“Imagination? It is the one thing beside honesty that a good writer must have. The more he learns from experience … More

“he important thing is not what we write but how we write, and in my opinion the modern writer must … More

“I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you … More

Have humility. Older/more ­experienced/more convincing writers may offer rules and varieties of advice. ­Consider what they say. However, don’t automatically … More

Dialogue is the fastest way to improve a manuscript—or to sink it. When agents, editors or readers see crisp, tension-filled … More

“Chief among the most common problems, in first chapters especially, are scenes presenting characters who are perfectly happy in their … More

Show, Don’t Tell. Remember show-and-tell in elementary school, when you’d bring in an object from home and talk about it? … More

“Nearly always in my mind a story begins with a character or characters. This holds good though the main interest … More