To stay close and intimate with experience is to stay close to the mind; the nitty gritty mind of the way things really are.

So writing is not just writing. It is also having a relationship with other writers. And don't be jealous, especially secretly. That's the worst kind. If someone writes something great, it's just more clarity in the world for all of us.

When you write, don't say, "I'm going to write a poem." That attitude will freeze you right away. Sit down with the least expectation of yourself; say, "I am free to write the worst junk in the world."

The problem is we think we exist.

I love and care about literature, and great writers are our teachers. You're studying their mind when you read their work.

That's very nice if they want to publish you, but don't pay too much attention to it. It will toss you away. Just continue to write.

Take out another notebook, pick up another pen, and just write, just write, just write. In the middle of the world, make one positive step. In the center of chaos, make one definitive act. Just write. Say yes, stay alive, be awake. Just write. Just write. Just write.