The only difference between a good writer who publishes a book and a good writer who doesn't is that the writer who publishes actually finished her book.

The only important thing a writer needs is a subject. What the reader hungers after is not accomplished craftsmanship nor even correct grammar but a frank report of the things a writer has done, seen, and thought. None of these can be learned in the library or classroom. They have to be learned in the unsheltered world of living where me get slivers of the truth beaten into their heads.

The problem with being a writer is that some readers tend to think that anything that comes out of a character's mouth is you talking.

The prizes have some credibility, of course. And they do good work for the writer and for the publisher, by winnowing one book out of the pack.

There are other types of public appearances a writer does in addition to book signings and readings. Each calls for different skills. None of these skills, needless to say, are those that go into writing books.