Don't take anyone's writing advice too seriously.
I got my heart's desire, and there my troubles began.
The process of learning is a nonstop orgy of wonderment.
I think every fantasy reader secretly believes they know how magic works.
Everybody wanted to be the hero of their own story. Nobody wanted to be comic relief.
The main advantage of being a reviewer is that you read a lot. A lot of books get sent to you, and you have an amazing vantage point from which to observe what's going on in contemporary fiction - not only genre stuff, the whole spectrum.