You Can't Make Anyone Love You And

Writing Is Self-taught. Consulting Other People Only Teaches You To Depend On Their Reactions, Which May Or May Not Be Legitimate. Quit Looking For Approval ... Learn To Evaluate Your Own Work With A Dispassionate Eye ... The Lessons You Acquire Will Be All The More Valuable Because You've Mastered Your Craft From Within.

Writing Is Not About Making A Buck, Not About Publishers And Agents. Writing Is Not About Feeling Good. Writing Is About Pain, Suffering, Hard Work, Risk, And Fear.

I Spent The First Twenty Years Of My Writing Career Preparing For The Mystery Genre, Which Is My Favorite Literary Form.

I Think You'd Best Make Your Peace With The Past Since You've Come This Far. I Think You Know By Now That You Won't Go Back Again.

I Read The Paper Every Day. There Are Certain Subjects That Will Catch My Attention. I Have An Entire File Of Articles. Of Course I Make Up The Story, Especially Since Most Criminals Are Not Very Smart And Fictional Crime Must Be Clever. I Have To Make Sure The Story I Am Telling Is Interesting And Realistic. In This Book I Went On Line And Found Out The Manners Of Codes. I Thought It Interesting To Use Them As A Jumping Off Point.