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1 " Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia. "
― Kurt Vonnegut Jr. , Bagombo Snuff Box
2 " Reading a novel, War and Peace for example, is no Catnap. Because a novel is so long, reading one is like being married forever to somebody nobody knows or cares about. "
3 " Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. "
4 " Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of."[From the preface.] "
5 " Eight rules for writing fiction:1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.4. Every sentence must do one of two things -- reveal character or advance the action.5. Start as close to the end as possible.6. Be a sadist. Now matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them -- in order that the reader may see what they are made of.7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages. "
6 " everybody’d still be making the same terrible mistake—being nice to each other. "
7 " That sure is a beautiful picture,” she said. “Looks just like heaven or something.” “Or something,” said the painter. "
8 " Psychology’s a wonderful science,” said Helmholtz. “Without it, everybody’d "
9 " Now’s the time for sweet good-bye To what could never be, To promises we ne’er could keep, To a magic you and me. If we should try to prove our love, Our love would be in danger. Let’s put our love beyond all harm. Good-bye—sweet, gentle stranger. "
