If you can write each day, do it, and meet a quota. Minimum 350 words a day. A baboon can do 350 words a day. Don't be shown up by a baboon

The thing I do at the beginning is a "voice journal," a free form doc that is the character speaking to me. I just work on it until I start to hear different from my own, or the other characters.

My philosophy on writing books is that if you learn only one new thing, or even get a new take on something you already know, it's worth it.

Every hour you spend writing is an hour you don't spend worrying about your writing.

Structure is translation software for your imagination.

Status, worry and comparison are ways to madness, not victory.

A writing teacher once told me that the most successful movies and books were simple plots about complex characters. You should be able to articulate your concept in a couple of lines.