Ambrose, your presence is the horseshit frosting on the horseshit cake that is the admissions interview process.

I'm not a speed writer. I write slowly and revise obsessively. The end result tends to be good. That's where my strength is.

Humor is important for is pacing. If your whole book is just drama drama drama, it's going to wear down the reader.

Remember this son, if you forget everything else. A poet is a musician who can't sing. Words have to find a man's mind before they can touch his heart. And, some men's minds are woeful small targets. Music touches their hearts directly, no matter how small or stubborn the mind of the man who listens.

Do you just want to get by? Or do you want to make me proud?

All stories are true,” Skarpi said. “But this one really happened, if that’s what you mean.” He took another slow drink, then smiled again, his bright eyes dancing. “More or less. You have to be a bit of a liar to tell a story the right way. Too much truth confuses the facts. Too much honesty makes you sound insincere.

Fencing is more a sport than a martial art. It would be like basing your knowledge of roman phalanx warfare on NFL football.