Writing is thinking on paper.

Good writing has an aliveness that keeps the reader reading from one paragraph to the next, and it's not a question of gimmicks to "personalize" the author.

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.

Every successful piece of nonfiction should leave the reader with one provocative thought that he or she didn't have before. Not two thoughts, or five - just one. So decide what single point you want to leave in the reader's mind.

Probably every subject is interesting if an avenue into it can be found that has humanity and that an ordinary person can follow.

I almost always urge people to write in the first person. ... Writing is an act of ego and you might as well admit it.

There's not much to be said about the period except that most writers don't reach it soon enough.