1. Your first thought is never your best thought. It's just your first
2. Most of your ideas are banal. Dig deeper.
3. Go and find things out. Make a fetish of research. Most of the things worth hearing aren't already sitting in your head.
4. Stop bothering people with your early drafts. Bother yourself with your early drafts.
5. Work everyday. It's not amatuer's game.

Andrew O'Hagan, Esquire editor-at-large