I Have A Lot Of Respect For

I'd Been Concerned All Along That The Character Of The President In The West Wing Pilot Would Throw The Ensemble Out Of Whack, That That Character Would Simply Take Up All The Oxygen In A Room. I Wanted To Hold Off Bringing This Character In Until The Last Possible Moment.

I Don't Have Personal Experience And Knowledge About Anything But Theater. I've Been Tutored Very Well On The Subject, But Ultimately I'm Going Back To The Rules Of Drama. There Are Genres That I Like As An Audience Member That I Can't Write As A Writer. I Can't Write Crime, And I Like A Good Thriller As Much As Anybody.

My Preference Would Have Been To Not Go Back On The Air After 911, At All Until The Time Felt Right But That Wasn't An Option.

Decisions Are Made By Those Who Show Up. Don't Ever Forget That You're A Citizen Of This World.

I Consider Plot A Necessary Intrusion On What I Really Want To Do, Which Is Write Snappy Dialogue. But When I'm Writing, The Way The Words Sound Is As Important To Me As What They Mean.