Good writers are visible just behind their words.
If you lose the dullards back in the dust, that's where they belong. You don't want them anyway.
Writing is a craft not an art.
Don't be kind of bold. Be bold.
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.
Much of my writing has taken the form of a pilgrimage: to sacred places that represent the best of America, to musicians and other artists who represent the best of their art.