Montgomery Webster

“Cliche is at the root of audience dissatisfaction, and like a plague spread through ignorance, it now infects all story media.”
― Robert McKee, Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting

“Quite a few people became depressed once the crime was solved. It seemed so pointless. If the culprit had at least had a strong motive, it might have been easier to understand. Once it was all over, people felt as if they had been left in limbo. Yes, they did. Many people expressed doubt as to whether the man who committed suicide really was the culprit.”
― Riku Onda, The Aosawa Murders

“Four basic factors are present in every story, with varying degrees of emphasis: milieu, idea, character, and event.”
― Orson Scott Card, Characters & Viewpoint

“Excelling at chess has long been considered a symbol of more general intelligence. That is an incorrect assumption in my view, as pleasant as it might be.”
― Garry Kasparov