"Screenwriting is an art form," he said. "Master it. You can’t for a moment think you know how to tell stories just because you've gone to the movies your whole life. I lay out the form and the principals of what beautiful storytelling for the screen is, but that doesn't mean you know it. It must move from the head to the heart. But the first step is the intellectual understanding."

"Read screenplays in the genre you like. You want the actual screenplay, not just transcriptions of the film. Get multiple drafts if you can. Then watch films with the screenplays in front of you and analyze them applying the principles you've learned. It really doesn't matter which films. In fact, you can learn more from bad films and screenplays than from good ones. Then persevere ­ and really write well. Master the art."

"You have to think like an artist. If you know you’re in over your head, and that doesn't intimidate you, you might just make it. The hard part is getting in the chair and writing. It takes tremendous will power and discipline and the only way to defeat the fear is to gain the self-confidence that comes from knowing you've mastered the art form."