I like things that are weirdly imaginative and couldn't be real, but I also like stories that are recognizable and relatable.

It's just people who grew up in that time are suddenly old enough to be creators themselves, but I think they have a little perspective. I'm 40 now, and I have children of my own. Before I forget my own childhood completely, I want to take some time to take a look at the '80s and think back.

I start with something that makes me angry or confused, and then I write about it. It's a form of self-help.

Your own creations are your own children; you gave life to them, so you'll always have, if not more passion to them, more connections to them.

The longer I've been writing scripts, the more I find that you have to give the artist more leeway or else you'll just be disappointed. You can't force them to draw every image that's in your head. Since I'm a horrific artist, I wouldn't want them to anyway. So I definitely give them a lot more leeway now than I did at the beginning.

I mean, do you know what you get when you call a suicide hotline in New York city? A busy signal. Literally.

Happy endings are bullshit. There are only happy pauses.