Category Archives: Quotes

Author Quotes: Roth.

“The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress.” -Philip Roth.

I’m pretty sure Roth won’t mind, but I’m going to have to politely disagree with him on this one.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the sentiment. It’s terribly easy for writers to get caught up in their Next Big Thing, the new and shiny book idea, and the never-ending project that just can’t seem to meet your goals. It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed by a project, to drop a manuscript and work on something else, to scrap everything you’ve written so far out of frustration and lack of inspiration. These are certainly hellish things for the writer to deal with, a path littered with discarded thoughts and half-assed attempts.

But let’s look at it another way. To me, the road to hell isn’t paved with anything. It’s just a bleak landscape of writer’s block and blank pages. At least, surrounded by works-i-progress, you’re surrounded by potential. Each one of those WIPs, with the right mindset, could easily be wrestled down and wrangled into completion. Each one of those WIPs represent a glimmer of hope, a silver lining, a stairway to heaven. To me, a road paved with works-in-progress is just the start of the journey. The trick is in finding which one of those WIPs are the exit ramp to success.

So, what do you think? What is your road to writerly hell paved with?

Channeling the Tortoise.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao Tzu said that a long time ago, along with a lot of other really great things that I remind myself of whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed with the craziness that is life. This particular quote is a great way to encourage that moment on the precipice of something new and different, and a reminder that, if you want to get anywhere, you’ve got to take that first step.

I also like to think of it as a reminder that a journey of a thousand miles is taken in steps, and sometimes those steps are going to be small. …Most of them, actually.

Right now, small steps describes my writing career perfectly. In a few days, I’m taking off for Atlanta to do some corporate training for the Real Job, and everyone’s talking about how the next promotion is right around the corner. It’s retail management, which is pretty involved and hands-on and that doesn’t leave too much time for my writing anymore. Not having my own computer right now doesn’t help much with blogging and networking, either.

I wish I wasn’t so impatient. I know that I’ll eventually make that thousand mile journey even with these tiny steps, but I wish I could get on with things much quicker. I’ll just have to stop for a moment when I feel the itch of the hare, close my eyes, and channel the tortoise instead.

Not only does slow and steady win the race, but just think of how many more of those thousand miles you can appreciate with smaller, tinier steps. It’s taking me longer to write now, but I know I’m enjoying it even more now because I appreciate being able to write now that I can’t do it as much.

Which are you, a tortoise or a hare? How far along are you on your thousand mile journey, or have you yet to take that first step? What are you waiting for?

Artist Quotes: Davis.

“My future starts when I wake up every morning.” -Miles Davis.

The brilliant miss rosen posted this quote on her blog a while ago, and I had to swipe it for my own, because I’m kind of in love with it. For a while now, mornings have easily become my favorite part of the day. Each morning is like a new lifetime, a new opportunity, a new chance to open up the day and see what can be written inside.

In the past few months or so, my perspective on life has changed immensely. Everything has been so positive, and I love it, so it’s hard to imagine ever living my life in a way that, when I woke up, I didn’t see potential for greatness opening up in front of me like I do now. I also marvel over the idea that anyone would want to be any other way. Of course, having been through the darker moods that leave everything with a cloud over it, I know it really is a matter of mind over anything else, but waking up each morning and seeing the future spanning ahead of me is one of the most uplifting things I’ve ever experienced. It makes me look forward to each and every day in a way I would have previously not thought possible.

“My future starts when I wake up every morning.” Honestly, what a beautiful sentiment, what an absolutely inspiring way to wake up every morning and realize that the whole world could be out there in front of you, all you’ve got to do is get up and take it.

Just a little bit of brightness and inspiration for the day. Happy writing!

Writer Quotes: Renard.

“Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.” -Jules Renard

When this quote showed up on my WordPress dashboard, I was instantly amused. Of course, the natural inclination is to edit it slightly to include almost all artistic endeavors, especially since I have been an artist my entire like, and I have never earned much money in my entire life, either. What is it about the artist that makes it somehow more respectable to flounder in monetary success than other occupations? Is it the fact that passion and drive is placed higher than material goods and even food? There’s always been the romantic notion (romantic, perhaps, until it’s an actual reality) of the “starving artist,” and you’ll probably encounter a good deal of people claiming that it’s from this state that most of the good stuff is derived.

I haven’t made much on my writing yet. Technically speaking, since I haven’t gotten my first royalty check yet, I haven’t made anything from my writing so far (unless you count that medal and that bangin’ McDonald’s lunch box I won from the D.A.R.E. essay contest in sixth grade). And that’s okay. What I have done so far isn’t too shabby for a wee little writer just stepping out into the bright sunshine of the publishing world with only a droplet over 100 followers on her fledgling little blog. And you know what the best part is? It can only go up from here. There’s so much more to do to bring my writing out there and to the forefront that I haven’t quite gotten to yet.

That said, it’s not about the money. It’s like a text my roommate’s sister sent her once: “I decided to be a teacher because of the money, said no teacher, ever.” The dream of “pulling a J.K. Rowling,” as I like to call it, is definitely that: a dream. A very nice dream. A dream that’s an awful lot of fun to strive for and a dream that is actually reachable, especially with all the changes in the publishing world. Would I like to be able to make enough money through my writing so that the feeling of dread I have at the end of the month is soothed by a little extra cash rather than not enough? Duh. Is it important? No. If my work is out there, people are reading it, and people are enjoying it, then I’m a happy little pup. The money would just be an added bonus.

But enough about that. Back to the quote. It’s an interesting one, isn’t it? If it was any other career, and I said, “Yeah, I’ve made about eight bucks this month!” I would probably be considered crazy for the pride in my voice or promptly fired for being a terrible employee. Instead, in the writerly world, I get encouragement, reminders that we all start somewhere, hope that this is just a start, and I keep on plodding along with projects with applause and cheers (a few of them, anyway). Why is that? Because it’s about the passion and the drive. It’s about embracing a talent and building it, despite the fact that it does not fit into the conventional ideas of success. Because when it comes to writing, success isn’t measured by dollar bill signs. It can be, but, for most writers, we are content to know that we are telling our stories and people are reading those stories and people want more of those stories.

Now there’s a paycheck that’s far more valuable than anything you can put in a bank.

Let me also take a moment to thank liveforlife201 for following the blog! Welcome aboard! Great to have you here.

He was a tall man with brown hair.

I really enjoyed this article and interview with Lee Child. I think I’ve read one book in which Child had a hand, but there was something in the article that really struck me and made me want to read more of his work:

“…Child scoffed at the conventional rule that writers must ‘show, don’t tell.’ He said writers are called ‘storytellers, after all, not story showers.’ Because of the show-don’t-tell rule, Child thinks that many writers are so scared of ‘telling’ that they manipulate their work, such as having characters peer in a mirror and describe themselves, rating their own looks. ‘Who does that in real life?’ Child laughed. ‘There’s nothing wrong with just writing “he was a tall man with brown hair.” Just tell the damn story.’“

This also ties in a little bit with recent post by Kristen Lamb on lazy writing crutches, like adverbs and qualifiers. I think what Lee Child is talking about in the interview is just another one of those crutches. We, as writers, are constantly told “show, don’t tell,” but I know I find it a little insulting as a reader when a writer goes out of his way to show me how a character looks with a device like looking in a mirror. It’s a moment of “Really? That’s your solution to this description problem?” And I actually am the sort of person who will take note of myself in the mirror on occasion, but that’s because I’m secretly a narcissist.

But basically, it comes down to this: there is nothing wrong with simple writing. Some of my favorite writers (and Chinese writers especially, I’ve noticed, though that might be a translation thing) compose their words in a very straight-forward manner. The results are beautiful. There’s no heavy-handed prose. There’s no awkwardness. There’s absolutely no thesaurus abuse. Just gorgeous, simple writing that tells a story rather than shows how the language can be manipulated. It brings to mind a line in one of the stories from Bowlful of Bunnies, where I describe someone as being “very young with very old eyes.” A few betas suggested a more elaborate description, but, the more I thought about it, the more I loved the line just as it was. Very simple and straightforward, which I felt suited the character being described in such terms. So I kept it. And will continue to love it.

So, there are a lot of merits to being a writer. To being able to understand the rules of exceptional writing, to use your adverbs sparingly, to abolish the need to pepper your writing with crutches. But there’s also a lot to be said about being a good storyteller, too. Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best. It reflects a certain voice, creates a certain mood, and just tells a damn good story.

On an unrelated note, we are so close to hitting the 25 mark on the contest! Will I return home from work to discover I need to get a sample typed up? We shall see.

Writer Quotes: Erasmus.

“The desire to write grows with writing.” — Desiderius Erasmus

Have you ever had those days where you’re just dizzy with your writing and you rue the moment went you’re so tired you can’t keep your eyes open because you want to keep writing, but you know you can keep writing once you’ve slept and wake up in the morning? I’m giddy to report that this happens to me quite often…and it’s been happening more often lately, too. And this quote from Erasmus (who I’ve always had a soft spot for, all thanks to Quest for Glory) highlights exactly why that is. Writing gives you great momentum for more great writing, especially if you’re a person like me and the one thing that makes you happiest in life is creating worlds and building stories.

They say when you’re stuck in a writing rut, write anyway, because, essentially, writing begets more writing. It’s a strange phenomenon that I couldn’t be more grateful for. Because I know that, if I have a day where the writing comes tough, then, if I keep it up, it eases out eventually and the next thing I know, I’ve made some excellent progress. I know I’ve probably written on this topic to death, but it’s something that I find to be so undeniably true and motivational to me, that I’ll probably continue writing on this topic to death. Because writing breeds more writing, right? See what I did there?

So, anyway, yes. I agree with Erasmus wholeheartedly, because it’s the same thing that happens to me. If you find yourself in a little bit of a rut, write. It doesn’t matter what, as long as it’s something. Push yourself to write even if it isn’t very good or it’s just utter crap. Because that opens the door, and, as you write, the writing will get better. You’ll write more, and then that writing will turn into even more, and, before you know it, you’re out of your slump and into a swing. This principle can apply to almost anything, too. The more you do something, the easier it gets. The more you push through the hard parts, the closer you get to the smoother, easier parts.

What do you think? Do you feel that writing begets more writing? Does this theory help propel you forward when you’re struggling, or do you have some other inspiration or motivation that gets you through the tough spots? And do you feel that, the more you write, the more you want to write? It’s a wonderful beast that usually feeds in on itself, so much so that, you’ll have to excuse me, even writing this, I now want to go and write more!

And, yes, I know it’s Friday, and that I haven’t actually done a Flash Fiction Friday in several weeks, but my brain has been elsewhere, and I’m just letting myself go with the flow, as it is. Post are more likely to be random rather than structured for a little while, or perhaps until the next Round of Words in 80 Days, which I’m hoping to be vigilant about. Also, I’m only five books away from hitting the contest goal of 25 copies of Bowlful of Bunnies if anyone wants a sneak peek at my latest, Battarack Girls! So close! Any help getting there is always awesome and amazing, just like you guys.

How People Look.

“As young readers like to know `how people look’, we will take this moment to give them a little sketch of the four sisters, who sat knitting away in the twilight…”–Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

Whenever it comes to introducing a new character or describing them, I almost always think of this quote from Louisa May Alcott classic novel, Little Women, and I always wonder how accurate it may be. Granted, I don’t typically write for young readers, and I know as a reader in general, I do like to know “how people look,” but I know I also don’t like to be hit over the head with a full-on description that takes me out of the narrative. Sometimes I feel that my own attempts to subtly sneak descriptions of characters into my narrative leaves an unclear picture, but you want it to sound natural at the same time. Characters introduced through the point of view of another character are like gifts; it would make sense to have the POV describing a new character. It’s less likely that they would be thinking about how the guy they’ve known for their whole life looks.

Does the issue of when and how to describe characters in your book plague anyone else? As a reader, are you impartial to how a character’s description is introduced, or do you have certain pet peeves that you hate to see in a narrative? I know I cringe whenever I come across frequently repeated epithets (my classic example if from the Young Jedi Knights series and the Solo twins’ “brandy-colored eyes.” I can see repetition being helpful in a young adult series, but then why use an alcohol for a description?), but I also realize that I’m occasionally a perpetrator of that, too, though I try to keep my epithets without too much pomp, sticking to “red hair” or “dark eyes” or “tall whatever.”

These thoughts could also be applied to describing a setting. I know I’m terrible at putting description in my original drafts, but I know with Serpent in a Cage, one of the things I want to focus on in the typed draft is really developing the world and taking the time to immerse the reader in descriptions of the world we’re in…without being too overdone. The key is definitely to find that balance where the descriptions are taking a person deeper into the story rather than pulling them out to show things off. It’s definitely going to be a challenge, but I want to improve my ability to make the visuals as bright and details for my reader as they are in my own head.

So, now I turn it to you? Do you, like Alcott’s young people, like to know “how people look?” Or do you tend to be irritated with too much description? Do you have certain authors that you think do this description very well…or some that are notoriously bad at it? For me, the Young Jedi Knight‘s “brandy-brown eyes” and “red-gold hair” will constantly serve as reminders as the dangers of oft-repeated description, but I know other authors have managed to sweep me away with their seamless and extraordinary descriptions, too.

A Small Collection of Tidbits..

Today’s post will be a random hodge-podge of various things I felt like noting. Sometimes, it’s just good to be random.

Yesterday, the news hit that Ray Bradbury had died. I realized that, though I quote Bradbury often (what a brilliant, inspired mind!), I have never actually read any of his work. As a matter of fact, my list of iconic science fiction is pitifully short; it basically consists of Marion Zimmer Bradley…and that’s it. He died at age 91, I hear, a pretty damn good run if you ask me. Are any of you big Bradbury fans? Are there any books in particular you’d recommend to get me started on rectifying this pathetic gap in my repertoire? I grew up more of a fantasy fan than a science fiction one, so I’ve got some catching up to do.

Meanwhile, this post by Lindsay Buroker came to my attention through one of Gene Lempp‘s fantastic Blog Treasure posts, and I had to post it because it’s absolutely brilliant. The methodology that Lindsay outlines is exactly the process I am hoping to follow on my own self-publishing journey, and it’s filled me with so much hope (and excitement!) to get this ball rolling and soon. In a few short weeks, I’ll probably have a book out there. My head will finally be in the game, and it’s only open doors from then on in. This is incredibly inspiring. It’s full speed ahead from here on in!

I’m also happy to announce that my blog has hit over 10,000 views! Wow! And I’m just a few more followers shy of 100. I’ve got Poetry of a Madman, Margaret Laureys, Darren, and lightning pen to thank for the recent jump in numbers. Thank you guys so much for following the blog! There’s nothing like a fell swoop of a handful of new followers (and new people to follow!) to let me know that I’m definitely doing something right here. And tomorrow’s post will be my 400th post. Whoo! Go milestones!

And, lastly, I’m pretty sure the following is one of the best spam comments I’ve received so far:

“This is the penalise About. L.S. Engler blog for anyone who wants to essay out out some this substance. You observance so overmuch its almost effortful to debate with you (not that I truly would want…HaHa). You definitely put a new revolve on a subject thats been scrawled some for geezerhood. Metropolis choke, just extraordinary!“

Put a new revolve on a subject. BRB, about to die from laughing, homygod.

As I said, today’s post is a little random, but sometimes a little random is a good thing. Have a great day, everyone!

Writer Quotes: Crisp.

“There are three reasons for becoming a writer. The first is that you need the money; the second, that you have something to say that you think the world should know; and the third is that you can’t think what to do with the long winter evenings.” -Quintin Crisp

Reminding me a little bit of Eliot’s 10 Reasons for Writing a Blog (and 5 Reasons for Not), this quote from Quintin Crisp got me thinking. Mostly, it got me thinking that there had to be more than just three reasons for becoming a writer (and I’m pretty sure that ‘you need the money’ isn’t a very applicable one; how many times have you been told that writing will not make you any substantial cash?), and, out of the three that Crisp does present, which one is my reason? And which one do other writers identify with?

I thought, for the purposes of exploring this quote, I’ll break it down one at a time:

1. The first is that you need the money: All cards on the table, I’m not going to lie. I definitely do need the money. I have a job, but it’s not a very highly paying job and the hours are slim at best. However, I’m pretty sure I could go out there and get a second job and make more money. I’ve done it before. But I’ve decided that I finally want to start treating money like a career, so the possibility that I might be able to make a little more money through something I love doing is appealing. I don’t expect it to be much. Just a little supplemental income to make a dent in my debt, to be the deciding factor between Ramen for dinner or fresh meat. But to suggest that this is the first reason or even a major reason that people might go into writing seems a little absurd to me. Either that, or the people who go into writing “for the money” are completely delusional. Some people can pull it off, but that is rare, from what I heard. First thing I’m always told in writing groups is “Don’t quit your day job.” Then again, maybe I’m just talking to the wrong people…

Besides, almost anything done “for the money” tends to be disingenuous and lacking in passion. To me, art created for prosperity’s sake is just abysmal and depressing. For the most part. I mean, I love some pretty cheesy stuff, but even that seems to be fairly tongue-in-cheek and self-aware.

2. …the second, that you have something to say that you think the world should know… I would have easily said that this section of Crisp’s quote is the most applicable for me person, but I hold an issue with the language. As a writer, I figured that’s allowed. To make it more applicable to myself, I would change it to having a story to tell that you want the world to hear. Of course, I do have something to say, but I’m a storyteller, first and foremost. I love to tell stories, I think my stories are awesome, and I want to share them with the world. To me, Crisp’s take seems to suggest that there’s a soapbox involved, that I want to hop on up and proclaim my ideas to the world at large, but I see my desire to tell a story to be a much softer approach. But there’s still something I want to say…I don’t think the world should know it, but I’d be awfully glad if they did.

3. …the third is that you can’t think what to do with the long winter evenings. I don’t really agree with number three too terribly much, either. Because I can think of a lot of things to do with a long winter evening. I could go on about it; I’m from Michigan, I know about long winter evenings and I could probably ramble off at least fifteen things in the first ten seconds of being prompted with this challenge. So allow me to be presumptuous enough to fix this part of the quote, too

One of the reasons I’m a writer is because I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do with the long winter evenings.

I don’t think there are three reasons for becoming a writer. I think there’s just one. And that’s simply that you love to write. Maybe that’s a bit simple, but that’s how it’s how it’s always been for me.

What about you? What are your reasons for being a writer? And thanks for listening to my random dissection of some random quote from someone I’ve honestly never heard of before…

On another note, this is my first attempt to start posting things I’ve already written as a back-up for when I can’t think of anything else to write. I don’t like to do similar posts so close to each other, but I was drawing a blank this morning and had this ready to go. It’s probably a really good idea to have some pre-written posts ready to go in the event of Brain Dead…

Writer Quotes: Bradbury.

“Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old-fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he’ll eventually make some kind of career for himself as writer.” -Ray Bradbury.

The realization that I haven’t done a Writer Quote post in a long time struck me the other day, and, as I’m coming out of two days where I haven’t had a chance to post something, I thought now was a good time. Sunday, alas, was a day that had me working (and hard!) for nearly 12 hours. Monday was much more pleasant. My older brother and his family came to Chicago for the weekend, and they drove out to visit the Brookfield Zoo with me. I’m a huge fan of the zoo, so even after they left to drive back to Michigan, I stuck around for another four more hours, which mean about seven hours at the zoo in the hot sun, so I was beat when I got home. It was still really great to see my family, though, including their new little baby, and I got a lot of inspiration from the park itself. Also, I’m pretty sure I saw a guy pushing around a Real Doll in a wheelchair, which was absurd and inspiring. Almost as amusing was the teenager with the ‘Furries Ruin Everything’ t-shirt (and I can only hope she chose to wear it specifically for the zoo…)

But enough about that. Onto this quote from Ray Bradbury, which I find incredibly inspiring. And I also find it very interesting. I was going to add to it that this theory of hard work applied to writing leading to a career in that respect is just even better when the writer is pretty great, but I realized that the magic comes from the fact that all that hard work and determination makes a person a better writer. Just like any other practised skill, the more something is done, the finer it gets. Even if you really are a talentless hack, you can build from something abysmal to something at least palatable. When it comes to writing, of course I find delight in a turn of phrase, in clever allusions and prose that just sings off the page. But I’m also quite fond of books that, while the writing might not be the best, are telling a great and interesting story, and you can tell that the person who wrote it cared and had a passion about their words.

And, really? Even outside the context of writing, I adore this quote. ‘Any man who keeps working is not a failure.’ I was raised to really appreciate the value of hard work, and I agree wholeheartedly with the idea that, even though the results might not be what was anticipated, the point is that you tried, you gave it your all, and you are a better person because of it. Never give up, always keep working, in some form of another. Very rarely will you be worse off because of it.

Also, one thing I haven’t been able to do yet is thank my latest subscribers! So, to Poison Strings and JLT, welcome aboard! Good to have you along for the journey!