This is a quote from an interview with Shawn Lawrence Otto, who cowrote the screenplay for Andre Dubus III novel HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG.

WS: Your first screenplay, SHINING WHITE, won numerous awards. What was the appeal of the competitions? Would you encourage emerging screenwriters to enter competitions, apply for fellowships or other awards? Did the publicity that came with the awards throw open doors for you? Was the public relations self-perpetuating or did you have to work on it?

SLO: I think the competitions are a little like the farm system in baseball. They are the minor leagues. You can play there and get feedback and hone your craft, and then if you get lucky you get called up. That's usually by an independent producer looking for fresh material or new voices, but sometimes it's an agent or manager. You just need to be careful that it's really someone who has good relationships in Hollywood. These days it's how a lot of new writers have gotten their starts. It's how I got mine.

I read "House of Sand and Fog", and although I liked the novel, I thought it was deeply flawed. I dislike passive characters, and thought the female character was too much of a "I can't help it, I'm a victim" type. Like girl, get a clue and into therapy and get over yourself.

But the novel was hugely popular, being an Oprah book and all, so I think many readers related to passive victim character.

I wish I could read a book where the main character walks into their messes with eyes wide open, knowing it's bad, but goes anyway just because they want to, because it's seductive, and because it's fun. I want to see a main character in a book cop to their BS and then get on with life.

I guess if I want to read a book with this kind of character, I'm going to have to write it myself.