Paperback Writer is asking for favorite authorial quotes. (In passing, I am in the middle of If Angels Burn,and I will have plenty to say about it when I’m done.) Inspired, I thought I’d share my three favorites here:
1. The harder you work, the luckier you get. So true. So, so true. And probably something I’m most likely to forget, so I remind myself daily.
2. Love the book, not the scene. Karen Hawkins said this at my first RWA meeting. It’s brilliant. Notice its subtle distinction from the ridiculous (and unaccountably popular) “Kill your darlings.” Sometimes, your darlings deserve to live. Just becuase you love a scene doesn’t mean it’s bad. But it doesn’t mean it’s good, either.
3. Get in late, get out early. Should have this one tattooed on the back of my hands, so I see it every time I type.
What are your favorites?
May 23rd, 2005 at 1:00 pm
Okay. Here’s mine:
‘And that’s the whole poem,’ he said. ‘Do you like it, Piglet?’ ‘All except the shillings,’ said Piglet. ‘I don’t think they ought to be there.’ ‘They wanted to come in after the pounds,’ explained Pooh, ’so I let them. It is the best way to write poetry, letting things come.’ ‘Oh, I didn’t know,’ said Piglet.
[Reply]
May 23rd, 2005 at 1:22 pm
Here’s one I recently heard that really got to me. It’s by the brilliant, wonderful, giving Barbara Keiler who’s been writing for years as Judith Arnold:
People who want to write a book usually don’t get far. It’s people who want–or need–to tell a story who become successful writers.
[Reply]
May 23rd, 2005 at 8:27 pm
Those are all great quotes
[Reply]
May 23rd, 2005 at 9:05 pm
Terri Blackstock once gave us the quote “Don’t get it right, get it written.” I love that one!
[Reply]
May 24th, 2005 at 2:08 am
OMG! Did you know the first quote you’ve written was actually written in our daily newspaper today. Coincidence? I think not!
[Reply]
May 24th, 2005 at 8:30 am
I’m scared all the time, which is always good. You have to be scared or you’re not working hard enough. – Sue Grafton
Love the writing, love the writing, love the writing … the rest will follow. – Jane Yolen
Talent is helpful in writing, but guts are absolutely essential. – Jessamyn West
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. – Mark Twain
My most important piece of advice to all you would-be writers: when you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip. – Elmore Leonard
Thanks for your list–”The harder you write, the luckier you get” is just a classic.
[Reply]
May 24th, 2005 at 9:04 am
Big shocker here, but one of my favorite quotes is by Joss Whedon:
“You take people, you put them on a journey, you give them peril, you find out who they really are. If there’s any kind of fiction better than that, I don’t know what it is.”
[Reply]
May 24th, 2005 at 9:39 am
Ooh, Marley, that’s a great one! Always good to remember that the story comes first. (I got a rejection/revision letter once that requested so many changes that the story would be unrecognizable, and I had to sit myself down and tell myself that I wanted to write my story, more even than I wanted a book contract. That was tough.)
Julie, I’m still trying to teach myself that one. The problem is, once it’s written, it’s so impossible to get it right!
Rose, how cool! I truly believe it, though. Everyone talks about luck, but it’s hard to catch teh luck if you haven’t done the work needed to put you in position.
Gabrielle, I love all those quotes! I’ve actually got them (or a similar version to them) on my list, as well, esepcially the bit about being scared and Twain’s lightning bug. Every time I come up with a new idea, I sit back and ask myself if I’ve got anything close to the writing chops to make something like that come together.
Yes, Larissa, the fabulous Joss. Seriously, Everything I Need To Know About Storytelling, I Learned From Joss Whedon. I love the one you have… on your webpage? Your eHq profile? About making it hard and dark and desperate, then telling a joke? So true.
[Reply]
May 25th, 2005 at 4:49 pm
re: the first quote
I don’t think it is always true. I know plenty of people who
1) got lucky before they got out of the crib, ’cause their parents are rich and loving and have great lives, thus the child was born lucky, in a way
2) got lucky through more luck than work, sometimes luck and talent–do you know all those stories about how an actress goes to a casting shot with a friend who just sort of tags along to keep her company, and the friend ends up being offered the part–this is so not an urban legend.
3) work their body parts off, but never really hit it with the luck
[Reply]