Good writing advice from a painter

"Get it down quickly," said Edouard Manet. "Don't worry about the background. Just go for the tonal values... Most of all, keep your colors fresh."

Ggood advice not only for 19th-century impressionist painters, but for 21st-century writers, trying to capture a first draft. Or what I call the heart of the story.

Spill it out, write it down, ugly and ungainly as it may be. My first drafts are all hideous-looking monsters, but if I feel a heart beat, I have hope.