In the interest of full disclosure, David Mamet is, in no small part, why I got into theatre in the first place. Mr. Mamet, the movie Harvey, and a handful of talented and influential teachers.

For me, I discovered Mr. Mamet through film; I remember seeing The Untouchables somewhere around my Freshman year in high school and being so floored by it that I brought friends back to see it the next night, and the next night again after that. That was followed by A) discovering House of Games, and B) devouring his book of essays, Some Freaks. His scripts continue to stand amongst my favorites - both the classics and the newer works - with the lesser-known Heist being an annual viewing event for me. Who but Mr. Mamet can give us lines like, "Everybody needs money; it's why they call it money."

That being fully disclosed, and even if you are not a fan of Mr. Mamet's work, I think that any writer would benefit from reading this memo that he sent to the writing staff of CBS's drama The Unit, for which he was the executive producer. While I was late to discover it (thanks, Gino!), I've found it immensely inspiring. Enjoy.

“TO THE WRITERS OF THE UNIT / GREETINGS. / AS WE LEARN HOW TO WRITE THIS SHOW, A RECURRING PROBLEM BECOMES CLEAR. / THE PROBLEM IS THIS: TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN DRAMA AND NON-DRAMA. LET ME BREAK-IT-DOWN-NOW.”

http://movieline.com/2010/03/23/david-mamets-memo-to-the-writers-of-the-unit/