The more you read, the less apt you are to make a fool of yourself with your pen or word processor.

It's hard enough for a person to keep their own socks pulled up, let alone someone else's.

Writers must be fair and remember even bad guys (most of them, anyway) see themselves as good—they are the heroes of their own lives. Giving them a fair chance as characters can create some interesting shades of gray—and shades of gray are also a part of life.

Death is when the monsters get you.

The world had moved on and all that was over, done before fairly begun.

If there is love, smallpox scars are as pretty as dimples. I'll love your face no matter what it looks like. Because it's yours.

You're dead, George. You just don't have the sense to lie down.