…getting all of one’s addictions under control is a little like putting an octopus to bed.

...perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.

I understood immediately the thrill of seeing oneself in print. It provides some sort of primal verifications. You are; therefore you exist.

If you find that you start a number of stories or pieces that you don't even bother finishing, that you lose interest or faith in them along the way, it may be that there is nothing at their center about which you care passionately.

…if you are writing the clearest, truest words you can find and doing the best you can to understand and communicate, this will shine on paper like its own little lighthouse.”