Late tonight I’ll be starting QuoteSnack up again.

The only reason she could afford to go to Butler U. was because of her scholarship and the money she’d saved from working at the marina during summer vacations. It wasn’t as though her parents approved, but then they had never approved of anything she did. Sometimes she wondered which was worse: having no family like Kathy, or having such a one as her own.

“It’s probably just a joke,” she said finally. At Kathy’s raised eyebrows, she went on. “He just didn’t look right.”

“Oh, I see. Artists are all supposed to be tall and handsome, right?”

“Well, no. But he looked so… uncouth. Why would Rushkin of all people go around like a dirty beggar looking for a handout?”

“Personally,” Kathy said, “I think you’re all mad. But that’s part and parcel of being an artistic genius, isn’t it? There’s not really that much difference between cutting off your own ear or having pretensions of poverty with an aversion to clean clothes and bathwater. Neither makes much sense.”

by Charles de Lint (born 22 December 1951)
from Memory and Dream (1994)
Baiting the Hook, II
image – mescon

QuoteSnack offers fresh quotes daily, attributed and linked to a confirmed, published source. In addition, I’ll sometimes post a writing prompt with simple instructions. The next post will be a quote that has something to do with the prompt, so you can take a peek at differences or similarities in how someone else relates to using the same words.

There is no wrong approach. Don’t worry if something seems to be a lot more emotionally charged than it is on the surface, or if some prompts are duds for you. This is a mind-opening exercise; anything is possible.

The Prompt

Directions:

1. Be ready to write, word processor open, or pad and pencil in hand. Set a timer for five minutes.
2. Clear your mind.
3. Click “Reveal Writing Prompt” below, and look at the prompt for the space of one deep, quiet breath.
4. As you start the second breath, clear your mind of expectations.
5. Write, full on, whatever comes to you, for five minutes. Do not stop to correct anything – just go.
6. When the time is up, you have to stop.
7. Get up and wiggle. Move. Laugh. Growl. Pat self on back.

You’re welcome to leave comments about the experience and anything that comes of it, including links or even your entire prompt-generated exercise. However, please don’t look at any comments until after finishing your own writing. What you’re doing right now is a personal thing.

Reveal Writing Prompt »

How they perceive that book will depend on who they are

“Every book tells a different story to the person who reads it,” Goninan explained. “How they perceive that book will depend on who they are. A good book reflects the reader, as much as it illuminates the author’s text.”

Claire nodded in understanding.

“Now,” Goninan said, imagine a book that literally is different for each person who reads it.”

Janey frowned. “Do you men that the story I’m reading in The Little Country – I’m the only person who will read that particular story?”

“Exactly.”

Goninan smiled. “No, of course it isn’t. It’s magic.”

by Charles de Lint (born 22 December 1951)
from The Little Country (1991)
The Lost Music – Border Spirit
image – pjmorse

QuoteSnack offers fresh quotes daily, attributed and linked to a confirmed, published source. In addition, I’ll sometimes post a writing prompt with simple instructions. The next post will be a quote that has something to do with the prompt, so you can take a peek at differences or similarities in how someone else relates to using the same words.

There is no wrong approach. Don’t worry if something seems to be a lot more emotionally charged than it is on the surface, or if some prompts are duds for you. This is a mind-opening exercise; anything is possible.

The Prompt

Directions:

1. Be ready to write, word processor open, or pad and pencil in hand. Set a timer for five minutes.
2. Clear your mind.
3. Click “Reveal Writing Prompt” below, and look at the prompt for the space of one deep, quiet breath.
4. As you start the second breath, clear your mind of expectations.
5. Write, full on, whatever comes to you, for five minutes. Do not stop to correct anything – just go.
6. When the time is up, you have to stop.
7. Get up and wiggle. Move. Laugh. Growl. Pat self on back.

You’re welcome to leave comments about the experience and anything that comes of it, including links or even your entire prompt-generated exercise. However, please don’t look at any comments until after finishing your own writing. What you’re doing right now is a personal thing.

Reveal Writing Prompt »

It’s late, it’s hot and I’m up writing, mulling over what I want to do with this site. I keep coming back to three things:

1. What would I be interested in seeing here, if this was not my site? I’d want diversity. Every day, I’d like to see a short list of what happened on that day in history, and a quote that sometimes has a relationship to what happened on that day. The quote should have some explanation of the source or significance, though a personal reaction to the excerpt is also good. I’d also enjoy writing exercises, background information about interesting words and expressions, and little primers on writing techniques and terminology.

2. QuoteSnack has some regular traffic coming in every month. I think it’d be neat if I can use that traffic to do some good for small presses and literature reviews.

3. If I decide to up my time commitment, I need to figure out how to get paid – at least a little. Obviously, the list attached to that first item would require some dedicated time.

The sensible marketers among you are probably wondering when I’m going to get around to what I think users may like. Well, according to Quantcast this stuff that 50-year-old me loves has made QuoteSnack popular with Asian teenagers. I’m not sure what that means – maybe we’re curious about the same things? And would they be interested in seeing a Western take on Asian quoteables, or are they here for literature from Europe and the Americas?

Just thinking.

We’re having a long holiday weekend here in the US, and I’m playing hooky from bloggy duties. I’ll be back on Tuesday!

In July the QuoteSnack design will get a re-vamp, and I’ll be reconsidering what I do on this site. If there is something you’d like to see here, this is the time to let me know – leave a comment on this post. I’ll keep you in the loop.

Which way is up?

“I don’t own Barrett Hall,” I quibbled. “My great-grandfather happened to give it to Harvard.”

“So his not-so-great grandson would be sure to get in!”

“Jenny, if you’re so convinced I’m a loser, why did you bulldoze me into buying you coffee?”

She looked me straight in the eye and smiled.

“I like your body,” she said.

Part of being a big winner is the ability to be a good loser. There’s no paradox involved. It’s a distinctly Harvard thing to be able to turn any defeat into victory.

by Love Story (June 16, 1937 – January 17, 2010)
from Love Story (1970)
Chapter 1
image – Shermeee