courier font, hiding exposition, keeping descriptions short ... but I had no idea how to write a middle grade memoir.

“Doing good research” means doing more than parroting Twitter talking heads and Washington Post articles in a political drama.

Your art is whatever you make or do in order to process the world and the incomprehensible experience of being alive in it. That's why it feels like work and also why it feels necessary.

From what I’ve experienced over the past year and some change, I believe screenwriting is a team sport.

Women have influenced music throughout history—if they’re excluded from the narrative, then we will never have a true understanding of humanity’s current place in the world.

This is a copycat industry—if something works, you can all but guarantee someone else is going to be right on your heels with the follow-up.