I always wanted to be a writer since I was around 12 years old and I wrote my first book.
Writing, for me, is the best occupation I can think of, and there is nothing in the world I would rather do.
I used to think that when I grew up there wouldn't be so many rules. Back in elementary school there were rules about what entrance you used in the morning, what door you used going home, when you could talk in the library, how many paper towels you could use in the rest room, and how many drinks of water you could get during recess. And there was always somebody watching to make sure. What I'm finding out about growing older is that there are just as many rules about lots of things, but there's nobody watching.
Once I have the idea for a story. I start collecting all kinds of helpful information and storing it in three-ring notebooks. For example, I may see a picture of a man in a magazine and say, 'That's exactly what the father in my book looks like!'. . . I save everything that will help--maps, articles, hand-jotted notes, bits of dialogue from conversations that I overhear.
I also know that you can lie not only by what you say but what you don't say.
We all have found ourselves in awkward, embarrassing situations, often brought on by ourselves - thinking we are saying something clever, for example, when it turns out to sound really mean or stupid. Those are the kind of embarrassing situations that we could have avoided. "Welcome to the human race," is about the only comfort we can give ourselves.
It's all right to have secrets,. . . as long as you don't have any secrets from yourself.
I soon realized that the correct use of propaganda is a true art which has remained practically unknown to the bourgeois parties. Only the Christian- Social movement, especially in Lueger's time achieved a certain virtuosity on this instrument, to which it owed many of its success.
Information wants to be free. Information also wants to be expensive.
Focus on giving smiles away and you will always discover that your own smiles will always be in great supply!
I'm a happy man because whatever I'm doing, I do for myself and I do a little creating here and there for others, and they work out very well.