While the grim reality of Hollywood is that writers are low on the industry totem pole, they reign supreme on Twitter. Actors mostly tweet about themselves and directors choose to play it safe in the interest of industry politics — but Twitterland is a writer's playground. And the 140-character limit doesn't seem to restrict anyone's creativity.
These 25 represent some of the brightest, funniest and most entertaining minds Twitter has to offer. They range from A-List screenwriters such as John August and Diablo Cody to writing partners like Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black, and from writer-directors like Wes Craven and Jon Hurwitz to writer-performers like Louis C.K. and Glenn Howerton.
(Also see our previous guides: 25 Movie Stars Worth Their Tweets, 30 Must-Follow Movie Insiders, 30 Must-Follow Music Insiders, 50 Must-Follow TV Insiders, 25 Must-Follow Media Insiders, 25 Must-Follow TV Superfans)
THE WRITER/DIRECTORS
1. Wes Craven
@wescraven
Writer-director, "My Soul to Take"
Why Follow?: To get the low-down on "Scream 4." Duh.
Sample Tweet: "Just had Ghostface jump out at Hayden [Panettiere] when she wasn't expecting it. Did it to @RobertsEmma yesterday. I love scaring people. #SCREAM4"
Be Prepared For: Fewer tweets than normal, as Craven has been in the editing room getting "Scream 4" ready for its highly-anticipated April release.
2. Jon Hurwitz 
@jonhurwitz
Co-writer-director, "American Pie 4"
Why Follow: He's a true film fan who champions underrated movies, sugary cereals and Judaism. What's not to love?
Sample Tweet: "Going to my first Bris since my own. Hope I catch the foreskin!"
Be Prepared For: Plenty of "American Pie" love on the horizon, since he and Hayden Schlossberg (@mcschlossberg — a rare Tweeter) are co-directing Universal's upcoming franchise reboot featuring the original cast.
3. Nicholas Stoller
@nicholasstoller
Writer-director, "Get Him to the Greek"
Why Follow?: Stoller isn't just funny — he's raunchy, too! Plus he's not afraid to knock other movies in the marketplace.
Sample Tweet: "Just saw 'Social Network' trailer. I'll be satisfied if all that happens is Justin Timberlake opens doors to better & better parties."
Be Prepared For: The inevitable promotion of the Stoller-scripted "Gulliver's Travels," which looks a little light on laughs.
THE WRITING PARTNERS
4/5. Donald Glover & D.C. Pierson
@mrdonaldglover, @dcpierson
Co-writers, "Mystery Team"
Why Follow?: "Community" star Glover, who has written for "30 Rock" and "The Daily Show," happens to be a bonafide Internet sensation. His and Pierson's Derrick Comedy videos (Dominic Dierkes is the group's third member) have been viewed millions of times on YouTube, and there was a well-coordinated Twitter campaign to cast Glover as Peter Parker in Sony's "Spider-Man" reboot. As for Pierson, many of his endless puns will curl your lips into a smile
Sample Tweets: Glover: "An extra on set just thought I was Nick Cannon. To be fair, Mariah Carey was blowing me at the time." Pierson: "I would be fine with Spike Lee making a "Do the Right Thing" sequel as long as he called it "2 The Right Thing."
Be Prepared For: Glover likes to hype his musical alter ego, Childish Gambino, while Pierson makes the occasional bad pun in between invitations to see him perform at L.A.'s Upright Citizens Brigade.
6/7. Michael Showalter & Michael Ian Black
@mshowalter, @michaelianblack
Co-writers, "Michael and Michael Have Issues"
Why Follow?: Because they're original members of MTV's "The State." Black has 1.5 million followers, while Showalter has only 71,000. What's the deal, Twitter? Show Showalter a little love, and I guarantee it will pay off in the laugh department.
Sample Tweets: Showalter: "I'm in line at Starbucks behind THE Steven Speilberg [sic]… Barista is trying to get him to take the coupon – save 67 cents on next drink – Speilberg [sic] politely declines the coupon." Black: "Good morning! It's 6:45. Just finished my 10k! On to wind sprints! Then the pool! I am a total f—ing liar."
Be Prepared For: Showalter's undeniably weird (in a good way!) sense of humor and Black's pimping of his friends' shows, books, etc.
THE A-LISTERS
8. John August
@johnaugust
Screenwriter, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
Why Follow?: He offers helpful screenwriting tips and updates on Tim Burton's many projects.
Sample Tweet: "Spencer Pratt is the Darth Vader of douchebags."
Be Prepared For: Links to his popular eponymous blog, where he holds court as judge and jury on the Internet's most pressing matters.
9. Diablo Cody
@diablocody
Oscar-winning screenwriter, "Juno"
Why Follow?: She's Diablo Cody, so accordingly, she says wacky things.
Sample Tweet: "My goal is to be a better parent than Sharon Stone at the end of CASINO."
Be Prepared For: Constant updates about her new YouTube talk show "Red Band Trailer."
THE SERIES CREATORS
10. Neal Brennan
@nealbrennan
Co-creator, "Chappelle's Show"
Why Follow?: Because he isn't afraid to speak his mind and call out Hollywood like he sees it.
Sample Tweet: "A trillion dollars in minerals found in Afghanistan! Proof that if u have a dream & keep invading places, it will eventually pay off!"
Be Prepared For: Unexplained absences and some foul language.
11. Paul Feig
@paulfeig
Creator, "Freaks and Geeks"
Why Follow?: Because Feig makes witty observations about all types of things, ranging from Miracle Whip and Dole pineapple juice to the dangers of trains and fun-sized candy bars.
Sample Tweet: "I'd like to thank my brain for the night of unsettling work-related dreams. My REM cycle needs a new Head of Programming."
Be Prepared For: In the coming months, Feig will surely be trumpeting "Bridesmaids," the Kristen Wiig comedy that he directed and Judd Apatow produced.
12. Josh Friedman
@josh_friedman
Creator, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles"
Why Follow?: To hear more about the guy who used Friedman's Larchmont office to have sex with prostitutes.
Sample Tweet: "Wife thinks I may have a prostitute/fan girl cult following. I'm not sure how many fit into that Venn diagram. So far, one.."
Be Prepared For: Geeky "Terminator" talk, as if Skynet has mattered since Joe Morton blew it up at the end of "Terminator 2: Judgment Day."
13. Dan Harmon
@danharmon
Creator, "Community"
Why Follow?: To keep tabs on the latest "Community" news and what else is happening in the TV, uh, community.
Sample Tweet: "Gmail freaks me out with the draft thing. It's right there. "Remember that one night you almost said THIS to the studio?"
Be Prepared For: #WeirdHash-TagUsage.
14. Damon Lindelof
@damonlindelof
Co-creator, "Lost"
Why Follow?: Because he's the keeper of Dharma island and could decide to reveal one of its many secrets at any time.
Sample Tweet: "I am going to start referring to my abs as 'The Event.'"
Be Prepared For: Persistent "Lost"-related nostalgia which you might not care about after the series' head-scratching finale.
15. Scott Rosenberg
@scottyrosenberg
Creator, "October Road"
Why Follow: This showbiz veteran has seen it all and presents a unique view of the entertainment Industry.
Sample Tweet: "Saw "INCEPTION". Like that French exchange student in 8th grade: I get the courage to ask her out. Then don't understand a thing she said…"
Be Prepared For: A little cynicism resulting from the cancellations of his various shows.
THE SCREENWRITERS
16. Geoff LaTulippe
@geofflatulippe
Screenwriter, "Going the Distance"
Why Follow?: He's an up-and-coming screenwriter whose success hasn't gone to his head. He's very approachable and will actually respond if you give him a shout.
Sample Tweet: LaTulippe on "Captain America" photos: "Well fellas, we now have Chris Evans to blame when our females hold us up to unrealistic physical expectations. Jesus CHRIST."
Be Prepared For: Lots of love for "Going the Distance," the DVD of which is available for pre-order on Amazon, wink wink.
17. Thomas Lennon
@thomaslennon
Co-writer, "Night at the Museum"
Why Follow?: While his movies and TV shows are hit-and-miss, Lennon has made tweeting an art form with his consistent hilarity. His wicked sense of humor is perfect for short-form writing.
Sample Tweet: "In response to Usher's "VIP" fragrance for men, I'm coming out with my scent: "Stand-By List.""
Be Prepared For: His terrible advice on how to "Sleep Tight!" at night. Seriously, don't read his tweets before you go to bed.
18. Brian Lynch
@brianlynch
Screenwriter, "Hop"
Why Follow?: His hilarious pop culture references, which manage to mash-up movies as different as "The Usual Suspects" and "Diner."
Sample Tweet: "Jessica Alba should find a good screenwriter to help her retract her earlier statement."
Be Prepared For: The occasional hyping of his new comic book, "Spike."
19. Stiles White 
@stileswhite
Co-writer, "The Birds" remake
Why Follow?: To soak up his genre knowledge and catch some entertaining retweets that you might've missed the first time around.
Sample Tweet: "JJ Abrams developing movie based on "7 Minutes In Heaven." Now pitch me the other 83 minutes. Go!"
Be Prepared: To hear about his microfiction site www.sixwordtales.com, which just hit 6,000 unique visitors.
THE WRITER/PERFORMERS
20. LOUIS C.K. 
@louisck
Creator/star, "Louie"
Why Follow?: Uh, because he's probably one of the Top 10 funniest people on the planet, so if you choose not to, it's entirely your loss.
Sample Tweet: "The first two episodes of LOUIE (on FX Tues. 11pm) are on HULU. HELLO. I like CAPS because their [sic] BIG like Sarah Palin's father's VAGINA."
Be Prepared: To be offended … if you're the sensitive type.
21. Glenn Howerton
@glenn_howerton
Writer/star, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"
Why Follow?: While his account hasn't been verified yet, it's definitely the "Sunny" star giving people helpful advice on how to talk to D-list celebs on Twitter and get blood out of bedsheets.
Sample Tweet: Howerton on "The Expendables" — "Nips were hard as glass none the less. Stallone appears to be wearing a mask of his own face over his face."
Be Prepared For: Plenty of tweets promoting the latest season of "Sunny," not that that's a bad thing, since the show deserves a much wider audience.
22. Mindy Kaling
@mindykaling
Writer/star, "The Office"
Why Follow?: To get "Office" gossip first-hand, as well as her sassy takes on everything from fashion and music to politics and TV.
Sample Tweet: "Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale in a movie together called 'Look at Me Weird and I'll Kill You.'"
Be Prepared For: Plenty of attitude and the occasional anecdote from her spinning class.
MISCELLANEOUS
23. Eric Appel
@erockappel
Writer/director, FunnyOrDie.com
Why follow?: To keep your finger on the pulse of LA-area comedy.
Sample Tweet: "I'm pretty excited for "The Avengers," but I'm even more excited for "The Avengers" reboot that will happen in 5 years!"
Be Prepared For: Lots of links to his popular Tumblr page.
24. Ken Levine
@kenlevine
Emmy-winning writer, "Cheers"
Why Follow?: His keen knowledge of the entertainment industry, as one of its successful veterans.
Sample Tweet: "2 1/2 MEN got 9% bump after Charlie Sheen's escapade. Time for Bill Shatner to trash hotel room and terrorize porn star. It's sweeps!"
Be Prepared For: His thoughts on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
25. The Robotard 8000 
@therobotard8000
Infamous Screenwriting Machine
Why Follow?: For its bravura tweets, some of which are not for the faint of heart.
Sample Tweet: "I'm tired of being so goddamn awesome all the time. Why can't I suck like you guys do?"
Be Prepared: To never learn the identity of the author, which is kind of refreshing, for a change.
Follow the author of this post at Twitter.com/TheInSneider
