You are spot on, sir. The only canonical advice I give anymore is “Write more.” Everything else is merely information, or possibly just data.

CHARLES DE MAR: I’ve been going to this high school for seven and a half years. I’m no dummy.

If anything seems apparent, it’s that there are multiple roads to becoming Successful — which is a whole other Oprah unto itself; the definition of that word — and that everyone who has attained Success is very eager to share that wisdom with everyone else, because they’ve more or less forged a path through the elephant grass and they think new authors should follow it.

Problem is, no path can be exactly followed. It might lead somewhere for a time, but sooner or later we lose it, and suddenly we’re standing in the middle of nowhere, and it’s time to yell for help, or bust out the machete and begin hacking.

There are a select few authors I consider mentors — people who have been doing this so damned long I trust some of their experience and wisdom to be near-transcendental. These people tend to preach that while there are suggestions they can give, there is no Sure Way. Authors must learn to think and act independently and experiment.

Lately I’ve been ping-ponging around on the agent-vs-no-agent debate. In the end I have concluded that having no agent versus having a bad agent, is preferable. But passing up a good agent just to remain unagented — out of fear the agent might screw me — is probably an equally poor option. Because clearly agents have worked out well for so many others. Still, I shall remind myself to be very cautious, if and when I solicit an agent’s services.

Perhaps that’s the only real advice possibly? Be cautious, but experiment? Be determined, but be realistic?

Well, I learned long ago that there is no direct relationship between age and wisdom. Unfortunately, many of my contemporaries don’t get that.

(Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.)