And what, you ask, does writing teach us? First and foremost, it reminds us that we are alive and that it is a gift and a privilege, not a right.

Reality and Fiction are different in that fiction has to make sense.

I felt a bit bookish, cut off from life.

May you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.

When I graduated from high school I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library 3 days a week for 10 years.

Write 1000 words a day. That's only about four pages, but force yourself to do it. Put your finger down your throat and throw up. That's what writing's all about.

Ours is a culture and a time immensely rich in trash as it is in treasures.