When I'm my own editor, there's very little difference between the first draft and the final. I write what feels right to begin with. I rarely make any major changes.

When someone writes to tell me something I've written made them laugh or cry, I've done my job and done it well. The rest is all semantics.

You can read a dozen different textbooks or how-to manuals that will tell you the basic rules of what makes a story - a beginning, a middle, and an end.

I try not to violate what came before me and to leave lots of wiggle room for those who will follow.

People who were more concerned with themselves and looking good to their readers then they were with the characters sacrificed a series for the sake of a story.

Sometimes you're not even sure which of your stories were failures. There are things I've written that I thought were complete catastrophes when I finished with them that have gone on to generate some of my most positive feedback.

In general, shorter is better. If you can encapsulate your idea into a single captivating sentence, you're halfway home.