“Examine every word you put on paper. You'll find a surprising number that don't serve any purpose.”

“Write about small, self-contained incidents that are still vivid in your memory. If you remember them, it's because they contain a larger truth that your readers will recognize in their own lives. Think small and you'll wind up finding the big themes in your family saga. ”

“Writing is thinking on paper”

“But what if we fail' they ask, whispering the dreaded word across the Generation Gap to their parents. 'Don't' they whisper back. What they should say is 'Don't be afraid to fail. Failure isn't fatal”

“Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience—every reader is a different person.”

“Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon.”

“Be true to yourself and to the culture you were born into. Tell your story as only you can.”