# Read

Encased in glass at the end of the room, the door pulsed. He gripped the knob that was hot to the touch from the sun. But he managed to turn it and swung open the door, peering into an endless blackness that existed on the other side.

Unless you’ve got a Business Degree in your back pocket, the idea can feel a bit overwhelming. It’s okay, I’m right there with you—so are a lot of other Creatives.

You feel as if you’re in a rip current, paddling and paddling, yet getting farther from your goals.

... horror has long been one of the most evergreen genres, both as a crowd-pleaser and as a way for emerging writers to cut their teeth in the entertainment and publishing industries.

... when I’d been looking for permission to create with maximalist zeal, I hadn’t been asking, “Is it possible to create in all these genres?” but “Will people take me seriously?”

Excavate your past and present for the emotional states you once felt, and apply those emotions to your characters.

... if you’re a tired, overwhelmed producer, what seems more appealing? A 10-page document of straight, unformatted blocks of text, or a pretty pitch bible with lots and lots of pictures?

... we were not asking writers to reinvent the wheel; it was about what they could do with that wheel. And that usually started with great writers giving us characters that surprised us.

It’s easy to put the onus on risk-averse executives. However, the real work starts with us.

There are way more elements that influence the impact of a scene than just our skill on the page.

You do have to justify why you are the right person to write it, but it’s not because you have it as a lived experience. It’s because it evoked an emotion in you that drove you to write the story.

Nonprofits and similar orgs can benefit from a little Hollywood magic to capture audience attention ...

Having Imposter Syndrome makes you more aware that you’re one bad performance from the job at Home Depot you never want to think about.

... part of being a writer is that willingness to keep going and keep getting better at it, even if you don’t make a living at it.

Alarm clock openings were never in style. They're not in style now. They will never be in style.