Quotes to Inspire You

Week of January 6, 2013

Friday, January 11—Quotes to Inspire You

When I go to my local book store and pick up a picture book, I think that that author must live in a world completely different than mine. They must have a cottage on the beach and spend their days leisurely writing their next best seller, without a care in the world. By this point, I’ve met enough authors to know that is pure fantasy, but I still forget that those successful picture book authors are just like me, started just like me, struggle just like me, and work hard to come up with their next manuscript just like me. To help me (and you) remember our struggle is universal (at least in the world of writing), today I’m featuring some quotes to inspire us all.

Sure, it's simple, writing for kids . . . Just as simple as bringing them up.

—Ursula K. LeGuin

You must write for children in the same way as you do for adults, only better.

—Maxim Gorky

Most new writers think it's easy to write for children, but it's not. You have to get in a beginning, middle and end, tell a great story, write well, not be condescending—all in a few pages.
—Andrea Brown

Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you're doomed.

—Ray Bradbury

A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.

—Richard Bach

Easy-to-read is hard to write.

—Pam Zollman

Children’s books change lives. Stories pour into the hearts of children and help make them what they become.

—Jane Yolen

Writing a picture book is like writing ‘War and Peace’ in Haiku.

—Mem Fox