Where does it come from within you?

" But where does it come from within you? What questions does it ask, that come from within you, that you are trying to explore? "

(Paul Haggis, speaking of questions asked of him by Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz)

I enjoy the Creative Screenwriting Podcast, where Jeff Goldsmith records the interviews and public Q and A sessions that he does with Screenwriters after the showing of the movie that they write. He askes a series of questions about the writer's approach and habits.

Here's an excerpt from an interview with Paul Haggis, Academy Award winner, and writer of the sublime Crash, and Million Dollar Baby:

[Goldsmith] Is there any piece of advice that was given to you that has always stayed with you?

[Haggis] Yes it was from Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz I turned in my first script, I was the supervising producer on the show, and they came into my office and said

"Really really good script Paul. What is it about?"

And I said,
"well, It's about this concept, this clever plot turn and this great dialogue."

And they said "yes that's really good but where does it come from within you, what questions does it ask, that come from within you, that you are trying to explore? "

And I said "It's supposed to do that?"

It's like, I only ....., I thought I was just supposed to write clever stuff. I thought the writer's job was just to entertain, to write clever stuff and the looking inward, I didn't even..... I didn't even consider this. So from that point on, I started doing that.

I started looking at things that made me uncomfortable, questions I couldn't answer and when I find a question that troubles me so much that it keeps me up at nights then I write a movie about it.

[Jeff Goldsmith]: That's the best way to write.

Gather talented people around you first, get the best people you can. go for the top, go for the best, go for people whose work you really, really admire and then go for your money.