You learn to write by writing.

Today the outlandish becomes routine overnight. The humorist is trying to say that it's still outlandish.

Writing wasn't easy and wasn't fun. It was hard and lonely, and the words seldom just flowed.

Never forget that you are practicing a craft with certain principles.

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

Write about small, self-contained incidents that are still vivid in your memory. If you remember them, it's because they contain a larger truth that your readers will recognize in their own lives. Think small and you'll wind up finding the big themes in your family saga.

Readers must be given room to bring their own emotions to a piece so crammed with emotional content; the writer must tenaciously resist explaining why the material is so moving.