It can be said that one slip of point of view by a writer can hurt a story badly, and several slips can be fatal.' Stein on Writing

In our not-yet-acknowledged secret garden lie the seeds of some of our best not-yet-written stories

The expert magician seeks to deceive the mind, rather than the eye.

The biggest difference between a writer and a would-be writer is their attitude toward rewriting. . . . Unwillingness to revise usually signals an amateur.

Our instinct as human beings is to provide answers, to ease tension. As writers our job is the opposite, to create tension and not dispel it immediately.

A lawyer's job is to manipulate the skeletons in other people's closets.

A reader's emotions can be sparked with few words. That's the power of dialogue.

To create tension, dialogue needs to be stretched out. That is, characters should not be immediately responsive.

Dialogue is a lean language in which every word counts.

A writer writes what other people only think.

Dialogue, contrary to popular view, is not a recording of actual speech; it is a semblance of speech, an invented language of exchanges that build in tempo or content toward climaxes.

And when demigods use cell phones, the signals agitate every monster within a hundred miles. It's like sending up a flare: Here I am! Please rearrange my face!

I have discovered the art of deceiving diplomats. I speak the truth and they never believe me.

War is an act of violence pushed to its utmost bounds.

I wouldn't say Bond is an ideal figure, no. The character has been performed in so many different ways that people go, "Oh, that's an interesting take on Bond."

He was there or was not there: not there if I didn't see him.

when hope gets released in a place, all kinds of things are possible

If I weren't a writer, I'd be a psychiatrist.

I started acting when I was, like, three. My brother was really smart, and he wasnt being challenged enough, so my mom put him in the theater class. And I obviously followed him.

SEO expertise is a core need for today's online businesses.

As I published books, I realized, that's not really what I want. I don't care about the books as much anymore. I just want to write poetry.