Elizabeth George
I knew from the age of seven that I was meant to be a writer.Collection: Age
Writing is no dying art form in America because most published writers here accept the wisdom and the necessity of encouraging the talent that follows in their footsteps.Collection: Wisdom
Lots of people want to have written; they don't want to write. In other words, they want to see their name on the front cover of a book and their grinning picture on the back. But this is what comes at the end of a job, not at the beginning.
Plotting is difficult for me, and always has been. I do that before I actually start writing, but I always do characters, and the arc of the story, first... You can't do anything without a story arc. Where is it going to begin, where will it end.
It is the job of the novelist to touch the reader.
Art can't be taught; passion can't be taught; discipline can't be taught; but craft can be taught. And writing is both an art and a craft.
I write the kinds of novels I like to read, where the setting is rendered with love and care.
I myself have suffered periodically from hearing voices at night when I'm trying to sleep.
I attempt to write a good novel. Whether it is literature or not is something that will be decided by the ages, not by me and not by a pack of critics around the globe.
I don't think anyone could write about another culture and get it 100 percent accurate.
I find it both fascinating and disconcerting when I discover yet another person who believes that writing can't be taught. Frankly, I don't understand this point of view.
Essentially and most simply put, plot is what the characters do to deal with the situation they are in. It is a logical sequence of events that grow from an initial incident that alters the status quo of the characters.
Oh, yes, I taught 13 and a half years. I taught English, first at a Catholic school and then at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif.
The Pacific Northwest, and particularly Whidbey Island, is extremely suited to be a location in a novel.
I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found it so frightening to write.
I have to know the killer, the victim and the motive when I begin. Then I start to create the characters and see how the novel takes shape based on what these people are like.
Creating the characters is the most creative part of the novel except for the language itself. There I am, sitting in front of my computer in right-brain mode, typing the things that come to mind - which become the seeds of plot. It's scary, though, because I always wonder: Is it going to be there this time?
While I've written in the POV (point of view) of adolescent characters before... I never have had to create novels in which those characters not only drive the plot, but also are instrumental in resolving whatever issue the plot deals with.
The English tradition offers the great tapestry novel, where you have the emotional aspect of a detective's personal life, the circumstances of the crime and, most important, the atmosphere of the English countryside that functions as another character.
I'm interested in the dark side of man. I'm interested in taboos, and murder is the greatest taboo. Characters are fascinating in their extremity, not in their happiness.
I try to create a challenge for myself in each book. And sometimes, believe me, I just kick myself afterwards, and say, 'Why on earth did you ever attempt this, you idiot!' But I'm always better for the experience.
When I start a book, I write a minimum of five pages every day, except weekends. If I'm going on a ski trip, I take my computer with me, get up at six, do my five pages, and then go skiing.
I really liked the idea of creating a journal myself. It's like the way I clear my throat. I write a page every day, maybe 500 words. It could be about something I'm specifically worried about in the new novel; it could be a question I want answered; it could be something that's going on in my personal life. I just use it as an exercise.
Having a facility for language is an important part of being an author.
What we are is what we were always meant to be, and that's writers.
I taught English, first at a Catholic school and then at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif.
She thought about how it was so simple with animals. They gave their hearts without question or fear. They had no expectations. They were so easy to love. If people could only be like that, no one would ever be hurt, she thought. No one would ever need to learn how to forgive.Collection: Hurt
Replace worry with prayer. Make the decision to pray whenever you catch yourself worrying.Collection: Prayer
The most important thing you must decide to do every day is put the Lord first.Collection: Important
When you delight yourself in the Lord, His Word and His ways become the focus and foundation of your life.Collection: Focus
Material blessings fade and deteriorate, but your riches in Christ are everlasting.Collection: Blessing
God uses the flawed, the failures, and the imperfect to accomplish His perfect will.Collection: Perfect
Remember to say what you mean, but don't say it meanly.Collection: Mean
It's hard to criticize someone if you are praying for them.Collection: Praying
It's easy to talk about how much you love God, but loving others reveals how much you truly do.Collection: God Love
The degree of our spiritual strength will be in direct proportion to the time we spend in God's Word.Collection: Spiritual
The past can't be changed, can it? It can just be forgiven.Collection: Inspirational
Expectations destroy our peace of mind. They are future disappointments, planned out in advance.Collection: Disappointment
God will help you make the choices that guide you into His path for each stage and age of your life.Collection: Choices
Perseverance is not a passive submission to circumstances-it is a strong and active response to the difficult events of life.Collection: Encouraging
Gather knowledge about the craft of writing. Immerse yourself in the art of it. Then write. Write yourself silly. Write yourself mad. Write yourself blind. Trust the excitement that builds within you when the idea is good and the writing is superb. You can do it, but that's the hell of it as well as the exultation of it. You have to do it.Collection: Art
Joy is a sure sign of the presence of God in your life.Collection: Joy
Gentleness is strength under control. It is the ability to stay calm, no matter what happens.Collection: Stay Calm
God's ways and His will come in His own perfect time.Collection: Perfect
Our actions, habits, character, and future are most definitely affected by our thoughts.Collection: Character
And now, dear Lord, I acknowledge afresh that You are the God of all peace, my Jehovah-Shalom. My job is to receive. you give me Your peace. My job is to take it. You lead me to Your still waters. My role is to follow. You extend Your hand. My role is to take hold. My I enjoy Your presence and the tranquility of the still waters where You pour out your promise of peace. Amen.Collection: Peace
Prayer enables you to tap into God's wisdom anywhere, anytime, no matter what's going on.Collection: Prayer
Exchange the bad habit of worrying with the excellent habit of trusting God.Collection: Worry
Each new day is another chapter in the unfolding promise of deliverance and life.Collection: New Day
When we acknowledge God's supreme role in our life and set our mind on Him, He enables us to be women of hope.Collection: Mind