Ursula K. Le Guin’s birthday was on October 21st. She’s eighty-five years old. She writes mainly in the fantasy and science fiction genres. Her book titled The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader, and the Imagination has her 1992 essay “Dogs, Cats, and Dancers: Thoughts about Beauty” in it. […]
Alfred Hitchcock Quotes
“Drama is life with the dull parts left out.” “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” “I’m a writer and, therefore, automatically a suspicious character.” “Always make the audience suffer as much as possible.” Here is my favorite: “I have a feeling that inside you somewhere, there’s somebody nobody […]
Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” “What you are comes to you.” “Once you make a decision, the Universe conspires to make it happen.” “Every artist was first an amateur.” “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.” “Live […]
Quotes About Reader Emotions in Writing
Jerry Cleaver in his book, Immediate Fiction, said, “It’s not just about giving the reader an experience. It’s about having it yourself, as you create. Character, reader, author—they’re all having the experience, the emotion. Without emotion, nobody’s having anything.” Cleaver also said, “The first thing to realize is that the world is emotionally determined. Passion, […]
Six Mark Twain Quotes
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. What a good thing Adam had. When he said a good thing he knew nobody had said it before. The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly […]
Five Author Quotes For Inspiration
Lisa See says, “Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.” How many of you have read her Snow Flower and the Secret Fan or my favorite, Peony in Love? I met her at the San Francisco Writers Conference a few years ago. She’s friendly and talked about how she frequently […]
Charles Dickens Quote
Charles Dickens said, “An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself.” I find that my characters need to be spoken to a little before they reveal themselves. Do you talk to your characters?