Last month, Mr. K’s desk asserted its authority and wrote the newsletter, which is Desk’s right because, after all, this publication is titled “From the Desk of Dean Koontz.”

I’m sure that the right teacher, in a well-designed course, can be a great help to beginning writers who are trying to find their way, but I have no personal experience of that. I found my own way by doing two things. First, I read 150 books a year, sometimes more, (very little TV, later…