• How does this quote resonate with you?

  "[W]riting is the expression of every persons individuality, and we know what we like when it comes along. Again, however, much can be gained by knowing what to omit. Clichs, for instance. If a writer lives in blissful ignorance that clichs are the kiss of death, if in the final analysis he leaves no stone unturned to use them, we can infer that he lacks an instinct for what gives language its freshness. Faced with a choice between the novel and the banal, he goes unerringly for the banal. His voice is the voice of a hack."

• How much can you relate to this quote? Please explain.

  "Also remember that your assignment may not be as narrow as you think. Often it will turn out to touch some unexpected corner of your experience or your education, enabling you to broaden the story with strengths of your own. Every such reduction of the unfamiliar will reduce your fear."