“Nothing was a more powerful compass of my mood or a better indication of my self-worth than the number on the scale.”

“The world doesn't fully make sense until the writer has secured his version of it on the page. And the act of writing is strangely more lifelike than life.”

“It was a miracle to me, this transformation of my acorns into an oak.”

“But I also believe there is enormous value in the piece of writing that goes no further than the one person for whom it was intended, that no combination of written words is more eloquent than those exchanged in letters between lovers or friends, or along the pale blue lines of private diaries, where people take communion with themselves.”

“Just remember that this relationship is based on mutual trust and respect, so never reveal your true self.”

“[I]t's the child writer who has figured out, early on, that writing is about saving your soul.”

“I hadn't been able to trust since the age of four. I was torn between wanting to be cradled and telling the world to go fuck itself, and those were opposite sides of the same coin.”