I spent 10 years as a marketing manager. I've found my experience in the financial world invaluable background for writing about white-collar crimes.
What I used to do between writing fits was feed my kids, ride my horse and go shopping for cat and dog food.
My family is involved and my wife Brenda is a great, great writer. She helps me with the writing of everything and also sings with me. I owe a lot to Brenda.
I had no idea that he was going to write that, but I've always believed that insecurity was what would keep you always in your innocence, no matter what the business did.
First-person narrators is the way I know how to write a book with the greatest power and chance of artistic success.
I like to write scenes in the middle of the night. We could change every word of 'Family Ties' between Monday and Friday.
I also helped write the five-page statement of principles that Civic Forum issued in late November. That was the first public expression of what the new government wanted to do.
I would go to work from 9 to 6, go home, nap for two hours, then write from 8 to 2 a.m.
Right now, I'm Writing song lyrics. Experimenting with a play. Toying with an idea for a documentary. I hope one of these will eventually be launched into the light of day.
Happiness for me is getting to write about the most important things I know.
I intend to keep writing Christmas songs. There's still a lot more about Christmas that can be captured and feel like old-time Christmas. A lot of the traditions haven't been explained in song.
It felt very natural to me to write a Christmas song, but at the same time I had to really put all sorts of pressure aside and just let the creativity flow and see what came out.
My dad was an interior design and furniture person. I started working with him for four years before my first TV writing break.
I'm aware of the mystery around us, so I write about coincidences, premonitions, emotions, dreams, the power of nature, magic.
I got a lot of flak originally for writing with photographs, because the great cliche in photography is that one photograph is worth a thousand words, and photographers are usually dodo birds anyway.
I was writing a chapter of Beautiful Evidence on the subject of the sculptural pedestal, which led to my thinking about what's up on the pedestal - the great leader.
I would rather write or record something great and have it overlooked than do mediocre work and have it be popular.
I gave Joss Whedon and Judd Apatow their first writing jobs, as well as many other untried writers who went on to great success.
I think sketch writing is a good spot for everyone to start because it requires you to develop characters, have a beginning, middle and end and have a bunch of jokes in a short amount of time.
A creative writing program is only as good as its teachers, and I was fortunate in having two great writers as mentors.
In writing, I want to be remembered for telling good stories in beautiful and powerful language, using the poetry of words to reflect the thematic concerns of compelling stories.
