Rewrite formula: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft - 10%.

Any game looks straight if everyone is being cheated at once.

I guess when you turn off the main road, you have to be prepared to see some funny houses.

With six weeks' worth of recuperation time, you'll also be able to see any glaring holes in the plot or character development. And listen--if you spot a few of these big holes, you are forbidden to feel depressed about them or to beat up on yourself. Screw-ups happen to the best of us.

I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and fries.

I never saw any of my dad's stories. My mother said he had piles and piles of manuscripts.

When you sit down to write, write. Don't do anything else except go to the bathroom, and only do that if it absolutely cannot be put off.