Quotes to Write By – Day 15

Today’s quote is credited to Samuel L. Delaney, American author, literary critic, and professor. One of the perks about doing this series is that it gives me the opportunity to learn about authors I’m not familiar with. 🙂 Delaney is on that list. I look forward to exploring his work.

 

Samuel L. Delaney. Wow! Look at all of those lovely books! *wipes drool*

 

Quote #15

“Science fiction isn’t just thinking about the world out there. It’s also thinking about how that world might be—a particularly important exercise for those who are oppressed, because if they’re going to change the world we live in, they—and all of us—have to be able to think about a world that works differently.”

Samuel L. Delaney

Quotes to Write By – Day 14

The following quote comes from Daniel Quinn, cultural critic and former publisher of educational text.

Daniel Quinn

 

I regret that I didn’t use more of what “I know” when I first started writing. I regret not realizing how important these succulent bits and pieces were. I regret not realizing sooner that just because what I knew and cared about or found amusing and worth reading matter even though my experiences weren’t being requested by publishers or agents.

 

For instance, I regret not using:

• My mother’s interesting stories about growing up in Jamaica.
• My father’s intriguing tales about growing up in Haiti.
• My grandmother’s hilarious stories about growing up in Cuba before her family moved to Jamaica, followed by New Jersey, and then finally settling in Florida.

Until now. I have moved on from regret. Now, that these stories have marinated in my mind, I draw upon them, and utilize their beauty — sometimes bitter, sometimes fragile and broken — in my poetry, short stories, picture books, novels, and song lyrics.

Quote #14

“Most beginning writers — and I was the same — are like chefs trying to cook great dishes that they’ve never tasted themselves. How can you make a great — or even an adequate — bouillabaisse if you’ve never had any? If you don’t really understand why people read mysteries — or romances or literary novels or thrillers or whatever — then there’s no way in the world you’re going to write one that anyone wants to publish. This is the meaning of the well-known expression “Write what you know.”

Daniel Quinn

FFfAW Challenge-Week of May 23, 2017

REBLOGGED! Ooh. This looks like fun. 🙂

Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers

get the InLinkz code

This week’s photo prompt is provided by Louise with The Storyteller’s Abode. Thank you Louise!

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Quotes to Write By – Day 13 . . . with a BONUS!

I have two quotes today from two different authors: Daniel José Older and Ray Bradbury.

Older

From a superficial perspective, it appears that these men don’t have much in common. However, both Older and

Bradbury

Bradbury are exceptionally talented writers. Yes, are. Even though Ray Bradbury has died, his stories are still read and discussed today. For example, Fahrenheit 451 was one of the first-ever dystopian novels! Bradbury was also a screenwriter and he worked in many different genres: fantasy, science-fiction, horror, mystery. Likewise, Older is not only a talented writer that writes in different genres. He is also a composer and an editor. I first learned about him over a year ago when I saw a copy of his fantasy novel, Shadowshaper, at my local library.

Sierra, the protagonist, in all of her glory!

I had to read the book. Needed to. I don’t recall ever reading a book that spotlighted an Afro-Latina as the lead! (Review will be coming soon). Older is an expert at stringing words together without too much flowery description. The dialogue and setting is realistic. The characters are relatable!

I aspire to be like the authors Bradbury and Older by writing more and dabbling in different genres and medians to stretch, tighten, and polish my author’s voice. Why? Because I’ve got to be better than I was the day before. After all, readers of all ages and colors are relying on writers for more “honest literature”! 🙂 There’s much work to do.

 

Quote #13

“Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed.”

Ray Bradbury

BONUS QUOTE

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Quotes to Write By – Day 12

This quote is deep. So deep that I’m not even going to say anything about it. Instead, I’ll meditate on it and let it do all the talking. 🙂

Ooh la la! Look at those rows of books. Lovely books!

Alexander Chee, the author of this quote is new to me. I hope to read some of his books in the near future.

Quote #12

“Characters to me are like sonnets, they have limits that you obey which allows a force to enter in, an invention that makes the novel possible. Change the limits and the force leaves. The novel becomes impossible.”

Alexander Chee

 

Quotes to Write By – Day 11

Today’s quote comes from Mildred D. Taylor, author of award-winning middle-grade titles such as, “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry”, “The Gold Cadillac” (which I need to read), and “The Road to Memphis”, which is one of my own personal top ten coming of age books. 🙂

The following quote is not my way of criticizing anyone who takes pride in their skin color and I hope anyone that does that considers if that pride is something that they had control or a choice over. And if the answer is “no”, then what’s there to be proud about? In other words, I know about the Black Pride movement and that it was an answer to Blacks celebrating their achievements in spite of  and not because of an imperfect, ignorant, and young country that they lived in, but weren’t treated as members of.

I’m not ashamed of being Black. I wasn’t able to choose my skin color while I counted my toes and fingers in my mother’s womb, waiting to be born. However, I did accomplish a lot as a single mother, a teacher, and so much more. And for those achievements, I am proud of them because it’s what I chose to do with the life that God has given me. 🙂

Quote #11

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Quotes to Write By – Day 10

Oh oh! I was so exhausted yesterday that I was unable to post! So, without further ado . . .

here is TODAY’S (well, yesterday’s quote that I’m giving today) QUOTE! 🙂

Born: 11/26/1909 Died: 3/28/1994 Wow! Check out that #bookstack!

Quote #10

“A writer never has a vacation. For a writer life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.”

Eugène Ionesco

I love comments, and I always visit back. Blogging is all about being a part of a community, and communities are about communication! Tweet with me @moniquedesir