Skip the boring parts.

I have fun writing. I don't make it a chore. I don't have to struggle with it.

Never use the words 'suddenly' or 'all hell broke loose.'

Don't go into great detail describing places and things, unless you're ­Margaret Atwood and can paint scenes with language. You don't want descriptions that bring the action, the flow of the story, to a standstill.

I get letters. I get several a week, I think. A lot of people want a picture, a lot of people just want an autograph.

These are rules I've picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I'm writing a book, to help me show rather than tell what's taking place in the story.

If you take a few days to write an outline, you're just making up scenes that you think will work, that you think will be interesting. But as you write it, other ideas occur - better ideas that have to do with what you're writing.