“There is no idea so brilliant or original that a sufficiently-untalented writer can’t screw it up.” – Raymond Feist (for the corollary, see Lawrence Watt-Evans below)

“There is no idea so stupid or hackneyed that a sufficiently-talented writer can’t get a good story out of it.” – Lawrence Watt-Evans

“In brief, I spend half my time trying to learn the secrets of other writers – to apply them to the expression of my own thoughts.” – Shirley Ann Grau

“A writer will seal his own coffin,
And the interests of readers will soften,
If the author insists
On the usual twists,
And he goes to the Wells once too often.” – Mark Grenier

“Observe, don’t imitate.” – John M. Ford

“The writer’s genetic inheritance and her or his experiences shape the writer into a unique individual, and it is this uniqueness that is the writer’s only stuff for sale.” – James Gunn