My daughter's friend broke my favorite pocket pen. We were in a diner. The two of them wanted to draw together on the table settings. They needed an extra pen. Yes, I shouldn't have done it. Even in the moment, I knew I shouldn't do it. Trust a kid with

Many "writing problems" are really just prep problems. Do the prep, solve the problem. Professional chefs understand the importance of prep, of thinking ahead. They get their tools clean and sharp. They organize their workstations. They bring the steak to temp, chop the necessary vegetables, and thaw anything frozen before

Judd Apatow already knew several SNL cast members from the stand-up scene in Los Angeles. When his own roommate, Adam Sandler, made it onto the show, Apatow figured it was only a matter of time before he joined the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. "If only I could get

It's hard not to be a little skeptical when the winners chalk it up to hard work. "I was obliged to be industrious," Bach wrote. "Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well." Sure, Bach. Sure. Of course talent is a thing. And yet...as both an acquiring editor and

As a teenager, Pat Metheny was a musical prodigy. Well into his sixties, he's still teaching, performing, composing, and recording. Why? He couldn't possibly have anything left to prove, could he? Apparently not: "I am definitely well into the not-giving-a-shit zone of my career," Metheny told an interviewer. If he's

(I'll be moderating a panel on book auctions at the U.S. Book Show this week. If you'll be at the event on Tuesday, please swing by.) I've wanted to discuss the Believer's interview with Michael Imperioli since the magazine came in the mail. However, they don't post the newest

No serious pitcher plays with a brand-new glove. You've got to break it in first. Stretch a couple of heavy-duty rubber bands around it, or sleep with it under your mattress—the methods vary, but the principle remains the same. You break a glove in a little if you want

When crafting advice for others, remember your Paracelsus: dosis sola facit venenum. Latin a little rusty? "Only the dose makes the poison." It isn't enough to tell us what might help. As an expert, the least you can do is tell us the least we can do. Don't tell me

Making my way through the sprawling Wheel of Time series (WoT) as a young aspiring writer, I often wondered how author Robert Jordan did it on a technical level: How could one person keep so much information straight across one enormous book after another while telling an epic story? As