Blog by Brett Johnson

Paul Thomas Anderson on beginning to write:

If you start with the big thing, it’s like trying to throw your arms around the world. The goal should be, for me, to create these people, or help in their creation. And get them talking to each other, or get to the point where you’re not in charge of them. They’re in charge of you. You’re just servicing whatever their needs are. For me, as a writer, you try to force them to go some way. Maybe over here for a car chase or something, they don’t want to go that way, and at its best, you’re letting these characters start to speak and guide a story. Whatever falls off from there is the story.