Q=quotations

Today will be a few famous writing quotes. Feel free to add to the list below! I hope maybe they will inspire you.

If the weak hand, that has recorded this tale, has, by its scenes, beguiled the mourner of one hour of sorrow, or, by its moral, taught him to sustain it - the effort, however humble, has not been vain, nor is the writer unrewarded Ann Radcliffe

Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. C.S. Lewis

A classic is classic not because it conforms to certain structural rules, or fits certain definitions (of which its author had quite probably never heard). It is classic because of a certain eternal and irrepressible freshness. Edith Wharton

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~Mark Twain

Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes. ~Agatha Christie

P=Penguins

My favorite animal is a penguin. It's their tuxedo look and their waddle. They're absolutely adorable. And Happy Feet is a great movie!

We went to SeaWorld a few years ago, and when we reached the Penguin exhibit, I didn't want to leave.


What's your favorite animal?

O=openings

The open scenes-the beginning-the 'hook'- to every book needs to grab the reader's attention immediately or they are liable to close the book for good.

Here are a couple of fantastic openings:

1) Listen to me. We don't have much time.
My name is Whit Allgood. I guess you've heard of me and my sister, Wisty, and of the crazy stuff that's happened, but here's the thing: it's so much worse than you think it is. James Patterson, The Gift.

2) The man with the rubber boots stepped into the elevator behind me, but I didn't see him at first. I smelled him though-the pungent odor of smoke and cheap wine and life on the street without soap. We were alone as we moved upward, and when I finally glanced over I saw the boots, black and dirty and much too large. A frayed and tattered trench coat fell to his knees. Under it, layers of foul clothing bunched around his midsection, so that he appeared stocky, almost fat. But it wasn't from being well fed; in the wintertime in D.C., the street people wear everything they own, or so it seems. John Grisham, The Street Lawyer.

3) No amount of booze could wipe a conscience clean. Not that Mike Lawson hadn't given it one hell of a shot tonight. Ann Voss Peterson, Special Assignment.

4) "Somebody please help me! Somebody please! Can anybody hear me?"
Max's screams pierced the clear mountain air. Her throat and lungs were beginning to hurt, to burn.
The eleven year old girl was running as fast as she could from the hateful, despicable School. She was strong, but she was beginning to tire. As she ran, her long blond hair flared behind her like a beautiful silk scarf. She wa pretty, even though there were dark, plum-colored circles under her eyes.
She knew the men were coming to kill her. She could hear them hurrying through the woods behind her. James Patterson, When the Wind Blows.

These are a few of my favorite books. Do you have a favorite book with a fantastic opening?

N=Notes

While I'm writing, I have notes strewn from one end of the table to the other. Notes on the characters, notes on the setting, notes even on the furniture. Sticky notes, lined notebook paper notes, index card notes. All types of notes.

I've been attempting to organize, but that's a hard chore for me. It seems I work better amongst the chaos of my dining room table.

Any suggestions would be great. I'm thinking I need my own space with some type of organization that'll make it easier among my snowfall of notes.

What works best for you?

M=Magical

I just finished reading James Patterson's 'The Gift'. This is a switch from his normal crime mysteries, which I'm completely in love with. He is just such a fantastic writer.

'The Gift' is about this world in which this girl, a witch, is being hunted for her magical powers-her fire powers. The villian after her and her brother's powers has taken over the world and has banned music, art, books, and imagination of any sort. These kids are fighting for everyone's freedoms.

James Patterson creates such a unique world in this book and it is so well written, I felt I was right there along with them for the ride. I never usually scream at the books while I'm reading but this is one in which I did.

What type of magical book do you like? Or maybe it's a magical creature?

L=Lost

The TV show "Lost" had quite the following while on the tube, but I really never got a chance to watch it. So, I've begun renting the show from Blockbuster to see what the hype was/is all about. Now, I know. I'm hooked and I'm not even through the first season yet.

For those who don't know, Lost is about these people on an airplane headed from Australia to Los Angeles, and their plane crashes on a remote island full of some kind of mojo or something supernatural. (I haven't quite got there yet to figure out exactly what's up, but I do have my suspicions!) And through the first season, you learn about each of their backgrounds and how they came to be on this fateful flight. You can't help but want to watch the next episode because 1) you want to know what the heck is going on and 2) they haven't fully told you about one of the survivors so you have to keep watching. It's truly an interesting show.

Anyone else currently watching or have watched it?

k=Kiss

As in the 'First Kiss'. My very first kiss was in second grade out on the playground inside the tire dragon. Just a peck on my cheek, and then he ran off. I forget the boy's name. That's pretty bad, I know, but I think he moved away that following summer. My first memorable kiss was with my best friend's brother. The first true open mouth, sloppy, wonderful yet awkward kiss. I can say I'll never forget that one!

Of course, there are other memorable kisses, but it's that first one with the first love that really counts.

Who was your first kiss?