Quotes
"A fine quotation is a diamond on the finger of a witty person, but a pebble in the hands of a fool."
- Joseph Roux (1886)
Have you noticed that I often use quotes at the beginning of my blogs? How could you miss them, right? I love quotes. I collect them. I use them.
In my book "Aunt Lutie's Blue Moon Cafe," each chapter begins with a quote. Since the primary setting of the book is a cafe in a small East Texas town, those quotes all pertain to food.
"Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet as love." (Turkish Proverb)
"Comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. (The Song of Solomon 2:4)
"Love and scandal are the best sweetners of tea. (Henry Fielding)
There are hundreds of quotes about authors and writing. Some of them are too profound for me, too deep. I dont't want to analyze a quote. I want to enjoy the quote, see visions before my eyes of what it must be introducing. In some instances, I want to laugh; other times I want to be drawn in by the beauty of the words. I want to enjoy quotes, the ones I read and the ones I use, for what they offer and for nothing anymore complicated than that.
"...For the writer there is no oblivion. Only endless memory." - Anita Brookner
Endless memory--ah, that we all may never forget. Isn't that a quote to remember?
As a writer, I certainly feel this way (about all genres we write in):
"You don't have anything if you don't have the stories." - Leslie Silko, author
And all writers should feel as the author Louise Erdrich does:
"Part of becoming a writer is the desire to have everything mean something."
Look for quotes. Keep a list of your favorites. Use them in your daily writing or journal keeping. Make up your own--maybe this Texas-gal-stuck-in-California writer will use your quotes to enlighten her readers.
On second thought, maybe you don't need that kind of notoriety.
Tip: First drafts are seldom good. Remember what Anne Lamott said about the?
PROMPT: Get your story onto paper. Write what you like, don't edit yourself. Put your work aside for a week. Come back to revise.
- Joseph Roux (1886)
Have you noticed that I often use quotes at the beginning of my blogs? How could you miss them, right? I love quotes. I collect them. I use them.
In my book "Aunt Lutie's Blue Moon Cafe," each chapter begins with a quote. Since the primary setting of the book is a cafe in a small East Texas town, those quotes all pertain to food.
"Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet as love." (Turkish Proverb)
"Comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. (The Song of Solomon 2:4)
"Love and scandal are the best sweetners of tea. (Henry Fielding)
There are hundreds of quotes about authors and writing. Some of them are too profound for me, too deep. I dont't want to analyze a quote. I want to enjoy the quote, see visions before my eyes of what it must be introducing. In some instances, I want to laugh; other times I want to be drawn in by the beauty of the words. I want to enjoy quotes, the ones I read and the ones I use, for what they offer and for nothing anymore complicated than that.
"...For the writer there is no oblivion. Only endless memory." - Anita Brookner
Endless memory--ah, that we all may never forget. Isn't that a quote to remember?
As a writer, I certainly feel this way (about all genres we write in):
"You don't have anything if you don't have the stories." - Leslie Silko, author
And all writers should feel as the author Louise Erdrich does:
"Part of becoming a writer is the desire to have everything mean something."
Look for quotes. Keep a list of your favorites. Use them in your daily writing or journal keeping. Make up your own--maybe this Texas-gal-stuck-in-California writer will use your quotes to enlighten her readers.
On second thought, maybe you don't need that kind of notoriety.
Tip: First drafts are seldom good. Remember what Anne Lamott said about the?
PROMPT: Get your story onto paper. Write what you like, don't edit yourself. Put your work aside for a week. Come back to revise.
posted by Barb | 9:32 PM
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