Quora, the amazing question and answer site, recently held a Q/A session with screenwriter Matt Charman, where users posted various questions for him to answer.

Charman is an award-winning British playwright whose productions include three world premieres at London’s prestigious National Theatre. He is currently nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Original Screenplay category for the feature film Bridge of Spies, a Cold War thriller directed by Steven Spielberg, which he co-wrote with Joel and Ethan Coen. The film stars Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance and Amy Ryan. Prior to that he co-wrote the screenplay for Suite Française, starring Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas and Margot Robbie.

Charman’s current projects include: a feature film adaptation of his 2013 play, The Machine, for Film Nation; an untitled bank heist thriller to be directed by Matt Reeves; Opposite Number, a 10-part political thriller for British and U.S. television; and Patriot’s Day, directed by Peter Berg with Mark Wahlberg attached to star.

We've put together some of the best questions from Quora users from that session, as well as Charman's outstanding and informative answers where he talks about screenwriting and working with one of the most iconic directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.

Quora: How did you teach yourself screenwriting?

Matt Charman: I used to sneak into the second acts of West End plays while I was at University in London. I couldn't afford to buy tickets so after the interval, I would slip in behind people who had been outside having a cigarette, wait for the lights to go down and find an empty seat. That's really bad of me (and I should probably advise you not to do it!) but it was an amazing education because only seeing the second acts made me spend the whole night making up what the first act might have been in my head, before I was able to check in the University library the next day. I didn't know it at the time, but I was learning the art of structuring stories and what you do and don't need to know. It was a great grounding for me.

Quora: What is the first rule of screenwriting?

Matt Charman: Be where the hottest point of the drama is and make sure the scene you're writing is where the audience wants to be. Don't be in the room next to the action, but with the action itself. That doesn't mean the most dramatic place isn't quiet and still, it just means what we're hearing and seeing is the most thrilling part of the story at that exact moment.

Quora: What did Steven Spielberg teach you about writing and filmmaking?

Matt Charman: Sitting opposite Steven Spielberg, while he turns the pages of your script and talks about each scene as he goes, is about the best film school you can get. I learnt so much that it's hard to boil it down, but here's one thing: he wanted me to embrace complexity and the grey areas in characters. That is a gift of a note to a writer, because it means that you can create roles that actors will truly want to inhabit, roles that have both good and bad qualities to them. And audiences love to be compelled by watching those kind of characters too. Steven pushed me to do that, the total opposite of streamlining and dumbing down.

Quora: How involved were you in the filming of Bridge of Spies?

Matt Charman: I spent time on set in New York and Berlin sitting next to Steven Spielberg while he worked, which was the biggest thrill of my life. Seeing him direct Tom Hanks, or block a scene with Mark Rylance or get the lighting just right was mind blowing and I just kept thinking "you've got to remember as much of this as you can."

Quora: I have a movie (plot) idea, but I am having a difficult time getting the idea to paper. What recommendations do you have?

Matt Charman: Tell the story to a friend, like it's something that happened to you or something you just heard. Then forget about it and a week later tell another friend. Then wait a week and tell another friend. We're all natural story tellers and so the tale you're telling will start to find a rhythm the more you tell it, and the bits that don't fit will naturally drop out. You'd be amazed how much you can hone a story this way.

Quora: How can I establish a reputation for myself as a screenwriter in order to make a career of it?

Matt Charman: You have to just get started and keep going. There's no way to get better at it other than doing it. Ask any screenwriter and they will have a hard drive or a stack of notebooks filled with first drafts of plays, movies, or pilots that they wrote years ago and will never get made. You need to accrue those flying hours before someone lets you get behind the wheel of a jumbo jet (I'm aware they don't have steering wheels but you know what I mean...).

Quora: With your own screenplays, when you adapt history for a movie, are there any inviolate truths about history that must not be compromised?

Matt Charman: [For Bridge of Spies], I found a footnote about James Donovan and the part he played in this spy swap in a biography of JFK. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck and I was desperate to know more. I pieced the story together through articles and archives but it wasn't until I met James Donovan's son that the enormity of this story really landed with me.

Sitting opposite John Donovan and seeing the emotion in his eyes when he spoke about not only his father, but what the family had endured being regarded as traitors or friends of the communist cause, made me realize just how important it was to tell this story right and do justice to everyone involved.

I wanted the Donovan family to watch the movie and be able to recognize their father up there on screen. When I sat behind them at the premiere in New York. I was obviously nervous, but their reaction was the most wonderful review you could ever get and I feel proud we put the real man up there. It takes work to plot a course that is both thrilling and truthful, but it's worth it.

Quora: What are your best pieces of advice for aspiring screenwriters?

Matt Charman: If you hear a good line of dialogue on the bus or tube, write it down. If you have a good character name in your head, write it down. A good opening image? Write it down. Most writers are like hoarders who find little pieces of 'treasure' and hide them away in a safe place to use later. You never know when you might need something so if it's good, write it down.

These questions and answers originally appeared on Quora — the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.