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Writing Quotes

Writing Quotes

Last updated: November 21, 2021

708 Writing Quotes organized by Most Popular

“On February 8, 2009, at 12:30am, Chris Brown 
 beat Rihanna’s face into a landscape of craters 
 and bruises. This is the architecture of violence. 
 Later, Chris Brown described their relationship 
 as being similar to Romeo and Juliet’s. 

In 2013, David O. Russell groped 
his niece’s breasts and claimed 
she had flirted with him first. 

In 1965, Sean Connery told Playboy 
there was nothing wrong with beating a woman. 
That “bloody-minded,” “hysterical,” “bitch” 
women should be hit, should be slapped. 

In 2014, Julia Sonenshein wrote an article 
titled “10 Violent Men Who Are Always Forgiven 
Because Everyone Loves Their Art.” 


They say it’s a myth that mother rabbits
abandon their young in their nests 
after their young have been handled 
by humans. That the scent of humans 
will drive the mother away. 
They say it’s a myth. 
And that the young, no matter how battered 
or bruised, will still be accepted 
by their caregivers. 


But in the human world, the rules change. 
After the rape, most of my rapist’s friends 
abandoned me. One claimed I only wanted 
to profit off my art. 


No one considered that blood 
does not make good paint. 
That trauma is an electric chair 
that singes anyone it can reach. 
It wasn’t my art, remember? 
It was his. 
And he was always forgiven 
because they loved his art.”
“So when it comes to how you know if your book is any good, I'd say that if you can hire an experienced pro to tell you, you'll *actually* know. If you're going it alone, querying will tell you. I didn't know if I was technically ready to query, but I was doing it anyway.

I suggest sending out 5 queries to a variety of agents on your list. If you get nothing but form rejections, read more QueryShark and rewrite your query. If you're getting requests, keep querying and wait for responses. But what do those responses mean?

Decoding query responses:
1. Not a good fit= generally a form rejection
2. Agent offers compliment/any personal advice = getting close!
3. Agent suggests specific changes and says they'd look at it again = so close!
4. Agent wants to have a call to talk about it = SCORE

Still not sure if your book is good/if your edits are helping? Ask yourself:
* What does the protagonist want?
* What is the main conflict stopping them?
* What subplots complicate it?
* What is the character arc?
* Does the end satisfy the beginning?

Now, consider:
* Can you write a hook or blurb for your book?
* Are there any parts you consider boring?
* Would you tell someone it gets better in chapter 3/whatever?
* Are there weak spots you hope an agent won't notice?
* Are you proud of it?

Still not sure if your book is any good? Go ahead and write a 1-page synopsis, which many agents want as part of your query. Is there a definite plot-- this happens, which causes this, and then this? Or are most of the verbs passive-- she learned, he discovered? Plot= vital.

Check your first chapter. Is it a character experiencing a normal day in which nothing happens, walking around a room thinking about something, or describing themselves in a mirror? Those are all red flags. Consider the instigating factor and rewind one scene. Start there.

IME as a writer and teacher, many 1st chapters are the writer thinking out loud and waiting for something to happen. If that's in your first draft, cut it and decide where the book really starts: in a moment that shows character and worldbuilding while kicking off the plot.

One issue I see in books at the querying stage = the writer is ramrodding the plot when the main character should be driving it. Your protagonist should be motivated to do something, and their agency is what makes things happen. The world and antagonist should impede them.”