I think training your instinct comes from writing and reading. There's no big secret. And reading slush helps, as well; I'd recommend everyone edit a…

- Mary J. Miller

There were definitely scenes I struggled with more than others: the car accident and the thunderstorm are two that come to mind. It's difficult to wr…

- Mary J. Miller

It's definitely about the rhythm of the words and how they sound together, writing one sentence and then another and another and cutting something im…

- Mary J. Miller

I suppose this is, essentially, my perspective on life. Just because we've made mistakes and learned things from them intellectually doesn't mean we …

- Mary J. Miller

I've learned a lot about language from reading slush. You can immediately tell if a writer is in control of the narrative. This writer will avoid usi…

- Mary J. Miller

There are many stories I've wanted to write that I'm simply not able to - sometimes I haven't found the way in yet, and it doesn't matter how hard I …

- Mary J. Miller

"There is no analysis here," the most brutal of them wrote. Now I wonder if my papers lacked critical thought, or if it was really more about my inab…

- Mary J. Miller

To be quite honest, along with thinking and such when it comes to writing, I'm not into words like "theory." I'm a PhD dropout. No matter how many tw…

- Mary J. Miller

I can't remember who said it - I think it was Allan Gurganus when he was visiting the Michener Center - but he told us to "spend [our] gold," meaning…

- Mary J. Miller