Hard writing makes easy reading. Easy writing makes hard reading.

Telling a writer to relax is like telling a man to relax while being prodded for a possible hernia.

Make a habit of reading what is being written today and what has been written before. Writing is learned by imitation.

Rewriting is the essence of writing well - where the game is won or lost.

Not every oak has to be gnarled, every detective hard-bitten. The adjective that exists solely as a decoration is a self-indulgence for the writer and an obstacle for the reader.

Many of us were taught that no sentence should begin with "but." If that's what you learned, unlearn it - there's no stronger word at the start. It announces a total contrast with what has gone before, and the reader is thereby primed for the change.

The only way to learn to write is to force yourself to produce a certain number of words on a regular basis.