(extract) “So what do we do with all this feathered misery? Learn from it. Poignancy often arrives sideways. Not from the expected heroics of the powerful, but from the unexpected courage of the powerless. A child offering comfort when adults fail. A servant acting where kings dither. A bird tugging thorns from a savior’s brow."

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the sheer audacity of a literary genius walking up to a blackboard and saying, in essence: “All of human storytelling can be plotted on an X-Y axis.”  That’s exactly what Kurt Vonnegut did in a vintage (and criminally underwatched) video from decades ago.

The beauty of language doesn’t always come from sitting in your chair, sipping a nice tea, and waiting for divine inspiration to strike.

The beauty of fiction is that we get to explore those gaps, to discover the things we didn’t know we didn’t know.

Don’t be afraid to surprise your readers. After all, life is full of omnishambles—same for your stories

It was a regular day at the bar when James Joyce’s writer friend sat down, ordered a strong drink.

It’s about surviving the entire process, then standing on the other side with a wry smile, knowing you’ve done your time.