If you write for yourself, you'll reach all the people you want to write for.

Don't hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident. . . . Every little qualifier whittles away some fraction of the reader's trust. Readers want a writer who believes in himself and in what he is saying. Don't diminish that belief. Don't be kind of bold. Be bold.

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.

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

You'll never make your mark as a writer unless you develop a respect for words and a curiosity about their shades of meaning that is almost obsessive. The English language is rich in strong and supple words. Take the time to root around and find the ones you want

But nothing has replaced the writer. He or she is still stuck with the same old job of saying something that other people will want to read.

Be wary of security as a goal. It may often look like life's best prize. Usually it's not.