One of my favorite quotations, which I think needs to be posted on billboards all over this country, is from a novel (I forget which one) by Tom Clancy: "If you're not confused, you're misinformed."

So much of what is wrong with human culture at this time can be traced to people forming their beliefs around absurdly simplistic slogans. The best minds in every discipline of thought will readily acknowledge that there are no answers that are both true and simple.

As writers, we dig deeper. It's our job, at least the way I understand it. It's one reason why so many of us are avid readers. And our writings, of whatever genre, are our explorations of the complicated answers to the complicated questions.

You ask great questions, and your mind is open to discovery. That gives me confidence that what you write will be worth reading.

Let me offer you a recommendation for a book I found life-changing, so much so that I can't keep it on my shelf--I always end up giving away every copy I buy. It's Kathryn Schultz's book, "Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error."

Good luck, and welcome to the fellowship!