“I have lived with that anger, on that anger, beneath that anger, on top of that anger ... for most of my life.” – Audre Lord “Once upon a time / I had enough anger in me to crack crystal” – Kiki Petrosino “Out of the ash / I rise with my red hair / … Continue reading Reading angry women
His situation, insofar as he was a machine, was complex, tragic, and laughable. But the sacred part of him, his awareness, remained an unwavering band of light. -- Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut
I am currently taking a course in editing, and I thought this gem shared by the professor was worth saving: "More is less." Cut as much as you can without losing meaning and you may have it. If you don't need the words for the poetry of the language and you don't need the words … Continue reading More is less…
It really bothers me when people say they aren’t creative. Everyone is, in some fashion. I am just as guilty every time I say I am tone deaf or that I have two left feet and that no one could ever possibly teach me how to sing or dance. I wish, more than anything, that … Continue reading Everyone is creative…
Here's just an excerpt from Le Guin's speech at the National Book Awards, but you should really go read the whole thing--it's short and completely inspiring: "I think hard times are coming when we will be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now and can see through our … Continue reading Wow, Ursula K. Le Guin gave a great speech at the National Book Awards…
I recently came upon this bit of wisdom, from In the Woods by Tana French: To my mind the defining characteristic of our era is spin, everything tailored to vanishing point by market research, brands and bands manufactured to precise specifications; we are so used to things transmuting into whatever we would like them to be that … Continue reading The defining characteristic of our era…
"A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." -- A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin "Sleep is good," he said. "And books are better." -- A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies .... The man who never reads lives only … Continue reading Some quotes about books from books…
A question on Quora asked: What are the most famous final passages from books or stories? Here are my votes for the top five. Feel free to add your favorite last lines in the comments. "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." -- The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald “and yes I … Continue reading Famous Last Words
"When I have one martini, I feel bigger, wiser, taller. When I have a second, I feel superlative. When I have more, there's no holding me." -- William Faulkner "Faulkner was a big drinker, went on wild binges, but he never wrote much while drunk. He and others drank to broaden their vision, their … Continue reading A few words from writers about drinking…
A wise old Native American once said: Only the government would believe you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom and have a longer blanket. Good-bye, 5:00 p.m. daylight. I'm going to miss you. Hello, seasonal depression. By the way, don't forget to fall back one hour … Continue reading A wise old Native American once said…
