In loquaciousness lay insanity.
Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting.
I try to challenge myself as much as possible, as often as possible.
How much research I have to do depends on the nature of the story. For fantasy, none at all.
Spontaneity is one of the joys of existence, especially if you prepare for it in advance.
There's certainly more new SF available than when I started writing. That means there's also more bad SF available. Whether there is also more good is a matter for future historians of the field.