I realized the only thing I owed my audience was my own judgment and my own best effort.

I've always been the audience that I wanted to reach, so I write for myself.

Art is always in the eyes of the beholder. Only posterity has the right to point out our mistakes.

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

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

Were there stories I wrote along the way that were terrible clinkers? God, yes. But they were all a product of their time, and I did the best I could.

These days, it seems that if you're not already in place, you can't get there from here.