The trick is to be non-stop. Which is not a trick at all, but exhausting. You have to be promoting around the clock. And not just the same post—you have to turn it into an event with your audience.

... all the clichés are true. Keep writing. Keep networking. Keep improving.

... the best advice I can give is to be ready when the opportunity presents itself.

... the challenges involved with any creative relationship necessitate being respectful of each other’s ideas and being able to navigate disagreements.

Let it go—when your co-writer says what you’ve written is unclear or confusing or not working or not on the page, trust them. They have the benefit of objectivity.

... your story will change and morph and become a much more team-oriented endeavor, but there’s something so interesting about it all starting with you and a computer, and that’s it.

Larger audiences seem curious to delve into stories of people who look and live differently.

Ahead of every single element, the audience wants to be engaged with a character in a story that surprises them and keeps them constantly asking “oh my god, what happens next?” That’s everything to me.

But the truth is, you have to earn it, and you have to develop your craft to the point where you’re ready for that career.

Writers sometimes forget this is a business and that the majority of people who read your script are looking at it as a commodity. “Can I sell this concept?”

For a writer to stretch and find an original plot and a fresh and creative way to package those elements, that’s an illustration of high-concept.

The true definition of madness was becoming a reality. And it took a few years, money ran out, bills weren’t being paid, and it was time to go get a job again. But I always believed.

You may not require a hook, but your writing should really stand out to make your simple story pop. Practice your craft and read produced scripts.

For me, the trick is to constantly be working. I write seven days a week. When a draft goes into the studio or a spec goes out, you can’t wait to see what happens.

... writing a screenplay is so labor-intensive, I’ve found that I can’t grind away on something if I’m not totally enamored with it.