David Cho, Thriller Screenwriter & Novelist
Who are you, and what do you do?
I'm David Cho. I write fast-paced crime thrillers for television and indie publishers.
Walk us through your writing space and the tools you use. What kind of desk, computer, or notebook are you using right now, and what software or apps do you type into?
My writing space is hyper-minimalist because I move around a lot. At home, I use a plain white IKEA Linnmon desk. I write on a 13-inch M1 MacBook Air that goes with me to local coffee shops every afternoon.
For screenplays, I use Fade In, which is a brilliant, lightweight alternative to Final Draft. For my novels, I type directly into Google Docs. I know tech-heavy writers hate it, but the ability to open my manuscript on my phone while sitting on the subway and instantly fix a typo or add a line of dialogue is invaluable to me.
Do you outline your entire story before you start typing, or do you just start writing and make it up as you go along?
I’m a pure "pantser"—I fly by the seat of my pants. I usually start with an inciting incident—like, "A detective wakes up in a locked room with no memory and a smoking gun"—and I just start typing to see how he gets out. If I outline, I get bored because the mystery is already solved for me.
How is the "writing version" of you different from the person your friends and family see every day?
I am a very anxious person in real life—always worrying about the future or overthinking conversations. But when I am writing a high-stakes action scene, all of that anxiety vanishes. The writing version of me is decisive, aggressive, and completely confident.
What do you do when you're completely stuck on a page and the words just aren't coming? Do you have a specific trick to reset?
I physically change my location. If I’m stuck at my desk, I move to the kitchen counter. If I’m stuck at the coffee shop, I go sit on a park bench. A new visual environment usually dislodges whatever mental block I'm fighting.
If money and space were no object, what would your absolute dream writing environment look like?
A sleek, ultra-modern loft apartment in Tokyo overlooking the neon skyline. I want a giant standing desk right against a floor-to-ceiling window so I can watch the city move while I write late at night.
