Which is why we have spouses and children and parents and colleagues and friends, because someone has to know us better than we know ourselves. We need them to tell us. We need them to say, "I know you, Al. You are not the kind of man who.

Not everyone writes well from a child's point of view.

By ignoring a lot of American culture you can write more interesting stories. Unfortunately, if you were writing about America as it is, you'd be writing about a lot of people sitting in front of television sets.

Who but an English professor would threaten to kill a duck a day and hold up a goose as an example?

What if all everybody needed in the world was to be sure of one friend? What if you were the one, and you refused to say those simple words?

When you don't know what to do, try something; if that doesn't work, try something else.

Ultimately, your theme will find you. You don't have to go looking for it.