Introduction -- "The inner music": why we write (and read) -- "But what are they doing in that cottage?": how we write -- "Show me the glint of light": writing fiction -- As one who carries the light bulb": writing poetry -- "They ripen with keeping": letter writing -- "Save the tale": editors and critics -- "No man but a blockhead": writing for money -- "Open a vein": a smile or two along with some good advice.