--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a playwright by trade, and in…" description: "\"I'm a playwright by trade, and in theater, writers have complete control over everything. Nobody can change a word without your permission. I've had a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/david-lindsay-abaire-26640_couple_i-m-a-playwright-by-trade-and-in-theater_2179759.jpg" --- # I'm a playwright by trade, and in theater, writers have… ![“I'm a playwright by trade, and in theater, writers have complete control over everything. Nobody can change a word without your permission. I've had a couple screenwriting experiences that weren't terrible, but they were typical, where executives came in and gave you sometimes good notes and…” quote by David Lindsay-Abaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/david-lindsay-abaire-26640_couple_i-m-a-playwright-by-trade-and-in-theater_2179759.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/david-lindsay-abaire-26640_couple_i-m-a-playwright-by-trade-and-in-theater_2179759.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d24/david-lindsay-abaire-26640_couple_i-m-a-playwright-by-trade-and-in-theater_2179759.jpg) > “I'm a playwright by trade, and in theater, writers have complete control over everything. Nobody can change a word without your permission. I've had a couple screenwriting experiences that weren't terrible, but they were typical, where executives came in and gave you sometimes good notes and sometimes horrible notes - but they wanted to change the movie that everybody had agreed to make. After a couple of times, it's like, "Why are we doing this?" The story is not going to turn out very good when 13 people are writing it together.” [David Lindsay-Abaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lindsay-abaire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative control is diluted when many voices intervene, leading to compromised storytelling. **In simple terms:** Too many writers spoil the story. Key Takeaway Limit collaborators to preserve vision. Themes creativity control collaboration authorship Mood frustrated reflective Type advice industry insight When to use this quote - film production - playwriting - team projects - studio negotiations Key Concepts authorship creative authority group dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How many perspectives enhance a story? - When is collaboration beneficial? A Different Perspective Too many inputs can still improve a project if managed well. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Playwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwright/) [Screenwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenwriting/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Women are the essential part of the theater but the writers are not writing about women. I think they're too perplexed about the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/women-are-the-essential-part-of-the-theater-but-the-writers-are-not/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [Screenwriting is a terrible way to make a living and I always try to talk anyone out of it. Until you sit in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-holden-jones/screenwriting-is-a-terrible-way-to-make-a-living-and-i-always-try-to/) Amy Holden Jones > [Stop yelling at the movie, you ain’t never gonna change it like that. Go change the movie in the projector. You are the projector.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/stop-yelling-at-the-movie-you-ain-t-never-gonna-change-it-like-that/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [ I feel like it'll change after the movie \[Star Wars\] comes out, if it does. 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