Write what you care about and understand. Writers should never try to outguess the marketplace in search of a salable idea; the simple truth is that all good books will eventually find a publisher if the writer tries hard enough, and a central secret to writing a good book is to write on that people like you will enjoy.

Aggressiveness is good in a combat leader. Combining that with ambition and insecurity becomes more problematic.

Morally repugnant and tactically stupid are a lousy combination.

The business of writing is empathising with situations that aren't your own.

No one should be judged by the worst moment of his life.

The rulings of the past do not always apply in the present.

Writing is rewriting. A writer must learn to deepen characters, trim writing, intensify scenes. To fall in love with the first draft to the point where one cannot change it is to greatly enhance the prospects of never publishing.