Writing takes a combination of sophistication and innocence; it takes conscience, our belief that something is beautiful because it is right.

Perfectionism means that you try not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived.

Rituals are a good signal to your unconscious that it is time to kick in.

Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.

The very first thing I tell my new students on the first day of a workshop is that good writing is about telling the truth. We are a species that needs and wants to understand who we are. Sheep lice do not seem to share this longing, which is one reason they write so very little. But we do. We have so much we want to say and figure out.