A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze.

No male writer is likely to be asked to sit on a panel addressing itself to the special problems of a male writer.

­Do back exercises. Pain is distracting.

Time folds you in its arms and gives you one last kiss, and then it flattens you out and folds you up and tucks you away until it's time for you to become someone else's past time, and then time folds again.

You most likely need a thesaurus, a rudimentary grammar book, and a grip on reality. This latter means: there's no free lunch. Writing is work. It's also gambling. You don't get a pension plan. Other people can help you a bit, but ­essentially you're on your own. Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don't whine.

Faith is only a word, embroidered.

Writers and books are cheap dates, especially when you compare the cost of a book with a ticket to the opera - or an NHL game.