Oh, My Passion! That Is What Finally

Understand That Writing Is Like An Athletic Activity. To Play Tennis Well, You Expect To Keep Practicing, But For Some Reason With Writing, You Think You Should Come Out Fresh The First Time.

In A Way, The Cancer Became An Ally Because It Stopped Me From Running Around So Much. I Was Able To Settle Down And Write Things I Hadn't Had A Chance To Before.

When You Write What You Know, You Stay In Control. One Of The First Things I Encourage My Writing Students To Do Is To Lose Control - Say What They Want To Say, Break Structure.

I Hear People Say They're Going To Write. I Ask, When? They Give Me Vague Statements. Indefinite Plans Get Dubious Results. When We're Concrete About Our Writing Time, It Alleviates That Thin Constant Feeling Of Anxiety That Writers Have - We're Barbecuing Hot Dogs, Riding A Bike, Sailing Out In The Bay, Shopping For Shoes, Even Helping A Sick Friend, But Somewhere Nervously At The Periphery Of Our Perception We Know We Belong Somewhere Else - At Our Desk!

I Am Free To Write The Worst Junk In The World.