# Read

At some point you have to ask yourself: “Am I writing the best adaptation or the best movie?” And that might mean cutting things you adore from the book or creating an extra scene here or there to bridge a storyline.

I have kind of a weird working method, which is a mix of meticulous, obsessive preparation (researching, pre-visualization, pre-production) and a sort of crazy freedom on set, especially when working with actors.

The whole experience made me a better writer, creator, collaborator, and the fact that it didn’t go to series helped continue to motivate me in stand-up.

... if you hole yourself up in your room and just write and never make an effort to meet people, it will be very difficult to have a successful career as a writer, at least for TV.

Being open about my anxiety has been very freeing, and it’s made people connect with me when they previously might have thought we had nothing in common.

A lot of people told me not to direct. But it was getting to the point where my scripts just weren’t getting made–or they were being rewritten by morons.

A writer who thinks they can write every genre is not going to perfect any one genre. So know who you are—and that takes time to figure out.

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.