The knowledge that my discriminations are skewed and not always universally desirable doesn't stop me in the least from making them.

In the best nonfiction, it seems to me, you're always made aware that you are being engaged with a supple mind at work. The story line or plot in nonfiction consists of the twists and turns of a thought process working itself out.

My wife and daughter have accused me of being too silent at breakfast but I don't want to talk when I don't have much to say.

Hedonism can be a rational response to a difficult life.

The prospect of a long day at the beach makes me panic. There is no harder work I can think of than taking myself off to somewhere pleasant, where I am forced to stay for hours and 'have fun'.

A personal essay often includes some or a lot of personal confession. That makes the reader feel less lonely in their confusion and darkness.

Have fun writing, because it enhances both the writer's and reader's experience.