Readers, transformed by film and TV, are used to seeing stories. The reading experience . . . is increasingly visual.

The expert magician seeks to deceive the mind, rather than the eye.

To create tension, dialogue needs to be stretched out. That is, characters should not be immediately responsive.

In our not-yet-acknowledged secret garden lie the seeds of some of our best not-yet-written stories

The biggest difference between a writer and a would-be writer is their attitude toward rewriting. . . . Unwillingness to revise usually signals an amateur.

A lawyer's job is to manipulate the skeletons in other people's closets.

Most of the time, tough, combative, adversarial dialogue is much more exciting than physical action.