There is such a thing as good writing, and there is such a thing as bad writing. Learn
the difference. Strain to produce the former whilst accepting that you will, much of the time,
produce the latter. As you grow in confidence, you’ll know which bits to throw away and which
to keep and work on. Be shamelessly elitist in your pursuit of excellence. Writing is not a
democratic activity; only you can know whether you’re doing what you are here to do. Read a
lot, write a lot and don’t listen to any post-modern oaf who tells you that, after all,
no-one can say whether Stieg Larsson is ‘better’ than Shakespeare.
— Paul Kingsnorth