My forte is the plotting. You sit down, and you work out a plot.
I'm very specific and ambitious in plotting out my goals and never take no for an answer - so it's not like things just fall in my lap.
Whenever I see a new film, I deliberately tune down several 'dials' in my mind - critical faculties associated with logic, plotting, science - just so I can retain some ability to enjoy a flick in the spirit it's offered.
While we are sleeping, two-thirds of the world is plotting to do us in.
I love intricate plotting and exciting twists, but I realize more that people enjoy a good story in a simple, focused way.
When you look at someone good like J.J. Abrams who gives you the spectacle and great action set pieces but also gives you character and great story and plotting and narrative, I think it's my job - and my intention - to do both.
When I first came to L.A., I was plotting out my career choices as if I actually had a choice. Unless you're Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, impossibly good-looking, or look like a freak, you have to be malleable and open to everything that comes your way because that's what makes it possible to pay your mortgage and eat.
There's nothing lovelier than having a newborn and still plotting a dark conspiracy.
I do a lot of planning and plotting. That's my greatest weakness. If I'm not terribly careful, I'll plan to a point where it could come out cut and dried.
The most difficult part of any crime novel is the plotting. It all begins simply enough, but soon you're dealing with a multitude of linked characters, strands, themes and red herrings - and you need to try to control these unruly elements and weave them into a pattern.
