Trust your imagination. Don't be afraid to fail. Write. Revise. Revise. Revise.

I’ve got...ways of tricking my brain into getting what I need out of it

There's also a lot of gritty Americana type of bands. I actually have a lot of Britpop on my iPod, too.

Nothing that lived and breathed was truly objective—even in a vacuum, even if all that possessed the brain was a self-immolating desire for the truth.

I think I got a complete picture of what the lives of scientists are like. My father is of the opinion that if scientists are allowed to follow their nose, eventually it results in something. Unfortunately that doesn't always happen. What I came out of it with, in a non-cynical way, was that the scientific process is as messy as anything else. There's nothing wrong with that. That's just the way it is.

I see music as an aid. It overcomes my internal editor, especially when the music evokes the character or the mood I'm trying to build.

When they give you things, ask yourself why. When you're grateful to them for giving you the things you should have anyway, ask yourself why.