I feel like having an actual taxidermy-ed mammal would get gross, like its hair would get dirty and stuff.

The Shield made me realize there were great opportunities for writers in TV.

In fiction, I have a residual guilt when I focus on story over language or mood or whatever - the more "literary" things. In screenwriting, I don't have that guilt because story is the only thing. Character, dialogue, everything else - they feed into and drive story.

I think the reason the stories are briskly paced, when they are, is that I like story. I like stories where things happen and there are surprises and reversals, in addition to vivid characters and a memorable voice. So those are the kinds of stories I try to write. And it turns out that's pretty much the only kind of writing that works for TV. It's a medium that just devours story, demands surprises and reversals. So my sensibility is suited to TV storytelling, at least as we think of it today.

I feel like having an actual taxidermy-ed mammal would get gross, like its hair would get dirty and stuff.

Fiction and screenwriting blend for me. I feel like being a TV writer/screenwriter has definitely made my fiction writing better, although I have less time to do it.

I was tired of working in an office and I wanted to make a living telling stories. There are not many people who find a way to do this.