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... when editors were flattered, they would sometimes give in on some of their mad ideas.

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But if you needed to HAVE AN IDEA, boredom could be to a roadblocked novel what chemotherapy was to a cancer patient.

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Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end it's about enriching the lives of those w...more

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There is a muse, but he’s not going to come fluttering down into your writing room and scatter creative fairy-dust all over your typewriter or compute...more

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At its most basic we are only discussing a learned skill, but do we not agree that sometimes the most basic skills can create things far beyond our ex...more

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Only God gets it right the first time and only a slob says, "Oh well, let it go, that's what copyeditors are for.

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You need to take out the stuff that’s just sitting there and doing nothing. No slackers allowed! All meat, no filler!

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Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes. The object of fiction isn't grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and ...more

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Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when if feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit...more

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It's hard for me to believe that people who read very little - or not at all in some cases - should presume to write and expect people to like what th...more