Don't stare at the drapes

Want to know how to think, feel, write, live? Everyone's got an opinion. Books, blogs and bars are stuffed with advice from those in-the-know to those-in-the-search. Some sticks. Some stinks. These nuggets from Cheryl Strayed are keepers:

What advice do you have for beginning writers?

1.
Write a lot.

2.
Don't be in a hurry to publish.

3.
Find the work that moves you the most deeply and read it over and over again. I've had many great teachers, but the most valuable lessons I learned were from writers on the page.

4.
Be brave.
Write what’s true for you. Write what you think. What about what confuses you and compels you. Write about the crazy, hard, and beautiful. Write what scares you. Write what makes you laugh and write what makes you weep. Writing is risk and revelation. There’s no need to show up at the party if you’re only going to stand around with your hands in your pockets and stare at the drapes.

— Cheryl Strayed
author of Torch a novel; Wild, a memoir; Tiny Beautiful Things, advice on love and life

Now it's your turn. What do you know that the rest of us should know? Go ahead, spill it.