Fourth, use and reuse everything. Act like a Sioux with a superstitious fixation on using every last part of the buffalo.

This quest for authenticity, in its current configuration, is actually a quest to feel superior to other people,

When you read widely, you are in a position to identify with the readers who will be picking up what you write. You know what irritates you, you know what makes you laugh, you

Productivity is more a matter of diligent, long-distance hiking than it is onehundred- yard dashing.

Your readers may well be interested in your description of the world—and they will learn plenty about you in the process—but they will not be all that interested in your descriptions of yourself directly,

There are some writers that I want to read no matter what they are talking about—because they are the kind of writers who write about things they love. And if, for their next book, they decided to love something really odd, that’s fine by me. They love it, and by the time I am done with their book, so shall

Reading shapes your voice, and if you want a wide, experienced voice, you have to get out more.

Ambrose Bierce once defined a bore as someone who talks when you wish them to listen.

end of the rope is tied off in your writer’s study. If there is any