I know people who read without hearing the sentence sounds and they were the fastest readers. Eye readers we call them. They get the meaning by glances. But they are bad readers because they miss the best part of what a good writer puts into his work.

Social media is a giant distraction to the ultimate aim, which is honing your craft as a songwriter. There are people who are exceptional at it, however, and if you can do both things, then that's fantastic, but if you are a writer, the time is better spent on a clever lyric than a clever tweet.

The key to being a wonderful writer is not to write. You just get out of the way, leave room for God to walk in the room, and when I write something that I know is right, I get on my knees and say, 'Thank You.

The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write for the purpose of making money.

The writer may very well serve a movement of history as its mouthpiece, but he cannot of course create it.

And you find as a writer there are certain spots on the planet where you write better than others, and I believe in that. And New Orleans is one of them.