Hey Arash, Thanks for the incredibly elaborate and insightful interview! My question for you relates back to those 13 or so scripts you busted out before officially breaking in… Particularly scripts 9 and 10, how did you know it was time to let a certain idea go and move on to something new? There’s great stories about scripts like Little Miss Sunshine, The Fighter, or Sixth Scene undergoing 6, 7, even 10 drafts before being sent out to agents & producers. And as an aspiring writer still trying to break in, it feels like there’s a fine line between spending the proper time working through a handful of necessary drafts, and not knowing when to move on to your next project. So I’m curious, being that you are a self-educated, self-taught writer who seems to have underwent a lot of trial and error, how did you know when it was time to put away a certain script and move on to the next one? Thanks, Brian

That is a great question! Hope it'll get a respond. Thanks to Arash & Scott

Great question. Invariably, you'll need to listen to your readers and your audience. At a certain point, the goal of becoming a professional writer is also about learning to look at your own work objectively and analytically -- some projects will come quicker, others take longer to develop, but ultimately it's about honing your intuition for it. The intuition comes down to a simple question for me: is it not working conceptually (which is time to stop) or is it a form/function/story design issue (which can always be fixed with enough hours/drafts)?

Thanks Arash. Appreciate the response. Makes perfect sense. And thanks again for sharing all the wonderfully honest and inspiring details of your journey. It was a privilege to read.