In The End, The Work Of Diplomats

History And Geology Show What An Eyeblink It's Been Since Our Current, Comfortable Culture Came About. And Yet That Culture Is Using Up Absolutely Everything At A Ferocious Rate.

One Of Life's Joys Was To Have Friends Who Gave You Reality Checks...who Would Call You On Your Crap Before It Rose So High You Drowned In It.

Science Fiction Is The Jazz Of Literature.

My First Duty To Write A Gripping Yarn. Second Is To Convey Credible Characters Who Make You Feel What They Feel. Only Third Comes The Idea.

Beware Of Self-indulgence. The Romance Surrounding The Writing Profession Carries Several Myths: That One Must Suffer In Order To Be Creative; That One Must Be Cantankerous And Objectionable In Order To Be Bright; That Ego Is Paramount Over Skill; That One Can Rise To A Level From Which One Can Tell The Reader To Go To Hell. These Myths, If Believed, Can Ruin You. If You Believe You Can Make A Living As A Writer, You Already Have Enough Ego.