Category Archives: quotes

Did You Know Bach Had a Father?

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I post this section from Patrick O’Brian’s The Ionian Mission because I love it for what is says about Bach (Johann Sebastian) as well as about Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. O’Brian was an incredible writer, and I think this … Continue reading →

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Be Like a Bug

Posted on December 24, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

“All that energy we expend to keep things running right is not what’s keeping things running right. We’re bugs struggling in the river, brightly visible to the trout below. With that fact in mind, people like to make up all … Continue reading →

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How to Make Money in Publishing (and other writing jokes)

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

How to Make Money in Publishing and other writing jokes Question: How do you make a small fortune in publishing? Answer: Start with a large fortune. Question: How many screenwriters does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Ten.1st … Continue reading →

Posted in business of writing, quotes | 1 Comment

Jane Austen Didn’t Let Other People Tell Her What To Write

Posted on October 25, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

“My Dear Sir, I am honoured by the Prince’s thanks and very much obliged to yourself for the kind manner in which you mention the work. … You are very kind in your hints as to the sort of composition … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday, Ursula!

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

“We turn not older with years but newer every day.” –Emily Dickinson Today is Ursula Kroeber LeGuin’s 80th Birthday. [Photo copyright Eileen Gunn] “Socrates said, “The misuse of language induces evil in the soul.” He wasn’t talking about grammar. To … Continue reading →

Posted in holiday, quotes, sf/f, writing | 2 Comments

Raymond Chandler, on time to write

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Today I’m a guest at fellow Spice author Amanda McIntyre’s House of Muse Blog, for “Coffee Talk.” Please stop by and chat if you have a chance! For a LiveJournal charity auction, I am offering your name as a character … Continue reading →

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Joanna Russ, How to Suppress Women’s Writing

Posted on July 7, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I’ve been thinking about this book lately, and considering a re-read. Excerpt from How to Suppress Women’s Writing by Joanna Russ: If certain people are not supposed to have the ability to produce “great” literature, and if this supposition is … Continue reading →

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Reviews, the Sweetest Pain

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

“Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good.” –Samuel Johnson I think writers often worry too much about how their work will be … Continue reading →

Posted in quotes, writing, writing process | 9 Comments

Doing What Interests You

Posted on June 7, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

“If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.” –Katherine Hepburn Tune in tomorrow for Jeannie Lin’s guest post “Feminism in the Tang Dynasty: The Footbinding Dilemma.”

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Jerome K. Jerome on Work

Posted on April 26, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

It is not that I object to the work, mind you; I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it … Continue reading →