August 2012
93 posts
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“And that’s all I’ve ever wanted. To move people by creating something that no...”
– I was supposed to be a professional footballer | Iain Broome
This is the last post on my big site before tomorrow, when the digital version of my debut novel comes out. I’ve been reflecting on things, you know. As you do in these situations. Apparently.
(via iainbroome)
July 2012
123 posts
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John Green's tumblr: On Having Figured Out the... →
fishingboatproceeds:
“Why, for example, do the great writers use anticipation instead of surprise? Because surprise is merely an instrument of the unusual, whereas anticipation of a consequence enlarges our understanding of what is happening. Look at a point of land over which the sun is certain to rise, Coleridge…
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“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
– Confucius (via kari-shma)
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“I don’t like to throw characters into a plot as though it were a raging torrent...”
– Michael Ondaatje (via amandaonwriting)
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“It is very sad to me that some people are so intent on leaving their mark on the...”
– John Green. (via brittanyschoice)
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“If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.”
– Maria Edgeworth (via Swanfeather Songs)
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You Know You're Having A Good Writing Day When...
theartofnotwriting:
-Your back hurts from sitting in a strange position for too long.
-And you don’t know how you didn’t even notice that Coldplay came up on shuffle.
(Because you don’t actually like Coldplay.)
(At all.)
-And you don’t want to take the time to make lunch, so you just cram some carrots in your mouth and decide to eat a big dinner.
-And your dog kind of thinks you suck...
chrishayner asked: I ran out of room... So the way I try to go about things is don't aspire. Just BE that thing. You're a director who hasn't made a movie yet, you're a writer who hasn't finished their first project yet. Aspiring leads to not following through in a lot of instances. I'm writing something now, I've never written a story before (Outside of like third grade). ...
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Why I Don’t Like the Term “Aspiring Writer” →
Every time I see the words “aspiring writer”, I sigh a little, because while I know what people mean when they say they’re an aspiring writer, I truly don’t believe the “aspiring writer” actually exists. (read more)
What do you think about the term “aspiring writer”? Have you ever defined yourself as one?
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“Saying ‘I notice you’re a nerd’ is like saying, ‘Hey, I notice that you’d rather...”
– John Green (via nuper)
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“The problem, of course, is that readers are all different. People are all...”
– From a very smart post by Elizabeth Bear; go read the whole thing. (via gwendabond)
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“Hating a book is not unlike hating a person; in fact it’s tempting to just go...”
– “I Hate This Book So Much: A Meditation” by Lev Grossman (Time)
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“Learn to write by doing it. Read widely and wisely. Increase your word power....”
– P.D. James (via amandaonwriting)
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plot twist: the queen locks everyone in the stadium and shouts "happy hunger games"
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Shannon Hale: WHY BOYS DON'T READ 'GIRL' BOOKS →
shannonhale:
When I do book signings, most of my line is made up of young girls with their mothers, teen girls alone, and mother friend groups. But there’s usually at least one boy with a stack of my books. This boy is anywhere from 8-19, he’s carrying a worn stack of the Books of Bayern, and he’s excited and unashamed to be a fan of those books. As I talk to him, 95% of the time I learn this...
valiant-retrospect asked: darn there was a word limit... ill just finish here. even though i think HG was a poorly written book.... i still find the story line and the characters amazing. Every book has it's own flaws or points and those shouldn't be put in the "bad books" category.
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“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”
– Charles Chaplin (via kari-shma)
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On Reading "Bad" Books →
It bothers me that people look at Twilight and The Hunger Games and Harry Potter and even Fifty Shades of Grey and say things like, the garbage that people read nowadays, and this book will never stand up to x-classic, and it bothers me that there’s this belief that the books people enjoy reading now are somehow worth less than what people used to read.
I’m not going to try to tell...
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“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when...”
– Oscar Wilde (via quote-book)
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“I’ve always believed that you can think positive just as well as you can think...”
– James Baldwin (via ahorton92)
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Your Favorite YA Novels Ever
fishingboatproceeds:
NPR.org is running a poll about the best-ever young adult novels. You get to choose 10 titles from among a very impressive list. It’s fun and easy and you should do it.
And yes, my books are among the books you can vote for, but certainly don’t feel obligated. There are a lot of great books on that list, and when I voted, I didn’t vote for myself!
…is an example of...
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“We use novels, not old newspapers, to get a sense of what life was like 100...”
– Robin Sloan, writing for The New York Times, on the future of fiction. (via jarrettfuller)
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Do You Really Want Overnight Success? →
All that talk about so-called overnight success has got me thinking—is it really something that we should strive for? (read more)
What do you think? If you could choose, would you pick overnight success or a gradual accumulation of success? Why?
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“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to...”
– John Pierpont (via kari-shma)
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Trimming the Fat From Your Manuscript →
theartofnotwriting:
I’ve got a post on being ruthless with the scissors, aka cutting words from your manuscript, on YA Highway today! And now, to sharpen my own scissors…
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“I’m going to write. That’s what I see beyond the present moment, in the great...”
– Marguerite Duras, The Lover (translated by Barbara Bray)
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“In nearly all good fiction, the basic plot form is this: A central character...”
– John Gardner (via amandaonwriting)
“‘One more book’, he had told himself,’ then I’ll stop. One more folio, just one...”
– 2005 George R. R. Martin (American author/screenwriter, 1948) ~ A Feast for Crows; via larmoyante (via petitpoulailler)
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5 Writing Tips from Tana French →
“There’s no such thing as ‘men’ or ‘women’. There’s only the individual character you’re writing. One guy emailed me asking me how to write women, and I couldn’t answer, because I had no idea which woman he meant: me? Eleanor of Aquitaine? Lady Gaga? If you’re thinking of ‘men’ or ‘women’ as a monolithic group defined primarily by their sex, then you’re not thinking of them as individuals; so...
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How (Not) to Get Traditionally Published →
After releasing the most fabulous tips you’ve ever read on how to become a Kindle bazillionaire (you’re welcome) I thought it only fair to share ten incredible secrets on how to become traditionally published.
You can thank me when you’re swimming in a pool full of Benjamins made completely out of your royalties. (read more)
Now it’s your turn to share your wisdom. What...
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“And once you realize you don’t need validation to find happiness, there is a...”
– Nick Miller, Isn’t It Pretty To Think So? (via armonster)
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strange things are afoot @ the circle k:... →
knitmeapony:
trickstervriska:
the thought of becoming an adult one day is the scariest thing ever why cant i live the rest of my life blogging about fictional characters and laughing at stupid shit
I am going to let you in on the worst-kept secret in fandom: we’re actually mostly…
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“To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement. To condense the...”
– Mark Twain (via writersrelief)
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“You have to believe. Otherwise, it will never happen.”
– Neil Gaiman, Stardust (via quote-book)
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“If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish...”
– Les Brown (via kari-shma)
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“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.”
– Dale Carnegie (via kari-shma)
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On Writing Your First Novel →
While it’s true that something like 95% of the time, that first novel will end up trunked and likely later be referred to as a practice novel, that doesn’t mean you have to mentally doom your first novel to be just a practice novel. (read more)
What thoughts and tips do you have on writing the first novel?
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What I want to know is who is ‘3rd person’, and...
teachingliteracy:
dancingwithdamon
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10 Pieces of Advice for Young Writers →
theatlantic:
Care about things. Show it. Be funny, barbed, and pointed when needed. Slick is easy; don’t be slick.
Confidence and arrogance will both protect you when people yell at you. One is vital and one is poisonous.
Learn to be your own devil’s advocate. Interrogate your own arguments. Interrogate your point of view.
Successful writers can play loud and soft and can make a variety of...
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“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.”
– Cormac McCarthy; No Country for Old Men (via wordpainting)
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“Be in love with your life, every detail of it.”
– Jack Kerouac (via saddest-summer)
“That is my problem with life, I rush through it, like I’m being chased. Even...”
– Miranda July (via karanablue) 