Writing can be time consuming, frustrating and I’ll say it, a little tedious. It shouldn’t be, especially if it’s your passion, but stuff happens (especially when it comes to revisions). So when I’m at my wits end I take a break, find a book and the nearest quiet area. Sometimes I take a walk or watch a re-run of the Big Bang Theory.
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It’s a break with a purpose: either to enrich me, relax me, or make me laugh. Today I went in search of all three. I found some wise, funny or weird words from writers, famous, infamous or otherwise.
Hunter S. Thompson:
With novels such as “The Rum Diaries,” “Hells Angels,” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” I’d say his advice worked. Some more of his words to write to…“Buy the ticket, take the ride.”
Elmore Leonard:
“Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose” !!! (Exclamation points are mine)
Ernest Hemingway:
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English Professor (Name Unknown), Ohio University:
“I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top.” (Wasn’t I or is it me?)
William Safire:
“Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.” He also said, “A writer must not shift your point of view” and “Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.” He’s also a Pulitzer Prize recipient, so take heed.
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Sylvia Plath : this quote isn’t weird but the giant Post-It qualifies.
And now, back to my revisions.
You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke. ~ Arthur Plotnik, The Elements of Editing
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Published by Mona Alvarado Frazier
I write YA fiction about strong women, difficult circumstances, and characters on both sides of the law. Member of SCBWI, Macondo Writers, a co-founder of #LatinxPitch, and a 2020 Las Musas Hermana mentoring program.
My debut YA novel, Strong Women Grow Here, comes out Spring 2023.
View all posts by Mona Alvarado Frazier
