I Think Talent Is Like A Water

Our Bodies Are Garbage Heaps: We Collect Experience, And From The Decomposition Of The Thrown-out Eggshells, Spinach Leaves, Coffee Grinds, And Old Steak Bones Out Of Our Minds Come Nitrogen, Heat, And Very Fertile Soil. Out Of This Fertile Soil Bloom Our Poems And Stories. But This Does Not Come All At Once. It Takes Time. Continue To Turn Over And Over The Organic Details Of Your Life Until Some Of Them Fall Through The Garbage Of Discursive Thoughts To The Solid Ground Of Black Soil.

The Only Failure In Writing Is When You Stop Doing It. Then You Fail Yourself.

When You Write What You Know, You Stay In Control. One Of The First Things I Encourage My Writing Students To Do Is To Lose Control - Say What They Want To Say, Break Structure.

When You Are Present, The World Is Truly Alive.

Too Often We Take Notes On Writing, We Think About Writing But Never Do It. I Want You To Walk Into The Heart Of The Storm, Written Words Dripping Off Hair, Eyelids, Hanging From Hands.