“There is only one person who needs to be convinced that you're a writer. That would be you.”

“There's only one person who needs a glass of water oftener than a small child tucked in for the night, and that's a writer sitting down to write.”

“The only one who needs to love the person you are with is you.”

“If one listens one may be convinced; and a man who allows himself to be convinced by an argument is a thoroughly unreasonable person”

“remember Stephen King's First Rule of Writers and Agents, learned by bitter personal experience: You don't need one until you're making enough for someone to steal ... and if you're making that much, you'll be able to take your pick of good agents.”

“For the length of time it takes to write a book, you need to believe that you’re the only writer in existence; the only one who matters. You need to shut yourself away and allow the creativity to build up, not leak out through worry and comparisons and doubt.”