Writing Is The Act Of Discovery.

I Hear People Say They're Going To Write. I Ask, When? They Give Me Vague Statements. Indefinite Plans Get Dubious Results. When We're Concrete About Our Writing Time, It Alleviates That Thin Constant Feeling Of Anxiety That Writers Have - We're Barbecuing Hot Dogs, Riding A Bike, Sailing Out In The Bay, Shopping For Shoes, Even Helping A Sick Friend, But Somewhere Nervously At The Periphery Of Our Perception We Know We Belong Somewhere Else - At Our Desk!

We Always Worry That We Are Copying Someone Else, That We Don't Have Our Own Style. Don't Worry. Writing Is A Communal Act. Contrary To Popular Belief, A Writer Is Not Prometheus Alone On A Hill Full Of Fire. We Are Very Arrogant To Think We Alone Have A Totally Original Mind. We Are Carried On The Backs Of All The Writers Who Came Before Us. We Live In The Present With All The History, Ideas, And Soda Pop Of This Time. It All Gets Mixed Up In Our Writing.

I Came Out With A Book Called The True Secret Of Writing: Connecting Life With Language. It's A Book That Describes How Writing Is A Practice And How My Teaching Is Part Of That Practice. I Direct The Writing And Create Books But Underneath, There's Always The River Of Practice Happening. No Good, No Bad. Just Do It.

The Problem Is We Think We Exist.

If You Love The Work, It Will Love You Back.