After All, You Put A Lot Into

...[y]ou Have An Inner Strength That Makes It Possible For You To Do Things Other People Couldn't Even Begin To Think Of Doing.

Lester Del Rey Told Me Repeatedly That The First And Most Important Part Of Writing Fiction Is Just To Think About The Story. Don't Write Anything Down. Don't Try To Pull Anything Together Right Away. Just Dream For A While And See What Happens. There Isn't Any Timetable Involved, No Measuring Stick For How Long It Ought To Take. For Each Book, It Is Different. But That Period Of Thinking, Of Reflection, Is Crucial To How Successful Your Story Will Turn Out To Be.

There Is Poetry In Fiction. If You Cannot See It And Feel It When You Write, You Need To Step Back And Examine What You Are Doing Wrong. If You Have Not Figured Out How To Write A Simple Declarative Sentence And Make It Sing With That Poetry, You Are Not Yet Ready To Write An Entire Book.

Herein Lies The Heart And Soul Of The Nations. Their Right To Be Free Men, Their Desire To Live In Peace, Their Courage To Seek Out Truth, Herein Lies The Sword Of Shannara.

She Has Her Gown Nicely In Place Tonight, Doesn't She? Black Velvet And Sparkles, Not A Thread Left Hanging. Clever Girl, This City. Even The Sky Is Her Friend.