“A well-developed and versed character will write the story for you.”

“Character development is vital when writing a strong story. Weak characters make for weak stories.”

“To write an excellent novel, make the outcome of the story matter to the reader through the evolving relationships between well-designed characters.”

“Develop your brand! Write your own success story.”

“Remember that you don't write a story because you have an idea but because you have a believable character.”

“With a novel, which takes perhaps years to write, the author is not the same man he was at the end of the book as he was at the beginning. It is not only that his characters have developed--he has developed with them, and this nearly always gives a sense of roughness to the work: a novel can seldom have the sense of perfection which you find in Chekhov's story, The Lady with the Dog.”