I Used To Be Able To Write

Never Use An Adverb To Modify The Verb 'said' . . . He Admonished Gravely. To Use An Adverb This Way (or Almost Any Way) Is A Mortal Sin. The Writer Is Now Exposing Himself In Earnest, Using A Word That Distracts And Can Interrupt The Rhythm Of The Exchange.

A Pen Connects You To The Paper. It Definitely Matters.

I Think Any Writer Is A Fool If He Doesn't Do It For Money. There Needs To Be Some Kind Of Incentive In Addition To The Project. It All Goes Together. It's Fun To Sit There And Think Of Characters And Get Them Into Action, Then Be Paid For It. I Can't Believe It When Writers Tell Me 'i Don't Want To Show My Work To Anybody'.

My Characters Have To Talk, Or They're Out. They Audition In Early Scenes. If They Can't Talk, They're Given Less To Do, Or Thrown Out.

My Most Important Piece Of Advice To All You Would-be Writers: When You Write, Try To Leave Out All The Parts Readers Skip.