British author and screenwriter David Nicholls is well-known for his intensely personal books and movies that frequently explore intense human relationships and individual hardships. During one of his interviews, he talked about how he likes stories that evoke strong feelings but also feels a little uneasy when they get too sentimental or corny.

Nicholls characterizes himself as someone who enjoys emotionally charged stories and finds happiness when a story has a profound impact on him personally. He does, however, admit to having an internal conflict: although he enjoys being moved by the grandeur of heartfelt stories, there is a part of him that feels uncomfortable or ashamed when they go too far in the direction of sentimentality.

It's similar to someone who enjoys eating decadent desserts but struggles to avoid feeling a little bad after overindulging. This harmony between pleasure and discomfort is reflected in Nicholls' sentiment, which emphasizes the difficulty of enjoying art that stirs up powerful feelings without succumbing to sentimentality or cliché.

Many writers and readers who are navigating similar emotions toward emotional storytelling—loving it but wanting to avoid its pitfalls—find resonance in his words. Since Nicholls' open admission relates to a larger conversation in literature and film about finding the ideal balance between evoking strong feelings and avoiding cliches, his thoughts on the subject are both intimate and broadly applicable.