A hero knows it takes hard work and a long time to get published; a fool thinks it should happen immediately, because he thinks heÕs a hero already.

In fact, one could argue that the skill of the fiction writer boils down to the ability to exploit intensity.

Structure is translation software for your imagination.

Every hour you spend writing is an hour you don't spend worrying about your writing.

Status, worry and comparison are ways to madness, not victory.

Superb historical romance, with a spiritual theme woven seamlessly throughout. I much enjoyed The Covered Deep and look forward to more from its author!

Think of it as the Doorway of No Return. The feeling must be that your lead character, once she passes through, cannot go home again until the major problem of the plot is solved.

Write like you're in love. Edit like you're in charge.

A writing teacher once told me that the most successful movies and books were simple plots about complex characters. You should be able to articulate your concept in a couple of lines.

There's a perilous word fiction writers need to watch out for. The word is 'had.'

The semi-colon is a burp, a hiccup. It's a drunk staggering out of the saloon at 2 a.m., grabbing your lapels on the way and asking you to listen to one more story.

Misunderstandings arise only in undefined relationships

When Grandma Mazur is talking about the reason for the improved play of her 91-year-old bowling teammate, she said: "She's doing better now that we got her the longer tubing to her oxygen tank.

JUST SHUT UP talking about what you're going to do and JUST DO IT! Then you can talk.

On the whole, I think you should write biographies of those you admire and respect, and novels about human beings who you think are sadly mistaken.

In our culture we have such respect for musical instruments, they are like part of God.

Women are so much in love with compliments that rather than want them, they will compliment one another, yet mean no more by it than the men do.

Youth loves honor and victory more than money.

The big secret in acting is listening to people.

Most people know who believes in them.

Every day it gets easier to look into my own eyes on the mirror and say, "I love you just the way you are."