The sound of the bat is the music of spring training.

A writer is always working.

Never hesitate to imitate another writer. Imitation is part of the creative process for anyone learning an art or a craft. Bach and Picasso didn't spring full-blown as Bach or Picasso; they needed models. This is especially true of writing.

Don't try to guess what sort of thing editors want to publish or what you think the country is in a mood to read. Editors and readers don't know what they want to read until they read it. Besides, they're always looking for something new.

Writers must constantly ask: what I am trying to say? Surprisingly often, they don't know.

A clear sentence is no accident.

Scholarship hath no fury like that of a language purist faced with sludge.