Top quotes by Patrick Rothfuss

Fantasy is my favorite genre for reading and writing. We have more options than anyone else, and the best props and special effects. That means if you want to write a fantasy story with Norse gods, sentient robots, and telepathic dinosaurs, you can do just that. Want to throw in a vampire and a lesbian unicorn while you're at it? Go ahead. Votes: 26

I started a novel back in high school. It wasn't very good. It was the opposite of good. The writing itself wasn't too bad, and the characters were interesting. But the story was a mess, and it was full of fantasy cliches. Dwarf with an axe. Barbarian warrior. I don't ever think I'd bother finishing that. It's just not worth my time. Votes: 23

After I'd been in college for a couple years I'd read Shakespeare and Frost and Chaucer and the poets of the Harlem Renaissance. I'd come to appreciate how gorgeous the English language could be. But most fantasy novels didn't seem to make the effort. Votes: 19

When someone writes something dazzlingly brilliant, people want to imitate it. The result is a lot of less-than-brilliant knock-offs. Elves, Dwarves, Goblin army, cursed ring, evil sorcerer. Tolkien did it. It rocked. Let's move on. Let's do something new. Votes: 16

You can have an interesting story about a person living an interesting life. And if it's done well, that is just as engaging as the end of the world. A million people dying - we can't process. One person, we can process. Votes: 15

I'm obsessive. That's the word for me. I obsess - perhaps to the point where it's moderately dysfunctional. I tend to put a book through about 100 revisions. If anything, that's an understatement. If there's another author out there who does this sort of revision, I would really like to meet him. Maybe we could form some sort of support group. Votes: 12

Do you know what it's like to run spellcheck for six hours? It's like a party in purgatory. A party in purgatory where all they have to drink is sugar-free Kool-aid, and the only game to play is Monopoly, and none of your friends show up. Votes: 12

I've got an idea for a modern day faerie tale that I think would made a great short novel. But I just don't have the time to work on it right now. I'm way too busy with the 'Kingkiller Chronicles' and being a new dad. Votes: 9

I almost got a psychology degree, I almost got a philosophy degree. I kept changing it so they couldn't make me graduate. I studied anthropology and eastern religion, epistomology, and astronomy... I took every interesting course I could find for nine years. Votes: 9

Don't get me wrong, magic is cool. But a nervous mother singing to her child at night while something moves quietly through the dark outside her house? That's a story. Handled properly, it's more dramatic than any apocalypse or goblin army could ever be. Votes: 8

Humans are kind of story-propagating creatures. If you think of how we spend our days, think of all the time you spend on entertainment. How much of your entertainment centers around stories? Most pieces of music tell stories. Even hanging out with your friends, you talk, you tell stories to each other. They're all stories. We live in stories. Votes: 6

My father referred to it as "the finest song ever written for fifteen fingers." He made me play it when I was getting too full of myself and felt I needed humbling. Suffice to say I practice it with fair regularity, sometimes more than once a day." Votes: 6

There is a difference between something being essential, and it being necessary. If you take your favorite book and strip it down to what is merely essential to tell the story, it would be butchery. The end result would horrify you. Essential is the bones of the story, but the soul lives somewhere else. Votes: 6

I never set out to become 'famous.' I mean, when you're 14 you think 'I'm gonna become a writer and people will want my autograph and that'll be cool,' but you grow up and you learn that's just not how the world works. I resigned myself to the fact that I would probably never be published and if I did it probably wouldn't be a big deal. Votes: 5

I've done a lot of interviews of the last few years, and I've actually started a list of questions that it would be fun to ask an author, but no respectable interviewer would ever ask. Since I'm not respectable, I'm going to start doing interviews with some authors I know, just for fun. Votes: 5

Also, worldbuilding touches all aspects of your story. It touches plot and character as well. If you don't know the culture your character comes from, how can you know what he's really like? You must know your characters on a much deeper level than you would if you just shrugged your way into a cookie cutter fantasy world. Votes: 5

I've never really understood the desire people have to quantify a baby. "He's X big and Y long," As if the baby is a fish you're not sure you're going to keep. Or some prize potato you're hoping will win a prize at the county fair. Votes: 5

... for most practical purposes, Tarbean had two parts: Waterside and Hillside. Waterside is where people are poor. That makes them beggars, thieves and whores. Hillside is where people are rich. That makes them solicitors, politicians and courtesans. Votes: 4

There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man. Votes: 4

But even this piece of flattery couldn't distract me from the fact that I was in the center of the Fae realm, blind, stark naked, and without the slightest idea of what was going on. Votes: 4

Fencing is more a sport than a martial art. It would be like basing your knowledge of roman phalanx warfare on NFL football. Votes: 4

I think one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a writer is to follow your initial [writing] plan too stringently. A story needs room to grow and evolve. Votes: 3

It was only then I realized I didn't know the name of Elodin's class. I leafed through the ledger until I spotted Elodin's name, then ran my finger back to where the title of the class was listed in fresh dark ink: "Introduction to Not Being a Stupid Jackass." I sighed and penned my name in the single blank space beneath. Votes: 3

I like your manly bravado," she said. "Do it some more. Votes: 3

There is a great difference between a gift given freely, and one that's meant to tie you to a man. Votes: 2

Some of my Arcanum bunkmates taught me a card game called dogs-breath. I returned the favor by giving an impromptu lesson in psychology, probability, and manual dexterity. I won almost two whole talents before they stopped inviting me back to their games. Votes: 2

I'm not implying that fantasy is for kids. I'm saying that more and more people are finally realizing that there's more to fantasy stories than elves and wizards and goblin armies. Votes: 2

What were you thinking?" Bast said with an odd mixture of confusion and concern. Coat was a long while in answering. "I tend to think too much Bast. My greatest successes tended to come when I stopped thinking and simply did what felt right, even if there was no explantion for what I did. Votes: 2

It will be worth it if I am remembered, if not flatteringly, then at least with some small amount of accuracy. Votes: 1

There is a great deal of difference between a penis and a heart. Votes: 1

When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind. Votes: 0

It's easier to write about heartbreak after you've had your heart broken. You have more material to draw from, you can extrapolate from your own experiences and make reasonable assumptions about how your characters would feel and act. Votes: 0

Sought we the Scrivani word-work of Surthur Long-long in ledger all hope forgotten Yet fast-found for friendship fair the book-bringer Hot comes the huntress Fela, flushed with finding Breathless her breast her high blood rising To ripen the red-cheek rouge-bloom of beauty. Votes: 0

Half of seeming clever is keeping your mouth shut at the right times. Votes: 0

It's the questions we can't answer that teach us the most. They teach us how to think. If you give a man an answer, all he gains is a little fact. But give him a question and he'll look for his own answers. Votes: 0

I have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned Votes: 0

Re'lar Kvothe," he said seriously. "I am trying to wake your sleeping mind to the subtle language the world is whispering. I am trying to seduce you into understanding. I am trying to teach you." He leaned forward until his face was almost touching mine. "Quit grabbing at my tits. Votes: 0

After an awkward pause, Bast extended his hand. Chronicler hesitated for a bare moment before reaching out quickly, as if he were sticking his hand into a fire. Nothing happened, both of them seemed moderately surprised. "Amazing, isn't it?" Kvothe addressed them bitingly. "Five fingers and flesh with blood beneath. One could almost believe that on the other end of that hand lay a person of some sort. Votes: 0

Close your mouth, E'lir Kvothe, or I will feel obliged to put some vile tonic in it. Votes: 0

If your name is getting too heavy, you should have Kvothe give you a new one. Votes: 0

The Chancellor looked down at the empty table for a minute. Then he shrugged, looked up, and gave a surprisingly jaunty smile. "All in favor of admitting first-term Kvothe's reckless use of sympathy as proof of mastery of basic principles of sympathy vote by show of hands. Votes: 0

Still, these days when I daydream about the movie, I don't think about the big picture. It's more fun for me to think of little things that would add to the movie. I like to think the powers that be would let me amuse myself with some small things in order to shut me up while they re-write the screenplay to turn Kvothe into a lesbian, shape-changing unicorn. Votes: 0

I walked across the polished marble floor and sat on a red velvet lounging couch. I idly wondered how exactly one was supposed to lounge. I couldn't remember ever doing it myself. After a moment's consideration, I decided lounging was probably similar to relaxing, but with more money in your pocket. Votes: 0

I guess I'm destined to be loveless Votes: 0

85% of modern music doesn't have a damn thing to do with music. It has to do with looking good. Name me one woman on the top ten right now who isn't absolutely smoking hot. You think that's a coincidence? Votes: 0

Remember this, son, if you forget everything else. A poet is a musician who can't sing. Words have to find a man's mind before they can touch his heart, and some men's minds are woeful small targets. Music touches their hearts directly no matter how small or stubborn the mind of the man who listens. Votes: 0

I think authors are just realizing there's no real reason to feel limited to a narrow set of genre rules in their writing. There's no reason a mystery novel can't have fantastic elements in it. Similarly, there's no reason why your epic fantasy series can't have elements of a mystery. Votes: 0

So Stapes conducted a dinner for just the two of us, then informed me of a dozen small but important mistakes I had made. Setting down a dirty utensil was considered crude, for example. That meant it was perfectly acceptable to lick one's knife clean. In fact, if you didn't want to dirty your napkin it was the only seemly thing to do. Votes: 0

When the hearthfire turns to blue, what to do? what to do? run outside, run and hide when his eyes are black as crow? where to go? where to go? near and far. Here they are. see a man without a face? move like ghosts from place to place. whats their plan? whats their plan? Chandrian. Chandrian Votes: 0

By your logic I should also be in charge of Solinade dances, needlework, and horse thieving. Votes: 0

My shrug was so nonchalant it would make a cat jealous Votes: 0

Humor is important for is pacing. If your whole book is just drama drama drama, it's going to wear down the reader. Votes: 0

...hear rumors and go digging for the painful truth beneath the lovely lies. You believe you have a right to these things, but you don't. When someone tells you a piece of their life, they're giving you a gift, not granting you your due. Votes: 0

Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts. Votes: 0

I can sell anything to anyone. That is actually my superpower. I am really good at negotiating and persuading. Votes: 0

I want to learn how to pick locks, swordfight, throw pottery - it's all research. It's like the curious person's version of James Bond's license to kill. I've got a license to learn. Votes: 0

It's not prowess if you watch 5 hours of TV a day. It's just how you choose to spend your time. Votes: 0

Reading aloud sounds like a good idea, but honestly, it doesn't work very well. Good dialogue in a book doesn't actually bear much resemblance to real-life dialogue. For example, if you've ever seen a word-for-word transcript of people talking, it doesn't read off the page very well. The trick is to make it *seem* like it's being spoken, not to make it speakable. Votes: 0

It's my belief that you should never show your work to anyone in the publishing world until it shines like a diamond. Rough drafts don't shine, as a rule. Mine certainly didn't. That's why I was rejected for years and years. Votes: 0

You're sure your new roommate won't be like the last one who wore tinfoil socks and had a tendency to occasionally urinate in the refrigerator. You're sure you'll pass Math 106 this time around. You're determined to actually join some clubs this year and not just sit around in your dorm eating spray cheese from a can and watching youtube videos about cats. Votes: 0

Denna is a wild thing," I explained. "Like a hind or a summer storm. If a storm blows down your house, or breaks a tree, you don't say the storm was mean. It was cruel. It acted according to its nature and something unfortunately was hurt. The same is true of Denna. Votes: 0

No hard feelings about that time in the Crucible when you mixed my salts and I was nearly blind for a day. No. No, really, drink up! Votes: 0

Metal rusts, music lasts forever. Votes: 0

There are times when the mind is dealt such a blow it hides itself in insanity. While this may not seem beneficial, it is. There are times when reality is nothing but pain, and to escape that pain the mind must leave reality behind. Votes: 0

She smiled like knife on a velvet, she stretched like cat on the sun. Votes: 0

There is something deeply satisfying in shaping something with your hands. Proper artificing is like a song made solid. It is an act of creation. Votes: 0

But for half a minute she wished it was a different sort of day, even though she knew that nothing good could come from wanting at the world. Votes: 0

Losing Foxen was bad. It would leave her blind and lonely in the dark. Being trapped beneath the pipes and choking out her life was awful too. But neither of those things were wrong. Votes: 0

Too much honesty makes you sound insincere. Votes: 0

If she was beautiful at rest she was doubly so awake. Asleep she was a painting of a fire. Awake she was the fire itself. Votes: 0

Maple. MaypoleCatch and carry.Ash and Ember.Elderberry.Woolen. Woman.Moon at night.Willow. Window.Candlelight.Fallow farrow.Ash and oak.Bide and borrow.Chimney smoke.Barrel. Barley.Stone and stave.Wind and water.Misbehave. Votes: 0

Maple. MaypoleCatch and carry.Ash and Ember.Elderberry.Woolen. Woman.Moon at night.Willow. Window.Candlelight.Fallow farrow.Ash and oak.Bide and borrow.Chimney smoke.Barrel. Barley.Stone and stave.Wind and water.Misbehave.Maple. MaypoleCatch and carry.Ash and Ember.Elderberry.Woolen. Woman.Moon at night.Willow. Window.Candlelight.Fallow farrow.Ash and oak.Bide and borrow.Chimney smoke.Barrel. Barley.Stone and stave.Wind and water.Misbehave. Votes: 0

She taught me I should never do anything in private I did not want talked about in public, and cautioned me not to talk in my sleep. Votes: 0

She was a wicked thing sometimes. All full of want. As if the shape of the world depended on her mood. As if she were important. Votes: 0

Answers were always important, but they were seldom easy. Votes: 0

All I want is someone who likes me.""All I want is a clear sign," I said."All I want is a magical horse that fits in my pocket," Wil said. "And a ring of red amber that gives me power over demons. And an endless supply of cake. Votes: 0

If whatever you're going to do is wrong, you might as well do whatever you want. Votes: 0

He suggested several unpleasant, unsanitary things I could do to myself at my earliest convenience. Votes: 0

I can't count the men who have tried to seduce me away from my virtue by teaching me how to defend it. Votes: 0

The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our chilhood behind. Votes: 0

Books are a poor substitute for female companionship, but they are easier to find. Votes: 0

It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story. Votes: 0

They were everything they ought to be and nothing else. Votes: 0

What? No defense? Any student of mine must be able to defend his ideas against an attack. No matter how you spend your life, your wit will defend you more often than a sword. Keep it sharp! Votes: 0

The point isn't to win the game. The point is to play a beautiful game. (paraphrased) Votes: 0

There are so many men, all endlessly attempting to sweep me off my feet. And there is one of you, trying just the opposite. Making sure my feet are firm beneath me, lest I fall. Votes: 0

What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Chronicler snapped. "You're just spouting nonsense now.""I'm spouting too much sense for you to understand," Bast said testily. Votes: 0

Lies are simpler, and most of the time they make better sense. Votes: 0

...nothing in the world is harder than convincing someone of an unfamiliar truth. Votes: 0

The best lies about me are the ones I told. Votes: 0

A tree doesn't make a thunderstorm, but any fool knows where lightning's going to strike. Votes: 0

It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die. Votes: 0

So much was so easy. Glamour was second nature. It was just making folk see what they wanted to see. Fooling folk was as simple as singing. Tricking folk and telling lies, it was like breathing.But this? Convincing someone of the truth that they were too twisted to see? How could you even begin? Votes: 0

There can be many opinions on a thing, but there is only one truth."Vashet smiled lazily. "And if the pursuit of the truth was my goal, that would concern me." She gave a long yawn, stretching like a happy cat. "Instead I will focus on the joy in my heart, [...} Votes: 0

But no. There is a difference between the truth and what we wish were true. Votes: 0

Anyone can love a thing because. That's as easy as putting a penny in your pocket. But to love something despite. To know the flaws and love them too. That is rare and pure and perfect. Votes: 0

so many thoughts, my kvothe. you know too much to be happy. Votes: 0

Music is a proud, temperamental mistress. Give her the time and attention she deserves, and she is yours. Slight her and there will come a day when you call and she will not answer. So I began sleeping less to give her the time she needed. Votes: 0

Music sounds different to the one who plays it. It is the musician's curse. Votes: 0

You, I said, are sweet music in a distant room. Votes: 0

Words cannot always do the work we need them to. Music is there for when words fail us. Votes: 0

As I fingered my way through the songs, I felt my worries slough away. My music has always been the best remedy for my dark moods. As I sang, even my bruises seemed to pain me less. Votes: 0

A poet is a musician that can't sing. Words have to find a man's mind before they can touch his heart, and some men's minds are woeful small targets. Music touches their hearts directly no matter how small or stubborn the mind of the man who listens. Votes: 0

He had a bright, reckless tenor that was always wandering off, looking for notes in the wrong places. Votes: 0

What what," Trapis said as he hurried over to tend to her, his bare feet slapping on the floor. "What what. Hush hush. Votes: 0

You lack the requisite spine and testicular fortitude to study under me. Votes: 0

Then I played the song that hides in the center of me. That wordless music that moves through the secret places in my heart. I played it carefully, strumming it slow and low into the dark stillness of the night. I would like to say it is a happy song, that it is sweet and bright, but it is not. Votes: 0

We need time to relax and enjoy ourselves too, no matter how dark the story. The occasional humorous moment helps with that. That's one of the things that Joss Whedon excels at in his storytelling. Votes: 0

How odd to watch a mortal kindle / Then to dwindle day by day / Knowing their bright souls are tinder / And the wind will have its way Votes: 0

As authors, most - most authors, our art is portraying the human condition. Trying to show you what it's like to be somebody else, trying to make you feel for somebody else. That means you have to have a high degree of empathy. Votes: 0

Using words to talk of words is like using a pencil to draw a picture of itself, on itself. Impossible. Confusing. Frustrating ... but there are other ways to understanding. Votes: 0

On the other hand, winning awards is cool. Aside from the warm fuzzy, it creates publicity, and that helps spread the word about the book. Plus, this award was a plaque of some sort. I could have used that for all sorts of things. Obviously it would be useful for decorating the barren walls of my house and intimidating my enemies, but that's just for starters. Votes: 0

Anger can keep you warm at night, and wounded pride can spur a man to wondrous things. Votes: 0

My mom once lost track of me at the zoo and when she found me I was lecturing a man about the difference between dromedary and Bactrian camels. I was about 3 1/2. Votes: 0

The myth of writer as, like, Asperger-style misanthrope, or, like, the Jack Nicholson, 'As Good As It Gets' - it just doesn't work, because writers, in order to write good characters, need to understand people. You need to understand your audience. You need to have so much empathy you could almost encourage empathy in others. Votes: 0

One reason we love fiction is because stories have a comforting shape. They provide a resolution that's lacking in our regular lives. Votes: 0

When you're 14, anything with a sword and a dragon is pretty cool. But when you're 21 and you've read 2,000 fantasy novels, you start to realize that some of those books, well, they weren't really good. OK, let's be honest. A lot of them were crap. Votes: 0

You've got a great chance in college to do all sorts of terrible irresponsible things, and you should totally do them. I mean, make huge mistakes. This is the time in your life if you screw up, it's okay because you can bounce back from it. Votes: 0

...if I have ever met someone without a single shadow on their heart, it was surely a child too young for speaking. Votes: 0

A long stretch of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of quiet introspection Votes: 0

A lot of new writers assume you have to know the where the story is going and that it flows out as molten gold. But really, sometimes you think you are going to one place, but then you decide that is dumb idea. Then you go somewhere else and it is a worse idea. But then you switch again and you might have a beautiful accident. Votes: 0

A poet is a musician who can't sing. Votes: 0

A troublesome question? Those tend to be the only whorthwhile kind. Votes: 0

Abenthy gave me an appraising look. I'd been waiting for it. It was the look that said, "You don't sound as young as you look." I hoped he'd come to grips with it fairly soon. It gets tiresome being spoken to as if you are a child, even if you happen to be one. Votes: 0

After a certain point is reached the numbers cease to matter, and all that remains is the faceless mass of a crowd. Votes: 0

After two years of sending out query letters and failing to get an agent, I made friends with an author, who was nice enough to introduce me to his agent. That got my foot in the door. Votes: 0

All explicit knowledge is translated knowledge, and all translation is imperfect. Votes: 0

All stories are true," Skarpi said. "But this one really happened, if that's what you mean. Votes: 0

All stories are true,— Skarpi said. “But this one really happened, if that's what you mean.— He took another slow drink, then smiled again, his bright eyes dancing. “More or less. You have to be a bit of a liar to tell a story the right way. Too much truth confuses the facts. Too much honesty makes you sound insincere. Votes: 0

All stories are true. Votes: 0

All the truth in the world is held in stories. Votes: 0

Ambrose, your presence is the horseshit frosting on the horseshit cake that is the admissions interview process. Votes: 0

And if Hollywood has taught us anything, it's that cool props and special effects are not enough. Story comes first. Everything depends on story. Votes: 0

Appearance is a type of power. Votes: 0

As a writer, I first felt successful before I was published. Votes: 0

Auri took it, and peered inside the small leather sack. “Why this is lovely, Kvothe. What lives in the salt?— Trace minerals, I thought. Chromium, bassal, malium, iodine . . . everything your body needs but probably can't get from apples and bread and whatever you manage to scrounge up when I can't find you. “The dreams of fish,— I said. “And sailor's songs. Votes: 0

Auri," I asked slowly, "are you joking with me?" She looked up and grinned. "Yes I am," she said proudly. "Isn't it wonderful? Votes: 0

Barbarian that I am, I had eaten all of it. It had tasted quite nice too. Still, I took note of this fact and resigned myself to throw away half of a perfectly good cheese if it was set in front of me. Such is the price of civilization. Votes: 0

Beer dulls a memory, brand sets it burning, but wine is the best for a sore heart's yearning. Votes: 0

Bones mend. Regret stays with you forever. Votes: 0

But how awful would that be? How terrible to live surrounded by the stark, sharp, hollowness of things that simply were enough? Votes: 0

But I don't believe every bit of nonsense that gets rumored about. Votes: 0

But it isn't a rough draft either. The one I turned in several months ago was rough. There were some bad plot holes, some logical inconsistencies, pacing problems, and not nearly enough lesbian unicorns. Votes: 0

But sometimes the best help a person can find is helping someone else. Votes: 0

But to love something despite. To know the flaws and love them too. This is rare and pure and perfect. Votes: 0

Caffeine helps a lot. That and a certain amount of isolation. Votes: 0

Character is half the reason we read. We're excited because of the plot, but we care because of the characters. Votes: 0

Chronicler picked up his pen, but before he could dip it, Kvothe held up a hand. "Let me say one thing before I start. I've told stories in the past, painted pictures with words, told hard lies and harder truths. Once, I sang colors to a blind man. Seven hours I played, but at the end he said he saw them, green and red and gold. That, I think, was easier than this. Trying to make you understand her with nothing more than words. You have never seen her, never heard her voice. You cannot know. Votes: 0

Clean, quick, and easy as lying. We know how it ends practically before it starts. That's why stories appeal to us. They give is the clarity and simplicity our real lives lack. Votes: 0

Coming to grips with being a bit of a celebrity. That's not anything I ever expected to have to deal with in my life. Votes: 0

Congratulations. That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen. Ever. Votes: 0

Could you help me catch the moon?— “I might be able to give you some advice,— the old man said reluctantly. “But first you should think this over, boy. When you love something, you have to make sure it loves you back, or you'll bring about no end of trouble chasing it. Votes: 0

Dawn was coming. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts. Votes: 0

Death was like an unpleasant neighbor. You didn't talk about him for fear he might hear you and decide to pay a visit. Votes: 0

Did I ever mention I used to be a delivery driver too? I was. I can read a map. What's more, using a brilliant mixture of zen navigation, Aristotelian logic, and pure rage I can get you your package and/or delicious sandwich relatively close to on-time. Votes: 0

Do not mistake me for my mask. You see light dappling on the water and forget the deep, cold dark beneath. Votes: 0

Do you just want to get by? Or do you want to make me proud? Votes: 0

Don't get me wrong, hard and soft fantasy stories can both be good. But you need to know which camp you're in. I'm into realism. I'm a hard fantasy guy. Votes: 0

Each book needs a good beginning and a good ending. People get pissed off when you don't close things off properly at the end. Votes: 0

Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made. Votes: 0

Elodin looked at me. "What a remarkably honest threat," he said. "Normally they're much more growlish and gristly than that." "Gristly?" I asked, emphasizing the 't.' "Don't you mean grisly?" "Both," he said. "Usually there's a lot of, 'I'll break your knees. I'll break your neck.'" He shrugged. "Makes me think of gristle, like when you're boning a chicken. Votes: 0

Elodin proved a difficult man to find. He had an office in Hollows, but never seemed to use it. When I visited Ledgers and Lists, I discovered he only taught one class: Unlikely Maths. However, this was less than helpful in tracking him down, as according to the ledger, the time of the class was 'now' and the location was 'everywhere. Votes: 0

Everyone knew what he was thinking. Certainly there were demons in the world. But they were like Tehlu's angels. They were like heroes and kings. They belonged in stories. They belonged out there. Taborlin the Great called up fire and lightning to destroy demons. Tehlu broke them in his hands and sent them howling into the nameless void. Your childhood friend didn't stomp one to death on the road to Baedn-Bryt. It was ridiculous. Votes: 0

Everything said, you couldn't hope for a nicer day to have a half dozen ex-soldiers with hunting bows relieve you of everything you owned. Votes: 0

Fantasy is a genre that allows me to create anything I want. That, in turn, allows me to explore any sort of idea I'm curious about. I love it because Fantasy is a genre that asks, "What if...?" That's my favorite question. Votes: 0

Fear tends to come from ignorance. Once I knew what the problem was, it was just a problem, nothing to fear. Votes: 0

Feel free to call me by my first name: Master. Votes: 0

For me the really cool parts of being an author don't have anything to do with getting onto a bestseller list. Votes: 0

For me, language is something that I've always loved. When I read, that's what I look for. When I write, that's what I strive for. Votes: 0

For people who don't know, the fundraiser works like this: people donate to Worldbuilders and they're automatically entered to win geeky swag in the lottery. We're just starting week two and we're already giving away more than $40,000 of books and games. Votes: 0

Generally my favorite remarks always come from my readers. I've had people say my books made them laugh, or cry, or that it frightened them late at night. Votes: 0

Good lord woman. If i had tits like yours I'd own half the world by now. Votes: 0

Half a King is my favorite book by Joe Abercrombie so far, and that's saying something. Votes: 0

He hesitated, then lifted his head and sniffed. “Have you been drinking?— The question was more curious than accusatory. “No,— Bast said. The innkeeper raised an eyebrow. “I've been tasting,— Bast said, emphasizing the word. “Tasting comes before drinking. Votes: 0

He taught only one class: 'Unlikely Maths'. But since the time was listed as "now" and the place, "everywhere," this was hardly helpful in tracking him down. Votes: 0

He then proceeded to shout at Alpha and Beta, a sign that he was in a genuine good mood. They took it as calmly as ever, in spite of the fact that he accused them of things I'm sure no donkey has ever willingly done, especially not Beta, who possessed impeccable moral character. Votes: 0

He was giving me enough rope to hang myself with. Apparently he didn't realize that once a noose is tied it will fit one neck as easily as another. Votes: 0

Here's the thing: Authors live or die by recommendations. [That's one of the reason I review so many books on Goodreads.] Giving books you love good reviews is one of the nicest things you can do for an author. What's more it's good for the entire community. Votes: 0

Hespe's mouth went firm. She didn't scowl exactly, but it looked like she was getting all the pieces of a scowl together in one place, just in case she needed them in a hurry. Votes: 0

Hours later the blank sheet still stared at me, and I beat my fist against the desk in fury and fustration, striking it so hard my hand bled. That is how heavy a secret can become. It can make blood flow easier than ink. Votes: 0

How about this?' Simmon asked me. "Which is worse, stealing a pie or killing Ambrose?" I gave it a moment's hard thought. "A meat pie, or a fruit pie? Votes: 0

However, while being able to think about two things at the same time is a terribly convenient, the training it takes to get there is frustrating at best, and at other times rather disturbing. I remember one time I looked for the stone for almost an hour before I consented to ask the other half of me where I'd hidden it, only to find I hadn't hidden the stone at all. I had merely been waiting to see how long I would look before giving up. Have you ever been annoyed and amused with yourself at the same time? It's an interesting feeling, to say the very least. Votes: 0

Humor is hard, hard, hard. And if you fail with humor, you don't fail halfway. You drop the ball humor-wise and everyone notices. Votes: 0

Humor is important. If you're going to tell any sort of realistic story, you're going to have to have humor in it, because people are funny. Clever people especially. Votes: 0

I also felt guilty about the three pens I'd stolen, but only for a second. And since there was no convenient way to give them back, I stole a bottle of ink before I left. Votes: 0

I always read. You know how sharks have to keep swimming or they die? I'm like that. If I stop reading, I die. Votes: 0

I am no poet. I do not love words for the sake of words. I love words for what they can accomplish. Similarly, I am no arithmetician. Numbers that speak only of numbers are of little interest to me. Votes: 0

I believe a writer's most important skill lies in being able to see things from different perspectives. Votes: 0

I believe it, Chronicler found himself thinking. Before it was just a story, but now I can believe it. This is the face of a man who has killed an angel. Votes: 0

I can't give you the moon,— the tinker said. “She doesn't belong to me. She belongs only to herself. Votes: 0

I decided to dub the room with the good chairs my lutery. Or perhaps my performatory. I would need a while to come up with something suitably pretentious. Votes: 0

I do this so you cannot help but hear. A wise man views a moonless night with fear. Votes: 0

I don't feel beholden to follow the real world at all. The important thing is to know WHY things turned out the way they did. You need to understand the reasons for events, or at least be able to make reasonable guesses about them. Votes: 0

I don't really have a lot of expensive tastes. What else am I really going to do with my money? Buy a little red sports car? Wear a lot of jewelry? Build a castle? Well... I might do the last one. Maybe. Eventually. But that doesn't mean I can't run Worldbuilders too. Votes: 0

I don't speak fluent bumpkin... Votes: 0

I don't think people need to know much about me to understand the book, or to enjoy it. The book stands by itself. Over the last several years, my life has been all about writing these books, but the books aren't about my life. Votes: 0

I don't try to take a person out of our world and put them into my world; that wouldn't work. It's sort of like bad Photoshop: If you see something Photoshopped together - and even if it's done pretty well - the eye catches on it. That happens a lot when people try to cut and paste people from our world into their fourteenth-century historical romance novel. Votes: 0

I firmly believe that we're all good people, but sometimes it's hard to understand how to do good. Votes: 0

I have a blog where I keep in touch with my fans. I write about things that are important to me. Sometimes on there I'll just tell a little story about the things that happen in my everyday life. People seem to enjoy them well enough. Votes: 0

I have an apple that thinks its a pear. And a bun that thinks it's a cat. And a lettuce that thinks its a lettuce." "It's a clever lettuce, then." "Hardly," she said with a delicate snort. "Why would anything clever think it's a lettuce?" "Even if it is a lettuce?" I asked. "Especially then," she said. "Bad enough to be a lettuce. How awful to think you are a lettuce too. Votes: 0

I have had a few gentlemen let me know they find my manly beardiness somewhat alluring. Never any ladies though. Votes: 0

I have heard what poets write about women. They rhyme and rhapsodize and lie. I have watched sailors on the shore stare mutely at the slow-rolling swell of the sea. I have watched old soldiers with hearts like leather grow teary-eyed at their king's colors stretched against the wind. Listen to me: these men know nothing of love. You will not find it in the words of poets or the longing eyes of sailors. If you want to know of love, look to a trouper's hands as he makes his music. A trouper knows. Votes: 0

I have known her longer, my smile said. True, you have been inside the circle of her arms, tasted her mouth, felt the warmth of her, and that is something I have never had. But there is a part of her that is only for me. You cannot touch it, no matter how hard you might try. And after she has left you I will still be here, making her laugh. My light shining in her. I will still be here long after she has forgotten your name. Votes: 0

I have no balance. My life is a hot mess. Votes: 0

I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me. Votes: 0

I knelt and opened up my lute case. Moving the lute aside, I pressed the lid of the secret compartment and twisted it open. I slid Threpe's sealed letter inside, where it joined the hollow horn with Nina's drawing and a small sack of dried apple I had stowed there. There was nothing special about the dried apple, but in my opinion if you have a secret compartment in your lute case and don't use it to hide things, there is something terribly, terribly wrong with you. Votes: 0

I know there's a lot of talk about self-publishing right now. Everyone's giddy with the possibilities. And I'll admit that it looks good on paper: sell your books directly and keep a bigger chunk of the profit for yourself. No rejection letters. No hassle with agents. Sounds good, right? Votes: 0

I know," she said. "You have a stone in your heart, and some days it's so heavy there is nothing to be done. But you don't have to be alone for it. You should have come to me. I understand. Votes: 0

I learned to love the feel of good words. Votes: 0

I loved college. I wish I was still taking classes instead of teaching them. Votes: 0

I need you to breathe for me. Votes: 0

I only know one story. But oftentimes small pieces seem to be stories themselves. Votes: 0

I really enjoy work to a purpose. Maybe that makes me kind of strange. In some ways - and this is going to sound awful - it could be that writing is the worst job that I've ever had. Because it's so much more important to me and there's so much more opportunity for failure and I have so many people depending on me. In some ways it's the most satisfying, the most gratifying, and the most rewarding job I've ever had. But I actually would say it's probably the worst job I've ever had too. Votes: 0

I smiled,"Deoch, my heart is made of stronger stuff than glass. When she strikes she'll find it strong as iron-bound brass, or gold and adamant together mixed. Don't think I am unaware, some startled deer to stand transfixed by hunter's horns. It's she who should take care, for when she strikes, my heart will make a sound so beautiful and bright that it can't help but bring her back to me in winged light. Votes: 0

I spoke it soft, but close enough to brush against her lips. I spoke it quiet, but near enough so that the sound of it went twining through her hair. I spoke it hard and firm and dark and sweet. Votes: 0

I swear I've never met a man who has your knack for lack of social grace. If you weren't naturally charming, someone would have stabbed you by now. Votes: 0

I take back everything I ever said about that boy being clever." He turned around to face the bar while leveling an accusatory finger at the closed door. "That," he said firmly to the room in general, "is what comes of working with iron every day. Votes: 0

I think the best part of being an author is that I get to learn about anything I want and explain it away as research. Votes: 0

I think the tendency to over-explain and over describe is one of the most common failings in fantasy. It's an unfortunate piece of Tolkien's legacy. Don't get me wrong, Tolkien was a great worldbuilder, but he got a little caught up describing his world at times, at the expense of the overall story. Votes: 0

I thought of all the others who had tried to tie her to the ground and failed. So I resisted showing her the songs and poems I had written, knowing that too much truth can ruin a thing. And if that meant she wasn't entirely mine, what of it? I would be the one she could always return to without fear of recrimination or question. So I did not try to win her and contented myself with playing a beautiful game. But there was always a part of me that hoped for more, and so there was a part of me that was always a fool. Votes: 0

I want a magical horse that fits in my pocket," Wil said. "And a ring of red amber that gives me power over demons. And an endless supply of cake. Votes: 0

I wanted to tell her that she was the first beautiful thing I had seen in three years. That the sight of her yawning to the back of her hand was enought to drive the breath from me. How I sometimes lost the sense of her words in the sweet fluting of her voice. I wanted to say that if she were with me then somehow nothing could ever be wrong for me again. Votes: 0

I was heavily influenced by my first attempt at a novel. I started a fantasy novel back in high school, and.... well... it really sucked. It was a plotless, clichéd mess. Votes: 0

I was just wondering why you're here. Votes: 0

I was nervous about writing Slow Regard. Votes: 0

I was pretty poor for a long time. Not *poor* poor. But college student poor. I lived for most of my adult life living on student wages, then after I got my MA and started teaching, I lived on teacher's wages, which isn't much better. Votes: 0

I was reluctant to talk about my kids on the blog. I kept telling myself, "People aren't coming here for stories about your kids. They want to hear about the upcoming books, writing advice, conventions..." Votes: 0

I will say the most raw joy I've experienced reading has probably come from the times I've been reading with my little boys. Votes: 0

I won the only duel I ever lost. Votes: 0

I would never normally approach a woman in this way, but I couldn't help but notice that you have the eyes of a lady I was once desperately in love with. " "What a shame to love only once," she said, showing her white teeth in a wicked smile. "I've heard some men can manage twice or even more." I ignored her gibe. "I am only a fool once. Never will I love again. Votes: 0

I'd heard he had started a fistfight in one of the seedier local taverns because someone had insisted on saying the word “utilize— instead of “use. Votes: 0

I'd heard you were dead.— "I heard you wear a red lace corset,— I said matter-of-factly. “But I don't believe every bit of nonsense that gets rumored about. Votes: 0

I'd like to do an anthology. Maybe a collection of songs set in my world, or based on my world. I think that would be a lot of fun... Votes: 0

I'd like to work with some of the videogame companies for the simple fact that they obviously need some sort of writer's help. I play videogames, and lately it's hard for me to enjoy them because I'm spending all my time cringing at the corny dialogue, thin characters, and glaring plot holes. Votes: 0

I'd love to take a stab at writing videogames. There are a lot of storytelling opportunities that really aren't being taken advantage of in that field. I'd like to experiment with telling a truly non-linear story. Votes: 0

If I could sum it up in 50 words, I wouldn't have needed to write a whole novel about it. Votes: 0

If I seem to wander, if I seem to stray, remember that true stories seldom take the straightest way Votes: 0

If I'd been whoring before class and waved a corset at him, no one would have thought twice about it! Votes: 0

If the beard gives a modifier to seduction, I'm guessing it's not a positive one.... Votes: 0

If there is one thing I will not abide it is the folly of a willful pride. Votes: 0

If you are going to impose your will on the world, you must have control over what you believe. Votes: 0

If you can find someone like that, someone who you can hold and close your eyes to the world with, then you're lucky. Votes: 0

If you fall, you fall," Elodin shrugged. "Sometimes falling teaches us things too." In dreams you often fall before you wake. Votes: 0

If you open the door and realize things like the fact that Batman is occupying the same narrative space that Robin Hood used to fill 400 years ago, then you have the freedom to ignore the pointless "what is literature" discussion and just talk about stories. Votes: 0

If you're an actor, you know people are going to recognize you in a restaurant. If you're a rock star, you know people are going to stop you on the street and ask you for your autograph. But as an author? That's not something I was ready for. Votes: 0

If you're going to have a book full of clever people and nobody ever jokes, it's just not going to ring true to the reader. That said, humor writing is the hardest kind of writing there is. Votes: 0

I'll string a fiddle with your guts and make you play it while I dance. Votes: 0

I'm a firm supporter of the word polyamory. But that one is close to my heart. Votes: 0

I'm honestly not a big fan of pitching things. I'm a firm believer of letting the product speak for iteself. Votes: 0

I'm just very careful with my words when I write. Obsessively careful. I'm the sort of person who worries about the difference between "slim" and "slender. Votes: 0

I'm kind of balanced between excited about the potential of the project, and the knowledge that I shouldn't get my hopes up. I like to be practical, and the truth is, these deals fall apart all the time. Votes: 0

I'm not a big fan of overt marketing. I'd much rather just put things out there for people to see. I'm just putting it out there for people to see. If people think this is cool, I'm hoping they'll tell their friends. Votes: 0

I'm not a role model. I'm an aberation. A statistical anomoly. Following in my footsteps is about the dumbest thing you could ever do. Votes: 0

I'm not a speed writer. I write slowly and revise obsessively. The end result tends to be good. That's where my strength is. Votes: 0

I'm not a stereotypical professor type. I don't smoke a pipe and wear a tweedy jacket. I'm more like a student who stayed at the university for so long that they gave him a job to keep him out of trouble. Votes: 0

I'm not officially a collector, but I have a strange attraction and a weakness for keys and coins. Old keys and interesting coins. Votes: 0

I'm pretty good at putting up drywall and I'm an excellent kisser. That's pretty much all of my skills right there. Votes: 0

In brief, worldbuilding is different than setting in my opinion. Setting is a room. A backdrop. It's scenery. But without good worldbuilding, you can't have realistic feeling scenery. You can't have cool, unique backdrops for your story. Votes: 0

in my opinion if you have a secret compartment in your lute case and don't use it to hide things, there is something terribly, terribly wrong with you. Votes: 0

In my opinion there are two basic questions that any writer tries to answer. "What is?" is the question non-fiction asks. "What if?" is the question fiction asks. That's the question I'm more interested in. Votes: 0

In the hours that followed, I learned that Ademic hand gestures did not actually represent facial expressions. It was nothing so simple as that. For example a smile can mean you're amused, happy, grateful, or satisfied. You can smile to comfort someone. You can smile because you're content or because you're in love. A grimace or a grin look similar to a smile, but they mean entirely different things. Imagine trying to teach someone how to smile. Imagine trying to describe what different smiles mean and when, precisely, to use them in conversation. It's harder than learning to walk. Votes: 0

Is there a connection between language and magic? Yes. Ten times yes. So much yes that it almost doesn't bear talking about. It's as pointless that arguing that the sun is hot. Votes: 0

Isn't that the way of the world? We want the sweet things, but we need the unpleasant ones. Votes: 0

It doesn't eat meat." I said. "It's a herbivore. It's like a big cow." Denna looked at me and started to laugh. Not hysterical laughter, but the helpless laughter of someone who's just heard something so funny they can't help but bubble over with it. She put her hands over her mouth and shook with it, the only sound was a low huffing that escaped through her fingers. There was another flash of blue fire from below. Denna froze midlaugh, then took her hands away from her mouth. She looked at me, her eyes wide, and spoke softly with a slight quaver in her voice, "Mooooo. Votes: 0

It gets tiresome being spoken to as if you are a child, even if you happen to be one. Votes: 0

It is quite a thing. There are so many men, all endlessly trying to sweep me off my feet. And there is one of you, trying just the opposite. Making sure my feet are firm beneath me lest I fall. Votes: 0

It was more exciting when I didn't know I had permission. Votes: 0

It was wise enough to know itself, and brave enough to be itself, and wild enough to change itself while somehow staying altogether true. Votes: 0

It wasn't even a good note. 'If you are reading this I am probably dead.' What sort of a note is that? Votes: 0

It's a shame you left without a word, you know. She was just beginning to trust you before that. Before you got angry. Before you ran off. Just like every other man in her life. Lusting after her, full of sweet words, then just walking away. Leaving her alone. Good thing she's used to it by now, isn't it? Otherwise you might have hurt her. Otherwise you just might have broken that poor girl's heart Votes: 0

It's hard for a newbie author to get noticed. Votes: 0

It's hard for me to take myself too seriously when I'm constantly experiencing firsthand what an incredible gimp I can be. Votes: 0

It's hard to be wrongfully accused, but it's worse when the people looking down on you are clods who have never read a book or traveled more than twenty miles from the place they were born. Votes: 0

Its like he knows he's better than you, but doesn't look down on you for it because he knows it's not your fault. Votes: 0

It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't mean you know anything about marketing. Or layout. Or editing. Or publicity. Or selling your books for foreign markets.Everyone can point to a few examples of people that have done very well for themselves self-publishing. But honestly, those folks are lucky as lottery winners. Votes: 0

It's my opinion that if you're trying to tell a realistic story that centers around realistic characters, you can't help but touch on important issues. Those issues are what make us human. Votes: 0

It's one thing to not want an evil-sorcerer type villain in your story, but it's another thing to avoid having any sort of antagonist at all. A story without an antagonist gets weird pretty quick. Votes: 0

It's the questions we can't answer that teach us the most. They teach us how to think. Votes: 0

I've always liked the moonless night best. It's easier to say things in the dark. It's easier to be yourself. Votes: 0

I've read fantasy my whole life. Quite literally; my mom read me The Hobbit before I could read stuff to myself. So I love fantasy; that's what I read for fun, it's what I read professionally to keep abreast of what's in the genre - it's where my heart is. Votes: 0

I've waited a long time to show these flowers how pretty you are. Votes: 0

Joss [Whedon] is an excellent storyteller. It really doesn't matter what medium he's working in. Votes: 0

Just a little. Just the first faint breath of love... It wasn't dramatic, like some bolt of lightning with a crack of thunder following. It was more like when flint strikes steel and the spark fades almost too fast for you to see. But still, you know it's there, down where you can't see, kindling. Votes: 0

Just because I tread heavily on propriety's toes doesn't mean I can't play the game when it's of use to me. Votes: 0

Just handle the books gently and you'll get along fine. Votes: 0

Just pity him, my boy. Tomorrow we'll be on our way, but he'll have to keep his own disagreeable company until the day he dies. Votes: 0

Knowing your own ignorance is the first step to enlightenment. Votes: 0

Language is inexorably tied to power and understanding. And power and understanding are the roots of magic. Just the act of writing something down is a magical act. Votes: 0

Most games follow a real railroad plot, no matter what you want, you're following their storyline to its unavoidable conclusion. I'd like to write a game where your character can follow any number of possible story arcs and sub-plots. Votes: 0

My bad luck got tangled up with my bad decisions, and I'm paying for it. Votes: 0

My granda always told me that fall's the time to root up something you don't want coming back to trouble you.' Kote mimicked the quaver of an old man's voice. 'Things are too full of life in the spring months. In the summer, they're too strong and won't let go. Autumn...' He looked around at the changing leaves on the trees. 'Autumn's the time. In autumn everything is tired and ready to die. Votes: 0

My most popular blogs end up being the ones where I talk about being a dad. Votes: 0

My only real daydreamy casting over the years has been Natalie Portman for Denna. She's an amazing actress, and Denna is going to be one of the hardest characters to pull off. Votes: 0

My parents danced together, her head on his chest. Both had their eyes closed. They seemed so perfectly content. If you can find someone like that, someone who you can hold and close your eyes to the world with, then you're lucky. Even if it only lasts for a minute or a day. The image of them gently swaying to the music is how I picture love in my mind even after all these years. Votes: 0

My thought is, if you're a book lover, you're going to enjoy winning a book even if it's not something you'd ordinarily pick up on your own. It's a chance to expand your horizons a little. Votes: 0

No man is brave that has never walked a hundred miles. If you want to know the truth of who you are, walk until not a person knows your name. Travel is the great leveler, the great teacher, bitter as medicine, crueler than mirror-glass. A long stretch of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of quiet. Votes: 0

Nobody cooks using just one ingredient. Why would you write using just one flavor of story? Votes: 0

Now it's virtually impossible to write a game that successfully provides challenge and frustration, and that's a shame. We are going to lose something that makes scientists, that makes doers, that makes hard-minded, witty, clever people, and I worry that those people aren't being made these days. Votes: 0

Now the truth is, writing is a great way to deal with a lot of difficult emotional issues. It can be very therapeutic, but that's best done in your journal, or on your blog if you're an exhibitionist. Trying to put a bunch of *specific* stuff from your personal life into your story usually just isn't appropriate unless you're writing a memoir or a personal essay or something of the sort. Votes: 0

Old Cob tucked away his bowl of stew with the predatory efficency of a lifetime bachelor. Votes: 0

On his first hand he wore rings of stone, Iron, Amber, Wood and Bone. There were rings unseen on his second hand, One blood in a flowing band, One was air all whisper thin, And the ring of ice had a flaw within. Full faintly shone the ring of flame, And the final ring was without name. Votes: 0

One of my favorite artists on Deviantart. Votes: 0

One of them had a large wooden sign nailed to its door proclaiming, NO SYMPATHY! I wondered what non-arcane visitors might think of the warning. Votes: 0

Only a fool worries over what he can't control. Votes: 0

Only priests and fools are fearless and I've never been on the best of terms with God. Votes: 0

over his own dark Cealdish beard. “Nothing like your marvelous facebear, Votes: 0

Over the last month I had pulled a woman from a blazing inferno. I had called fire and lighting down on assassins and escaped to safety. I had even killed something that could have been either a dragon or a demon, depending on your point of view. But there in that room was the first time I actually felt like any sort of hero. If you are looking for a reason for the man I would eventually become, if you are looking for a beginning, look there. Votes: 0

Owls are wise. They are careful and patient. Wisdom precludes boldness. That is why owls make poor heroes. Votes: 0

Performance and music are inexorably tied together. And hell, I'll watch Brittany's Toxic music video all day. But there's a difference between that and listening to Leo Kottke play guitar. One is entertainment. The other is Music. Votes: 0

Perhaps the greatest faculty our minds possess is the ability to cope with pain. Votes: 0

Practice makes the master. Votes: 0

Pride is always a better lever against the nobility than reason. Votes: 0

Reading can almost be viewed as empathy training. Movies have better action scenes, sure. But books are uniquely suited to showing you the inside of another person's head. That is the root of empathy. That's the first step to understanding you're not alone in the world. Votes: 0

Reading is professionally important for me to keep tuned in to what's being written in my genre, let's not lie. But that's not the reason I read. I read for my own emotional and mental health. If I stopped reading, I'd probably just die. Votes: 0

Right now my favorite thing is working to recall our absolute shitbag of a governor. He's been screwing up my state for more than a year. I want him out. Votes: 0

Roses! I swear you men have all your romance from the same worn book. Flowers are a good thing, a sweet thing to give a lady. But it is always roses, always red, and always perfect hothouse blooms when they can come by them. Votes: 0

Science is just magic with better PR. Votes: 0

Secrets of the heart. We swallow hard against them every day, forcing them deep inside us. There they sit, growing heavier, festering. Given enough time, they cannot help but crush the heart that holds them. Votes: 0

She looked at me. "What? Is there something wrong with my idea?" "It's not very heroic," I said dismissively. "I was expecting something with a little more flair." "Well, I left my armor and warhorse at home," she said. "You're just upset because your big University brain couldn't think of a way, and my plan is brilliant. Votes: 0

She reached up and lay her hand on my cheek. "You have the sweetest face," she said, looking at me dreamily. "It's like the perfect kitchen." I fought not to smile. This was the delirium. She'd fade in and out of it before the profound exhaustion dragged her down into unconsciousness. If you see someone spouting nonsense to themselves in an alleyway in Tarbean, odds are they're not actually crazy, just a sweet-eater deranged by too much denner. "A kitchen?" "Yes," she said. "Everything matches and the sugar bowl is right where it should be. Votes: 0

Simmon pushed his hair out of his eyes, laughing boyishly. "You can't argue your way out of this one! She's obviously stupid for you. And you're just plain stupid, so it's a great match. Votes: 0

Sleep marks passing time, giving us distance from the things that have hurt us. When a person is wounded they will often fall unconscious. Similarly, someone who hears traumatic news will often swoon or faint. This is the mind's way of protecting itself from pain. Votes: 0

Small facts lead to great knowing. Votes: 0

So yes. It had flaws, but what does that matter when it comes to matters of the heart? We love what we love. Reason does not enter into it. In many ways, unwise love is the truest love. Anyone can love a thing because. That's as easy as putting a penny in your pocket. But to love something despite. To know the flaws and love them too. That is rare and pure and perfect. Votes: 0

Soft fantasy worlds have a much looser cause-and-effect relationship. Alchemists can turn lead into gold and nobody wonders about how it will impact the currency system. Someone waves a wand and turns an elephant into a mouse and nobody worries about conservation of mass. Votes: 0

Some people are going to be impatient no matter what. If I wrote two books a year, someone out there would be pissed I wasn't writing three. Votes: 0

Some tropes are universal. Boy meets girl. Betrayal and revenge. The search to discover a hidden truth.... A mother's love isn't cliché, it's universal. These things are archetypes. They're the building blocks of myth and legend. They are a big part about what it means to be human. Votes: 0

Someone's parents have been singing entirely the wrong sort of songs. Votes: 0

Sometimes I go outside after a long stretch of writing and I'm surprised it's not raining. Or that it's daylight. Or that it's not the middle of winter. I don't know if that level of immersion is normal, but it's now I do things. I like it. It works well for me. Votes: 0

Sometimes when I get up after writing, I'm surprised at how my body feels. Suddenly I'm not a lanky, hungry young boy any more. It's no fun putting on ten years and fifty pounds all of a sudden. Other times, I get up and I'm pleasantly surprised that I'm not a weary innkeeper, hopeless, with bones that feel like they're made of lead. I really sink into the characters that I write. Votes: 0

Stories only happen to people who can tell them. Votes: 0

That is like throwing two virgins into a bed. Enthusiasm, passion, and ignorance are not a good combination. Someone is likely to get hurt. Votes: 0

That was another lesson I had learned perhaps too well: people meant pain. Votes: 0

That's all that really matters in the end. Stories. Votes: 0

The air was heavy with the smell of leather and dust, of old parchment and binding glue. It smelled of secrets. Votes: 0

The boy grows upward, but the girl grows up. Votes: 0

The cost of a loaf is a simple thing, and so a loaf is often sought, but some things are past valuing: laughter, land, and love are never bought. Votes: 0

The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind. Votes: 0

The desire for knowledge shapes a man. Votes: 0

The framed tale is, in my opinion, one of the most natural ways to tell a story. If you think of it, the conceit of the frame-less story is actually the odd way of doing things. Without the frame, how do you know the context for a story? Votes: 0

The good thing about working on the books for 14 years before they hit the shelves is that I worked out most of the kinks long before they were published. Votes: 0

The key to good worldbuilding is leaving out most of what you create. You, as the author, had damn well better know the where all that dragon food comes from, but that doesn't mean that I, as a reader, want to read a five thousand word essay about you explaining it to me. I don't need to see the math, but I can tell by the details you provide whether or not you've thought these things through to their logical conclusions. Votes: 0

The myth stems from the belief that writing is some mystical process. That it's magical. That it abides by its own set of rules different from all other forms of work, art, or play.But that's bullshit. Plumbers don't get plumber's block. Teachers don't get teacher's block. Soccer players don't get soccer block. What makes writing different? Nothing. The only difference is that writers feel they have a free pass to give up when writing is hard. Votes: 0

The second was some rather bad poetry, but it was short, and I forced my way through by gritting my teeth and occasionally closing one eye so as not to damage the entirety of my brain. Votes: 0

The seeds of the past bear fruit in the present. Votes: 0

The truth is I've worked a lot of things people would consider shitty jobs but I've never really hated any of them. Votes: 0

The truth is that the world is full of dragons, and none of us are as powerful or cool as we'd like to be. And that sucks. But when you're confronted with that fact, you can either crawl into a hole and quit, or you can get out there, take off your shoes, and Bilbo it up. Votes: 0

The way I cook it's more like mad science. There's a lot of inspiration and dramatic failure with the occasional gorgeous success. Votes: 0

The Waystone was his, just as the third silence was his. This was appropriate, as it was the greatest silence of the three, wrapping the others inside itself. It was deep and wide as autumn's ending. It was heavy as a great river-smooth stone. It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die. Votes: 0

The world is a mess and I just need to rule it. Votes: 0

Then I felt something inside me break and music began to pour out into the quiet. My fingers danced; intricate and quick they spun something gossamer and tremulous into the circle of light our fire had made. The music moved like a spiderweb stirred by a gentle breath, it changed like a leaf twisting as it falls to the ground, and it felt like three years Waterside in Tarbean, with a hollowness inside you and hands that ached from the bitter cold. Votes: 0

There are few things as nauseating as pure obedience. Votes: 0

There are two sure ways to lose a friend, one is to borrow, the other is to lend. Votes: 0

There is a sort of camaraderie that rarely exists except between men who have fought the same enemies and know the same women. Votes: 0

There is nothing I can't do writing in Fantasy. I can have romance, I can have mystery, I can have drama, I can have good characters - I can have everything you can do in any other genre... plus a dragon. Votes: 0

There is nothing quite so delightfully mysterious as a secret in your own backyard. Votes: 0

There is only one Whedon, and I am his prophet. Votes: 0

There is some conflict between religion and science in my world, but that's nothing new. Science, at its root, is a rational discipline. Religion, on the other hand, is fundamentally trans-rational. Both of them attempt to solve problems, but since their methodology is vastly different, they can't help but come into conflict. Votes: 0

There is something powerfully beguiling about the excited eyes of a young woman. They can pull all manner of nonsense out of a foolish young man, and I was no exception to this rule. Votes: 0

There were two sets of double doors leading out of the antechamber, one marked STACKS and the other TOMES. Not knowing the difference between the two, I headed to the ones labeled STACKS. That was what I wanted. Stacks of books. Great heaps of books. Shelf after endless shelf of books. Votes: 0

Thieves, Heretics, and Whores Votes: 0

This is how deeply rooted stories are, folks. We crave them before we can walk, and we start telling them before we can talk. Votes: 0

This is the nature of love." Vashet said. "To attempt to describe it will drive a woman mad. This is what keeps poets scribbling endlessly away. If one could pin it to paper all complete, the others would lay down their pens. But it cannot be done. Votes: 0

To be both rich and handsome was bad enough. But to have a voice like honey over warm bread on top of that was simply inexcusable. Votes: 0

To deem us simply enemies is to lose the true flavor of our relationship. It was more like the two of us entered into a business partnership in order to more efficiently pursue our mutual interest of hating each other. Votes: 0

Too much truth confuses the facts. Too much honesty makes you sound insincere Votes: 0

Truth is a troublesome motherfucker unless it's handled properly Votes: 0

Unfortunately, a lot of fantasy is chock full of sexism and racism. A lot of authors don't even realize they're doing it, and a lot of readers don't know they're reading it. That's what makes it so scary in some cases. Votes: 0

Vashet: “I will admit, I've never had a studen offer himself up for a vicious beating in order to prove he's worth my time.— Kvothe: “That was nothing. Once I jumped off a roof. Votes: 0

We all become what we pretend to be. Votes: 0

We have more brilliant fantasy novels than brilliant fantasy movies. Movies and TV are done by committee. But with a novel, it's really just one person running the show. That allows for a clarity and unity of vision that's pretty unique, artistically. Votes: 0

We need to read good books, and for that to happen, we need to share good books. Votes: 0

We try to spread the word about the charity by doing fun little stunts to catch people's attention. Like when Hank Green did a music video for us. Votes: 0

We understand how dangerous a mask can be. We all become what we pretend to be. Votes: 0

What do they do to students at the University who eavesdrop?— Bast asked curiously. “I haven't the slightest idea. I was never caught. I think making you sit and listen to the rest of my story should be punishment enough. Votes: 0

What has made me most proud - the things that I've done that I feel the most pride about - is helping people care about making the world better. Votes: 0

What I'd love more than anything is for Worldbuilders to continue to grow and become entangled in all the different corners of the geek community. Votes: 0

When left to its own devices it tends to make me look as if I've been set afire. Votes: 0

When someone tells you a piece of their life, they're giving you a gift, not granting you your due. Votes: 0

When you love something, you have to make sure it loves you back, or you'll bring about no end of trouble chasing it. Votes: 0

When you read a fantasy novel part of the fun is getting to explore a new world. Everyone knows that. But I believe the same is true about characters. You can explore interesting people in the same way that you explore a town or a culture. Votes: 0

Whenever you write a character, you want to make them themselves, you want to make them unique. You don't want fifty characters in your book and they all pretty much act and think the same except they have different colored hair. Votes: 0

Why are you smiling?' 'I'm relieved,' I said honestly. 'I was worried I'd given myself cadmium poisoning, or I had some mysterious disease. This is just someone trying to kill me. Votes: 0

Why would I want to win anything other than a beautiful game? Votes: 0

With his eyes and those hands there won't be a woman safe in all the world when he starts hunting after the ladies.' 'Courting, dear,' my father corrected gently. 'Semantics,' she shrugged. Votes: 0

With slow care rather than stealth we must approach the subject of a certain woman. Her wildness is of such degree, I fear approaching her too quickly even in a story. Should I move recklessly, I might startle even the idea of her into sudden flight. Votes: 0

Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts. There are seven words that will make a person love you. There are ten words that will break a strong man's will. But a word is nothing but a painting of a fire. A name is the fire itself. Votes: 0

Words have to find a man's mind before they can touch his heart, and some men's minds are woefully small targets. Votes: 0

Writing a good query letter has very little to do with writing a good novel. But if you can't write the one, it makes it really hard to get the other published. Votes: 0

Writing from a teen's perspective is easy as pie. At least I've actually been a teen. I've never been a woman, or an ethnic minority, or a weary old man. If anything, writing from the perspective of a child is probably easier for me. When I was a kid everyone thought I was so clever and precocious. Now that I'm adult, everyone thinks that I'm kinda odd and childish. Votes: 0

You are an educated man. You know there are no such things as demons." Bast smiled a terrible smile. "There is only my kind." Bast leaned closer still, Chronicler smelled flowers on his breath. "You are not wise enough to fear me as I should be feared. You do not know the first note of the music that moves me. Votes: 0

You are not wise enough to fear me as I should be feared. Votes: 0

You can't write good characters if you can't imagine what it's like being in another person's skin. And if you can imagine that, you naturally want other people's lives to be better. You want to make that happen. Votes: 0

You do not know the first note of the music that moves me. Votes: 0

You know, I could have carried you. Votes: 0

You may have heard of me. Votes: 0

You need to realize that most writing rules aren't laws, they're rules of thumb. Votes: 0

You never do things the easy way, do you?" she said. "There's an easy way?" I asked. Votes: 0

You see, women are like fires, like flames. Some women are like candles, bright and friendly. Some are like single sparks, or embers, like fireflies for chasing on summer nights. Some are like campfires, all light and heat for a night and willing to be left after. Some women are like hearthfires, not much to look at but underneath they are all warm red coal that burns a long, long while. Votes: 0

You still think I've gone cracked in the head," Ben said, amused. "Listen, if tomorrow we pulled into Biren and someone told you there were shamble-men in the woods, would you believe them?" My father shook his head. "What if two people told you?" Another shake. Ben leaned forward on his stump. "What if a dozen people told you, with perfect earnestness, that shamble-men were out in the fields, eating-" "Of course I wouldn't believe them," my father said, irritated. "It's ridiculous." "Of course it is," Ben agreed, raising a finger. "But the real question is this: Would you go into the woods? Votes: 0

You want to publish with a publisher because a publisher knows how to publish a book. And you don't. You really don't. Votes: 0

You,— I said, “are sweet music in a distant room. Votes: 0

That is how heavy a secret can become. It can make blood flow easier than ink. Votes: 0

It might not be true, but that doesn't mean it's nonsense. Votes: 0

You have to be a bit of a liar to tell a story the right way. Votes: 0

Are you hurt?" "Absolutely," I said. "Especially in my everywhere. Votes: 0

...it is better to have a mouthful of poison than a secret of the heart. Votes: 0

What are the three most important rules of the chemist?" This I knew from Ben. "Label clearly. Measure twice. Eat elsewhere. Votes: 0

I needed to let them know they couldn't hurt me. I've learned that the best way to stay safe is to make your enemies think you can't be hurt. Votes: 0

I took a deep breath, 'I took the nahlrout because I didn't want to faint. I needed to let them know they couldn't hurt me. I've learned that the best way to stay safe is to make your enemies think you can't be hurt.' It sounded ugly to say it so starkly, but it was the truth. I looked at him defiantly. Votes: 0

We are more than the parts that form us. Votes: 0

I'd love to get a chance to talk shop with Joss Whedon. That's pretty high up there on the list. Votes: 0

Speculative fiction is where my heart lies. It's what I read growing up, and it's what I read as an adult. Votes: 0