Writing can teach us the dignity of speaking the truth.

Even an ice cream parlor - a definite advantage - does not alleviate the sorrow I feel for a town lacking a bookstore.

When we write we begin to taste the texture of our own mind

Writing is the crack through which you can crawl into a bigger world, into your wild mind.

I have students that I tell, "If your book doesn't sell or you can't publish it, write another book. Quit sitting around." The publishing world is a business, but it's not any big deal. An editor is not your guru. Your agent is not your guru.

Be awake to the details around you, but don't be self-conscious.

When I wrote and got out of the way, writing did writing.” (p.90)