For me it was to avoid the excesses of stream of consciousness type scrawling. An accurate reflection of what was in my head – yes. Easy to read or possible to comprehend – no.

Reading is the enemy of writers. Put down the book and write. Whether you feel like it or not. Write. From Ramsey Yelverton many moons ago.

Love what you write, be persistent and write from the heart.

Rather than littering writing with adjectives, throw in some powerful verbs. Adjectives have a bloating, flabby quality. Strong verbs annihilate the thorax of the reader.

My creative writing teacher at University of Tennessee, Robert Drake, used to say “Everybody’s from somewhere.” Kind of indirect writing advice, but it help give me as a writer better roots and helps me ground characters with roots.