He knew what he wanted. He went for it. He studied and wrote and wrote and wrote. Whenever the Universe (my word, not his) seemed to show him a new path, he adjusted his game plan. And because he constantly took action "luck" was on his side. You need to read his bio to understand how much this man has accomplished.
The one thing he said I would question is the statement that he's not necessarily a "gifted" writer. (He may have used a different adjective.) His point was that "if he could do it then so could we."
I don't know. He must be fairly gifted to win first place in a Mark Taper Play Writing Contest and then have his play produced in more than one venue. He must be fairly gifted to win Emmys and be nominated for an Academy Away.
I'm going to read one of his novels now. Unfortunately for me, I don't like Young Adult fiction very much (except for books like The Hunger Games series). So far, though, his style is great. So we shall see.