A writer, perhaps more than a filmmaker or a theatre director, lives off what he has stored up in the way of impressions and experiences. One thing we all learn is not to deny our violent feelings but to respect them. They are our material, as well as our bond with humanity. People generally try to forget the pain of the past, to lift themselves above it. They’re protecting themselves where it hurt most. Artists know that they have to live differently than their neighbors, and that hurt is part of the game they’ve chosen to play. Our weaknesses, our faults, our sins, are what make us understand other living creatures. We don’t look away when we look back.