Look, don't just stare at the pages," I used to tell my students. "Become the characters. Live inside the book.

I thought about how love was always the thing that did that - smashed into you, left you raw. The deeper you loved, the deeper it hurt.

Hardest thing: creating something out of nothing - the first draft is torturous.

I love revising. If you demystify the process, it comes down to four strategies: what can I do to make the draft better; what should I cut out to make it stronger; what do I need to do to clarify it; and finally, what should I reposition.

With destruction comes renovation.

Take what people give you. Drink their milkshakes.

I write to find out what the story means to me, that is what I try to do especially with the first draft.