Whatever You Say, Say Nothing.

Women Get The Short Shrift In History. It's Been Largely Written And Dictated By Men, Or At Least Men Believe That We Own It, And Women Have Really Been In Those Quieter Moments At The Edge Of History. But, Really, They're The Ones Who Are Turning The Cogs And The Wheels And Allowing Things Like The Peace Process To Happen.

Ultimately, You Can Only Ever Write What You Know. It's Logically And Philosophically Impossible To Write What You Don't Know.

About 25 Years Ago, I Took A Bicycle Across The United States. I Soon Found Out That The Greatest Item Of Clothing Was The Trusty Bandanna. There Were Dozens Of Uses For A Bandanna - As A Pot Holder, A Chain Cleaner, A Sun Shield, A Headband, A Snot Rag, A Declaration Of Kerouacian Intent.

She Was Tired Of Everyone Wanting To Go To Heaven, Nobody Wanting To Die. The Only Thing Worth Grieving Over, She Said, Was That Sometimes There Was More Beauty In This Life Than The World Could Bear.

Novels Are More Difficult Simply Because They Are Longer And Require More Juggling, But Short Stories Are Closer To Perfection, If You Can Get The Language Right.