Dani Shapiro

With each book you write you have to learn how to write that book - so every time, you have to start all over again.

Our minds have a tendency to wander. To duck and feint and keep us at a slight remove from the moment at hand.

It's essential to have sacred time for writing. All successful authors have some daily commitment to keep on-track and moving forward.

My dad died when I was 23. His death was sudden and shocking - the result of a car crash - and I never got to say goodbye.

If you write memoir, it can't be about blame or hurt; it has to be creative.

There's a danger in romanticizing what it means to be a writer. Because what it really means is hard, hard work. It means tearing your hair out. Feeling like your head is about to explode.

I'm a full-time writer, which means I have the entire day to get my work done. But that can also be bad, because that means I have the entire day to get in my way.

Novels are my favorite to write and read. I do like writing personal essays, too. I'm not really a short story writer, nor do I tend to gravitate to them as a reader.

When it comes to the personal essays I write, I just convince myself that no one will ever read them.