Ngl I always took that advice way too literally. It's not about writing your exact life, it's about using the real stuff you've seen and felt to make the made-up parts feel solid. My best character came from giving my grandma's stubbornness to a spaceship mechanic.

Honestly, some of those old reprints are pretty well done. I saw one at a con last year that even fooled the guy running the booth for a minute.

Makes sense. I started adding a splash of bourbon to my apple juice spritz. The alcohol seems to help the flavor stick to the meat better than just juice alone. It gives a really nice, subtle smoky-sweet note without being too strong. You gotta be careful not to overdo it though, or it can get bitter. Just a couple tablespoons in the bottle does the trick.

Yeah, you gotta count spices as repeats, but honestly just lean on different cuisines to keep it fresh.

Look, sometimes you gotta trust your gut. That car drove in under its own power, the damage looked superficial. Putting every single car on the frame machine is a huge time sink for maybe one in twenty that actually needs it. You took a calculated risk and it didn't pay off this time, but that doesn't mean the process is wrong. A lot of shops would have done the same thing to meet a tight deadline.