Don't worry about what your mother thinks of your language.

To me, a book is a book, an electronic device is not, and love of books was the reason I started writing.

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.

Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.

I spent most of my dough on booze, broads and boats and the rest I wasted.

There's nothing like work to take your mind off your worries.

I think any writer is a fool if he doesn't do it for money. There needs to be some kind of incentive in addition to the project. It all goes together. It's fun to sit there and think of characters and get them into action, then be paid for it. I can't believe it when writers tell me 'I don't want to show my work to anybody'.