12 Principles for Writing Stories That Move People — Lessons from Legendary Screenwriter Eric Roth

“I’m trying to build the modern Paris Review — but on the internet.”

That’s the mission of David Perell, a writer and thinker who’s been creating in-depth conversations with some of the most powerful minds in the literary and creative world today.

His podcast How I Write has featured guests like Malcolm Gladwell, Maria Popova, Morgan Housel, and Paul Graham.

I’ve listened to it many times myself.

It’s a rare platform where we can learn not just how to write, but how to think — and feel — like a writer.

Recently, Perell sat down with Eric Roth, a legendary screenwriter whose works include Forrest Gump, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Munich, A Star is Born, and Dune.

Roth has been nominated for the Academy Award seven times and won once.

Even in his eighties, Roth says: “I still start on page one every day.”

What followed was not a formulaic discussion of technique, but a profound exploration of what it really means to write.

Who Is Eric Roth?

Eric Roth is not just a screenwriter — he is a storyteller of rare emotional depth.

He won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1994 for Forrest Gump, and has received nominations for multiple other films that left lasting cultural imprints.

He has worked with directors like Spielberg, Scorsese, Fincher, and Villeneuve.

But beyond the accolades, Roth is someone who writes with his entire life. In the interview, he reveals how personal grief, memory, and love are woven into each of his scripts.

Here are the principles I personally took away from Eric Roth’s conversation with David Perell — insights that go beyond formula and into the soul of storytelling.

The 12 Principles for Writing Stories That Move People

1. Start from Page One — Every Day

Roth re-reads and re-edits from the first page every day.

This isn’t just a ritual — it’s how he lives inside the story.

He compares it to erosion and rebuilding: fixing, refining, and shoring up weak parts until the story feels alive again.

2. Characters Must Have a Psychology

A character’s voice, reactions, and choices must emerge from something deeply personal — a backstory that shapes how they see the world.
Even if the audience doesn’t know the full biography, the writer must.
Every character must have a different voice, driven by their own logic.

3. Theme Is Everything

What is this story really about?
Not just the plot, but the human question underneath.

Whether it’s justice (Killers of the Flower Moon), time (Benjamin Button), or loneliness (Forrest Gump), Roth insists that theme guides every major decision in the writing.

4. Speak Through Subtext

Great writers never say exactly what they mean.
They talk about a dream, a memory, a metaphor — and let the audience infer the truth.
Subtext gives writing depth.
It allows the audience to feel like they’ve discovered something themselves.

5. Let Memory and Time Carry Emotion

Roth is obsessed with the passage of time.
Whether it’s a wind-rattled window, a sunset on a Brooklyn street, or a feather floating through the air — these are more than images.

They are emotional cues that activate our own memories.

6. Find the Sacred in the Mundane

What moves people is not always what’s loud.

Often, it’s what’s quiet — a glance, a silence, a pause in the middle of a noisy world. Roth believes truth lives in those moments.

7. Write Dialogue Like Music

Dialogue must sound natural, but also carry rhythm and tone.

Great lines don’t just say something smart — they feel like they belong to that character. Think: “Life is like a box of chocolates.”

8. Build a Home in the Opening and Closing

A story should begin and end in a place that feels emotionally grounded.

Like a home.

A place the reader wants to stay, and will be sad to leave.

Roth always knows his final scene before he writes the middle.

9. If Stuck, Change the Weather

Roth’s favorite trick for writer’s block?

Make it rain. Or windy. Or dusk. Weather changes behavior.

It adds visual texture and surprises the writer too.

10. Authenticity Is Everything

Your story can be outlandish or fantastical — as long as it’s emotionally real.

Characters must feel believable, even if the premise is not.

The audience won’t care how imaginative it is unless it feels true.

11. The Power of Simplicity

Many of Roth’s most memorable lines are quiet, short, and almost naive.

“I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is.”

Simplicity is not weakness — it is elegance.

12. Writing Is an Adventure, Not a Task

He writes to feel alive.

Even at 80. He doesn’t chase success — he chases the thrill of discovery.

If the scene doesn’t make him want to keep writing tomorrow, he ends the day early.

Final Thought

Eric Roth has survived cancer three times and gone through personal tragedies.

And yet, he still writes like someone who believes writing can heal.

To him, writing isn’t just about movies.

It’s about memory. It’s about grief. It’s about love.

And above all — it’s about telling stories that make us feel less alone.

Like he said:

“I may not be the smartest man. But I know what love is.”

Full Interview by David is available here at: ■