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

Problem was that we could make things worse but we couldn't make anything better.

Writing seems like the only job where what you think and feel really matters.

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

The only judgment that truly matters is the final judgment.

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.

Morally repugnant and tactically stupid are a lousy combination.