If you focus on the humanity of your stories, your characters, then the horror will be stronger, scarier. Without the humanity, the horror becomes nothing more than a tawdry parlor trick. All flash and no magic, and worst of all, no heart.

Regarding the creative: never assume you're the master, only the student. Your audience will determine if you're masterful.

Fear and self-doubt are the deadly enemies of creativity. Don’t invite either into your mind.

Writing a story, regardless of length, begins always with a single word.

Nothing says work efficiency like panic mode.

It’s hard to land a devastating jab/cross/hook/uppercut combo to your reader’s imagination when you’re telegraphing your punches.

But people in a small town tend to do a lot of talking, even when they don’t know what they’re talking about.