A dash of humor for my writing friends… “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” —Somerset Maugham

I grew up reading sci-fi by Isaac Asimov and others of that era. So many great writers and wonderful stories to spark the imagination! Says Asimov: “Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.”

If you are a writer and struggle with self-editing, here’s a helpful tip… “The secret of editing your work is simple: you need to become the reader instead of the writer.” —Zadie Smith

Here’s yet another way of expressing the golden rule of writing, “Show don’t tell!” “Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader—not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” —E. L. Doctorow

Write something today! Don’t worry about how it reads. What matters most is getting some ideas words into words; you can revise, edit, and polish later. “The worst thing you write is better than the best thing you did not write.”

Here’s another way of saying that if you want to succeed at writing, just write. Don’t worry about quality on the first draft, and you can learn to improve your writing style as time goes by. “You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then … read more Never Give Up!

Great advice from C. J. Cherryh: “It is perfectly okay to write garbage—as long as you edit brilliantly.”

If you are striving to be a better writer, this is great advice: “The only writer to whom you should compare yourself is the writer you were yesterday.” —David Schlosser