This is a little late, but who cares? billgbg brings news (he brought it last week, but I only just noticed it) that last November, the 20th annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting were presented. Charlie K was the keynote speaker.

After arousing uproarious laughter from the audience with his disconnected monologue, tales of childhood fears that his parents would abandon him while he was at camp, ballet classes at college, and nervous revelation that he's still not exactly sure what William Goldman's done, Kaufman turned almost serious when he spoke of writing. He revealed that he wants to surprise himself with his stories. He wants a conclusion that “surprises me.” He went on to note that writers should embrace failure, since failure is the way to learn and grow. “If you aren't willing to fail, you'll never reveal yourself” in your writing. Wrapping things up, Kauffman addressed an issue of contention in the film industry: the credit that directors get. If a director is going to be called an auteur, he said, “then I want to be a directeur.” (Source)