“Each thing you add to your story is a drop of paint falling into clear water; it spreads through and colors everything.”

“You cherry-pick events that are relevant to the story question and construct a gauntlet of challenge (read: the plot) that will force the protagonist to put his money where his mouth is. Think baptism by ever-escalating fire.”

“Before there were books, we read each other.”

“If I ask you to think about something, you can decide not to. But if I make you feel something? Now I have your attention.”

“Stories not only give us a much needed practice on figuring out what makes people tick, they give us insight into how we tick.”

“There is a big difference in life between a jump and a fall. A jump is about courage and faith, something the world is in short supply of these days. A fall is, well, a fall.”

“We have seen death before, Marnie and I, a mountain of ice melting over time, drops of water freezing at your core reminding you every day of that which has vanished, but the despair we know today is a sadness sailing sorrow through every bone and knuckle.”