images of love

 

Love is not just looking at each other, it's looking in the same direction. - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. - Nat King Cole  

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides. - David Viscott 

Love is an endless mystery, for it has nothing else to explain it. - Rabindranath Tagore

The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves. - Victor Hugo

That last quote really speaks to me. Years ago, when Son1 was in preschool, he told his teacher, "Mom is a rose because she has thorns.". No argument from me!

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. She spends her days writing many flavours of romance. When not torturing her characters, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious. She lives in Nova Scotia with her patient husband and two hens. 

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Echoes Of The Past

 I am  taking a long hard look at three quotes today. They are related to each other, and to the world I am living in.  The first is from nineteenth century French author Victor Hugo in The Man Who Laughs - 

What is history? An echo of the past in the future. 

I didn't like history class in high school, didn't realize how much I would need the lessons I should have been learning back then later in life. The past often does a good job of predicting the future, and the present. The view can be disturbing, even horrifying, and I don't like horror, either. Nevertheless, I wish I could attend a history class these days. Those lessons would be so much more meaningful now, and help memake decisions about my place in the stream of life.

After I finished writing Unlawful Orders, I started work on another historical I am calling American Sparrow, which has absolutely nothing to do with birds. The real subject matter required me to research Europe during what became known as the interwar years, the twenty year period between the first and second world wars. That gave me an in-depth look at the fall of Germany’s democracy.

That's why I am currenly reading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer, a book it only recently occurred to me that I needed.  The book is a look back at the dystopian Nazi Germany.  When I compare the words in the book to what I see when I look around me, I notice how true Mark Twain’s opinion of history was - 

History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, But It Often Rhymes

I’m still in the early chapters, and already the parallels between Nazi Germany in the 1930’s and the United States today,   from Hitlers failed coup attempt in a beer hall, to the US Capital on January 6, form something resembing  a real rhyming poem.

The events of today do not exactly repeat that unsavory time in history, but things are building toward a dystopian Maga America.  The Handmaid's Tale is not the only book taking a look at a possible American dystopia. And, in many instances, minorities are already living in one.

After finishing Unlawful Orders, I started work on another historical I am calling American Sparrow, which required me to research Europe during the interwar years, the twenty year period between the first and second world wars. That impressed me in an in-depth look at the fall of Germany’s democracy. 

Studying a democratic society being destroyed from within by a minority of its citizens who shunned the rules of a civilized country and followed a charismatic leader. The leader told them they were great, their defeat in the prior war was a temporary setback, their problems were all due to outsiders, and that by following him, they would return to the glory days.  That lead to the minority, only about 30% of German citizens, destroying the countries democracy and establishing the cult of Hitler and the Third Reich.

The path from the US Civil War, to now involves a longer interwar period and a more established democracy.  But nothing guarantees the American and German poems won't rhyme.  Germany had safeguards that should have protected their democracy, and so do we. Will ours work any better, or is the  “Second verse, same as the first,”  in the words from a song that was popular when I was young. (I'm Henry the Eighth I am by Herman’s Hermits)

In one of his books, Time Enough For Love, Robert Heinlein said, 

“Live and learn, or you don't live long.”  

How much have we learned?  Germany had a highly liberal constitution. Seventy percent of German citizens, the great majority, did not want a dictator. A violent minority, the Nazi party, used democratic freedoms to undermine and topple their democracy.  Can we change the rhyme and rhythm and enable the survival of our democratic country? A question that future history books will answer.

If we have not learned from the mistakes of the past, maybe the future will be able to learn from our mistakes.

The paperback edition of Courage, my middle grade novel, was just released by Quill Tree books.   Courage is available at your local bookstore.

And in Ocober, my middle grade nonfiction book, Unlawful Orders, will be released by Scholastic to join Courage on the shelves.

 

"Read, read, read, and write, write, write"

by Diana McCollum

I believe when writing to surround myself with quotes that inspire and uplift me. A few of these quotes can apply to a lot of different situations, not just writing a novel.

My number one quote is:

“The Six Golden Rules of Writing: Read, read, read, and write, write, write.”
—Ernest Gaines

I’ve read and heard lectures where successful authors say reading is very important to writing your novel. You learn a lot about writing from reading well written books. Also, editorial styles change, and this is a good way to keep on top of things. For instance, the last two books I read not one semicolon was used. One was published by Avon and the other by Berkley. Is this a new style? It’s certainly worth checking out.

As far as “write, write,write.” If we don’t write, that book we’re dreaming of publishing will never be written.

“It is better to write a bad first draft than to write no first draft at all.”
—Will Shetterly

This quote by Will Shetterly, ties in with the first. Get that first draft done, so you can rewrite, edit and submit!

“Serious writers write, inspired or not. Over time they discover that routine is a better friend than inspiration.”
—Ralph Keyes

Routine is a necessity for completing any project in a timely manner. Painting the house, planning a trip, finishing an oil painting or writing a novel if you have a routine or schedule it will be easier and quicker to complete your project. Allocate so much time per day, or week dedicated to Your project. If you have a regular schedule, and you stick to it, you will be successful.

After all, you only have to write one page a day for a year and you’ll have a 365 page first draft!

“Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.”
—Julie Andrews

This quote by Julie Andrews can be applied to submitting a manuscript and having it rejected 19 times, only to be bought on the 20th submission, auditioning on Broadway, same thing. Keep at it.

 “The most important things to remember about back story are that (a) everyone has a history and (b) most of it isn’t very interesting.”
—StephenKing

This quote by Stephen King reminds me not to spend too much time on backstory, because a) it’s probably not that interesting to the reader & b) backstory slows your story’s pace.

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
—SteveJobs

Anything you do in life should be done with love. If you love writing, you will care about your story, your editing and your style will shine through.

Do you have favorite quotes about life or writing?

Why Wait?

 by Tam Linsey

I'm not much of one to wait for a holiday to show someone I love them. We should act in love all the year round. We read romances year round. Why wait to make someone feel loved and special? So take a moment right now, and do something for the one you love. A massage, a chore they usually do, breakfast in bed, a movie they'll love (but you might not.) You get the idea. And while you're at it, think of these quotes from some famous authors on the subject of love.

“Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”

       --Robert Heinlein  Stranger in a Strange Land

"Better ten days of love than years of regretting."
        --Robert Jordan The Dragon Reborn

"Greater indeed are pleasures that are shared."
        --R. A. Salvatore Exile 

Do you have any quotes on love you'd like to share?

 © Tam Linsey, 2011. All rights reserved.