Dammit, how could
this have happened?
Here's something important
to remember about dialogue,
no one ever in life starts
a sentence with dammit.
I'm in a constant state
of writer's block.
That is my default position.
Dialog is pretty much
where the art comes in.
Taking some words that
someone has just said,
holding them in
your hand, and then
punching them in
the face with it.
I left The West
Wing after Season 4.
I have not seen an episode
from Seasons 5, 6, and 7.
Together, we are going to
break the teaser and first act
of Episode 501 of The West Wing.
You don't have an idea
until you can use the words
but, except, and then.
I just want to hear
your bad ideas.
Very bad.
Love it.
Very bad.
By the way, it wasn't that bad.
But--
It's a White House conspiracy.
[LAUGHING]
Look at this cork board.
This is two hours that
needs to be filled.
The worst crime you can
commit is telling the audience
something they already
know, you should
be evangelical about
Aristotle's Poetics.
If there is something
wrong with your script,
that is because you
broke one of those rules.
It's not just that dialogue
sounds like music to me.
It actually is music.
Then you have much less common
days where you did write
and you wrote something good.
And you see it on a
screen, I promise you,
you feel like you can fly.
I'm Aaron Sorkin, and
this is my master class.
