--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can work a lot faster when I'm writing…" description: "\"I can work a lot faster when I'm writing a screenplay than when I'm writing a play because, if I'm having a problem with a scene or something, I can ju..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/zoe-kazan-3186_communication_i-can-work-a-lot-faster-when-i-m-writing_2790259.jpg" --- # I can work a lot faster when I'm writing a screenplay than… ![“I can work a lot faster when I'm writing a screenplay than when I'm writing a play because, if I'm having a problem with a scene or something, I can just be writing it in a way where there's no dialogue, or find a way to make sound do the work that I want to do or a close-up do the work that I…” quote by Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/zoe-kazan-3186_communication_i-can-work-a-lot-faster-when-i-m-writing_2790259.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/zoe-kazan-3186_communication_i-can-work-a-lot-faster-when-i-m-writing_2790259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/zoe-kazan-3186_communication_i-can-work-a-lot-faster-when-i-m-writing_2790259.jpg) > “I can work a lot faster when I'm writing a screenplay than when I'm writing a play because, if I'm having a problem with a scene or something, I can just be writing it in a way where there's no dialogue, or find a way to make sound do the work that I want to do or a close-up do the work that I need to do.” [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Screenwriting can be faster by using visual cues instead of dialogue to resolve scenes. **In simple terms:** Use visuals and sound to tell the story, not just dialogue. Key Takeaway Leverage visual storytelling. Themes creativity visual storytelling efficiency Mood practical insightful Type instructional reflective When to use this quote - film production - writing workshops - directing scenes Key Concepts screenplay vs. play sound design close‑up shots Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance visual and verbal storytelling? - When is dialogue essential? A Different Perspective Relying too much on visuals may limit character depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Faster Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faster-writing-3374397/) [Find](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/find/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Screenplay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplay/) [Screenplay Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplay-writing-565506/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-play/) [Writing Screenplay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-screenplay/) ## Related quotes > [There is no screenplay-writing recipe that guarantees your cake will rise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/there-is-no-screenplay-writing-recipe-that-guarantees-your-cake-will/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Preston Sturges, who wrote The Palm Beach Story, said screenplay writing is architecture. That's why it's so rare to read one that's any good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hampton-fancher/preston-sturges-who-wrote-the-palm-beach-story-said-screenplay/) [Hampton Fancher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hampton-fancher/) > [Doing TV shows helps me a lot in my screenplay writing and filmmaking, especially since my TV shows are in different formats: comedy sketches,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takeshi-kitano/doing-tv-shows-helps-me-a-lot-in-my-screenplay-writing-and-filmmaking/) [Takeshi Kitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takeshi-kitano/) > [Most of screenplay writing is deciding which voices you want to listen to and take on board.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/most-of-screenplay-writing-is-deciding-which-voices-you-want-to/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I don't mean to talk so much about screenplay writing. Who wants to talk about screenplay writing? I've taught it and I felt like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hampton-fancher/i-don-t-mean-to-talk-so-much-about-screenplay-writing-who-wants-to/) [Hampton Fancher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hampton-fancher/) > [I don't think screenplay writing is the same as writing - I mean, I think it's blueprinting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/i-don-t-think-screenplay-writing-is-the-same-as-writing-i-mean-i/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [If you're writing a screenplay from scratch, it involves a lot of creation. In this play, I had a strong main character and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-falardeau/if-you-re-writing-a-screenplay-from-scratch-it-involves-a-lot-of/) [Philippe Falardeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-falardeau/) > [I don't think I write differently when I'm writing a screenplay, as opposed to a stage play or a teleplay. Maybe if I were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/i-don-t-think-i-write-differently-when-i-m-writing-a-screenplay-as/) [Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/) > [It's much like writing a screenplay with someone else and that's how we view it, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-darden/it-s-much-like-writing-a-screenplay-with-someone-else-and-that-s-how/) [Christopher Darden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-darden/) > [If you're writing a screenplay, you need to be prepared to let go: there's a good chance the words you write aren't going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/if-you-re-writing-a-screenplay-you-need-to-be-prepared-to-let-go/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [Writing a screenplay is an act of faith. First, that it's interesting enough that anyone would want to make it. Secondly, that anybody would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-whannell/writing-a-screenplay-is-an-act-of-faith-first-that-it-s-interesting/) [Leigh Whannell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-whannell/) > [I've been a professional athlete, I've directed films, I've run a company with 150 employees, and nothing compares to writing a screenplay. Just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-peralta/i-ve-been-a-professional-athlete-i-ve-directed-films-i-ve-run-a/) [Stacy Peralta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-peralta/) > [“I do not recommend writing a screenplay in two weeks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-hall/i-do-not-recommend-writing-a-screenplay-in-two-weeks/) [Christy Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-hall/) > [Writing a screenplay is like climbing a mountain. When you’re climbing, all you can see is the rock in front of you and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd-field/writing-a-screenplay-is-like-climbing-a-mountain-when-you-re-climbing/) [Syd Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd-field/) > [On the one occasion where I did try writing a screenplay, I found the rewriting just unendurable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/on-the-one-occasion-where-i-did-try-writing-a-screenplay-i-found-the/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) ## More by Zoe Kazan > [Maybe this is a way of gaslighting myself, but I think of it this way: In certain circles, my grandpa was considered to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/maybe-this-is-a-way-of-gaslighting-myself-but-i-think-of-it-this-way/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [There aren't a lot of movies being made about women, period. Most of the time, the roles that are available are the sidekick, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/there-aren-t-a-lot-of-movies-being-made-about-women-period-most-of/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [Every role requires its own set of tools, and I think, because of that, it is very hard to ever feel totally prepared or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/every-role-requires-its-own-set-of-tools-and-i-think-because-of-that/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [I love bad movies, whereas going to the theater for me is a painful experience. I think it's really hard to sit and watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/i-love-bad-movies-whereas-going-to-the-theater-for-me-is-a-painful/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [I think the written word is my first love. 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It's funny to think of it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/i-think-from-my-earliest-childhood-i-liked-to-tell-stories-put-on/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [I'm a very serious person. Unfortunately, sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/i-m-a-very-serious-person-unfortunately-sometimes/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [When I would get close on a part but wouldn't get it, I would be like, "They made a mistake," which is not how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/when-i-would-get-close-on-a-part-but-wouldn-t-get-it-i-would-be-like/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [If I ever feel that acting is just soul-sucking and I don't want to do it anymore, I could stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/if-i-ever-feel-that-acting-is-just-soul-sucking-and-i-don-t-want-to/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [I'm definitely feeling whatever's going on pretty hard. It's like playing Barbies. You're holding the Barbies, but all of the action is happening inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/i-m-definitely-feeling-whatever-s-going-on-pretty-hard-it-s-like/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [My hero is Michelle Williams, who I grew close to when we did 'Meek's Cutoff.' She's an extraordinary actor and mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/my-hero-is-michelle-williams-who-i-grew-close-to-when-we-did-meek-s/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [Writing-wise, I like to have a lot of things on the burners at once, because when I hit a wall, I like to move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/writing-wise-i-like-to-have-a-lot-of-things-on-the-burners-at-once/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [I love to act and that's sort of my first love. That's what I started out doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/i-love-to-act-and-that-s-sort-of-my-first-love-that-s-what-i-started/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) [Explore all 137 Zoe Kazan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? 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No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) [Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can work a lot faster when I'm writing a screenplay than when I'm writing a play because, if I'm having a problem with a scene or something, I can just be writing it in a way where there's no dialogue, or find a way to make sound do the work that I want to do or a close-up do the work that I need to do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Zoe Kazan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/i-can-work-a-lot-faster-when-i-m-writing-a-screenplay-than-when-i-m/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/i-can-work-a-lot-faster-when-i-m-writing-a-screenplay-than-when-i-m/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/zoe-kazan-3186_communication_i-can-work-a-lot-faster-when-i-m-writing_2790259.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/zoe-kazan-3186_communication_i-can-work-a-lot-faster-when-i-m-writing_2790259.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/738/zoe-kazan-3186_communication_i-can-work-a-lot-faster-when-i-m-writing_2790259.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can work a lot faster when I'm writing a screenplay than when I'm writing a play because, if I'm having a…” — Zoe Kazan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Zoe Kazan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can work a lot faster...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/i-can-work-a-lot-faster-when-i-m-writing-a-screenplay-than-when-i-m/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/i-can-work-a-lot-faster-when-i-m-writing-a-screenplay-than-when-i-m/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```