Quotes by Playwrights

The Latinas in this industry are really supportive and stick together. America Ferrera, Gina Rodriguez, Zoe Saldana, and Salma Hayek have all reached out and have helped promote 'Vida,' and it's because they get it. They really are about opening doors. The more there are of us, the more of a movement it will be, and it won't be just tokens. Tanya Saracho

I want to stay in Chicago. Tanya Saracho

Stay Chicago Want

I'm always writing. There's no stopping. It's just that you can't see it sometimes. Tanya Saracho

You Writing Sometimes See Always Just Stopping

The fact that I have a show on Starz, it's crazy. It's insane. Tanya Saracho

Crazy Insane Fact Show

Glutton things, those are things that are dangerous for me. My grandma and my aunt died of diabetes; I'm borderline diabetic. Tanya Saracho

Me Dangerous Diabetes Those Borderline Diabetic Aunt Died Grandma Things

I am equally a writer and an actor and a director. Tanya Saracho

Director Writer Equally Am Actor

Other people started taking me seriously before I took myself seriously. Tanya Saracho

Myself Me People Seriously Before Other Took Taking Started

When I was in school, I didn't get exposed to Latino playwrights. Tanya Saracho

School Playwrights Latino Get Exposed

I hope to see more Latino stories on television - not just on a personal level, but for us in the industry. We shouldn't just exist when a show is attempting to be diverse. We have good stories, and we are worth it. Tanya Saracho

I'm obsessed with accents. Tanya Saracho

Obsessed Accents

When you work in a writers room for a showrunner, you serve that story, and you serve that showrunner. I don't think it should be called writing; I think it should be called rendering content. Because you are there to render the content that is agreed upon in the room, and you're serving the voice of the main storyteller, which is the showrunner. Tanya Saracho

Work You Writing Think Voice Writers Main Render Rendering Content Because Story Which Storyteller Room Should Agreed Serve Serving

When I got to 'Looking,' I didn't know that you could write stuff and they would put it on TV. That was that experience. My boss was Andrew Haigh and he came from film; he had never done TV. It was his first TV show, and he was running it. And I think he was like, 'Write it, and we'll put it on.' It was lovely. Tanya Saracho

You Experience First Looking Think TV Andrew Would Running TV Show Boss Could Write Never Had He Put Stuff Like Know Got Came His Done Lovely Show Film

Sometimes, when I was the only person of color in a room, you had to defend all the people of color everywhere. Tanya Saracho

You People Sometimes Everywhere Only Color Had Person Room Defend

The thing is about 'Vida,' we're telling a very simple family narrative. There's nothing fancy about it. Tanya Saracho

Family Simple Nothing Telling About Narrative Very Fancy Thing

There is no 'generic' Latina. Tanya Saracho

Latina Generic

When you're a starving artist, you make do. It didn't matter that I didn't know where my rent was coming from. Tanya Saracho

You Matter Starving Know Make Rent Coming Artist Where

Write about your experiences! When I moved to L.A., I didn't have any friends, and the office janitor was the person who I saw the most. He would always come in at around 10:00 P.M., and I would still be at my desk, so I wrote a play about a first-year TV writer and the friendship that she developed with the janitor. Our stories matter. Tanya Saracho

Friendship Matter Our Saw TV Would About Write Writer Developed He Come Most Wrote She Around Always Still Friends Office Person Any Moved Experiences Stories Janitor Your Who Play Desk

Spanglish is very natural. It's however it comes out. But there are a few patterns that all of us, especially Mexican-American writers, just noticed in how we utilized Spanglish. It comes out of necessity when you can't find the next word. You go to whatever language will serve you best. Tanya Saracho

With me, writing is 60% imagination, 30% people you know and 10% you don't know where it comes from. Terrence McNally

Me You People Writing Imagination Know Where