"You Never Realize How Strong You Are Until Being Strong is Your Only Choice."
Do you know who said that line? Have you seen it on a random inspirational poster and thought they made it up? How about this one:
"It is What a man Thinks of himself that Truly Determines his Fate."
-or-
"No Fate But What We Make."
Okay, those last two were from wildly different sources, saying the same thing. The second one is from Sarah Connor, but from the second Terminator movie when the annoying son quotes her. It's the quote that kept running through my head as perfect for my WIP character to spout, except... well, it's a Terminator reference and would take more explaining than I wanted to get into for the story. So I looked up quotes about fate and found the other, which is from Henry David Thoreau and the character would've studied it in high school. Same idea, easier to slip into the narrative.
Do you use quotes in your writing? In GHOSTS DON'T LIE I had two character arguing over the famous "of Mice and Men" quote, which actually originated with a poem by Robert Burns and was originally "schemes" and not "plans" ...
“The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.”
but colloquially we often hear, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."
I'm not even sure if John Steinbeck even uses the entire quote in his novel OF MICE AND MEN but everyone knew what he meant. And it signaled to the reader that things were not going to go according to plan for the main characters.
In my own work, I was going for literary foreshadowing. The character's mother had schemes that didn't work out the way she planned. The abusive husband made plans to kill his wife that went horribly wrong.
I like it when a character quotes a book or movie or song, with a line that adds meaning and depth to what's going on in the bigger picture of the novel. But I draw the line at the in-depth quotes. If you can't do it with a phrase or a sentence, should you be adding the quote at all?
It was popular for a while in romance novels to have song lyrics running through chapters, you know, where the rock star hero is writing and singing songs about the protagonist, trying to win her heart. Or maybe it's just that string of New Adult rock star books I binged on last spring... but it didn't work for me. I tended to skip over the paragraphs of lyrics. If they were there to further the plot, I skipped right over it anyway and don't feel like I missed something.
What about you? Do you use quotes or phrases in your own writing? Do you like reading them in other people's work? How long is too long? What's your favorite source for finding the perfect quote?
And who wrote the quote at the top of the page? I already answered the question on Peggy Jaeger's Facebook page, since she posted one of those "inspirational poster" memes this morning to start off my rant. So I know. Do you?
Happy Writing!
I actually read this blog piece before I realized you'd made a comment on my FB page!!! And YES! I love using quotes in my books, in my life, and on my Social media. Sometimes, - most times! - some one else has already put my thought into better words than I can come up with. I love motivation and inspirational quotes the best because I think they are universal in their appeal and assertions. I love that you used the Mice and men quote for your character and story arc. Brilliant!!! SImply brilliant.
ReplyDeleteSOme publishers don't like adding quotes because of copyright laws and having to pay the writer of the quote. But I personally would feel so privileged if someone quoted me, and gave me the attribution, that copyright law be damned ( as long as the person wasn't charging money for the quote!)
Anyway - great piece and you certainly have gotten me thinking!!
Hi Peggy :-) There are specific rules about limits to number of lines you can quote with just an attribution. I edited a book for a friend that quoted musical lyrics, and in cases where there were too many lines (to illustrate her point on cadence or rhyme scheme) she had to find a song that was out of copyright. Robert Burns, for example, is out of copyright (by like a hundred years)
DeleteI wanted to have my heroine sing (in a performance, gazing at hero as she sang) "Annie's Song" and include a whole verse but had the impression that was a copyright violation, so I used a verse from some cheesy 100-year-old love song instead. Not quite as good, but oh well...
DeleteIn another book I had the hero give the heroine a book of Rumi quotes, and i had them each reading lines from the book that illuminated what they were going through at various stages. I thought Rumi quotes would be out of copyright (since he wrote in the 1400's) but it turns out it was the date of the translation that mattered, not the date of his writing. So I wrote to the translator asking permission and he gave it without charge!
Judy Meadows Gabriel
It depends on the character and the situation. I've used the Casablanca line and a few others when it fits. I like reading them, though!
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer - you must mean "Of all the gin joints..." which is such an iconic phrase at this point. Even people who've never seen Casablanca (!!) can quote that Bogart line...
DeleteIn this age of Pinterest quotes are really the thing. My daughters LOVE them And I do too I also love when an author uses a quote at the beginning of the book it sets me thinking about the story to come. I really loved when former FBI director Comey quoted Shakespeare saying "will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?" Because yeah I like people in leadership who are well read and it really fit the situation. Is the quote from Eleanor Roosevelt on Peggy's Facebook?
ReplyDeleteHi Charlotte, and nope, not Eleanor. Although I love her famous (and famously memed) quote - "Do One Thing Every Day that Scares You."
DeleteI loved that Comey quoted Shakespeare - I hate that we have a(nother) president who doesn't read and hasn't studied history....
I write historical romance, back in the days when few people were literate and most great literary quotes weren't written yet. So, I'd probably be limited in what I could quote. But in contemporary books, I enjoy quotes. I think they add to the story's atmosphere and sense of authenticity.
ReplyDeleteLOL, illiterate characters would make it hard to put quotes in their mouths... kind of like my mermaid characters, so I totally get it.
DeleteI do use quotes as and when appropriate. In Bad Boy, Big Heart, where the heroine's 'name' is K.C., the hero, Chay quotes lines from The Taming of the Shrew in a bantering scene when they first meet, thinking her initials stand for Kate or Katherine. I loved writing that scene, and thought it good banter.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare again :-) He's so awesome.
DeleteHave you ever seen Ten Things I Hate About You with Heath Ledger? Modern take on Taming of the Shrew, which mixes the Shakespeare lines right in along with modern dialogue. My favorite quote from the movie is "I know you can be overwhelmed, and underwhelmed, but can you just be whelmed?"
Katie, I avoid the troublesome legalities of quotes by adding my own at the beginning of each chapter. My mom often will call me to ask who said or wrote my quotes. Of course, I laugh and tell her it's her daughter! I enjoy reading quotes in books, but only if they're brief.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty cool, Mary! I'm pretty sure that's what those rock star NA books were doing as well, writing their own song lyrics to quote extensively and in chapter titles, etc. No copyright infringement if you're the author!
DeleteI frequently look at quotes to get title ideas. I take the theme of my story, and try to find quotes that apply to it, and can be adapted into a pithy title! I don't use too many in my books. Like you, I tend to gloss over bits with lyrics or poems, I have to admit! And like Mary Morgan, I'm not sure of the ins and outs of copyright law with regards to using quotes, so I try to avoid it. Although the ending of Love is Lovelier (upcoming book 2 of my Rivers Bend trilogy) does have a song play into the ending. And now that I'm thinking of it, the hero does sing part of one line to the heroine while they're dancing at his sister's wedding. Hmm..maybe I do more with quotes than I thought! Lol!
ReplyDeleteI actually like quotes at the beginning of books. Nora Roberts used to use Shakespeare a lot in her trilogies, which were my favorites. If there's a reason for them--I like the idea of 2 characters arguing over them--then I don't mind them. But, I'd skip over long lyrics or poems too. As always, love your blog posts! Can I quote you? Ha ha. :) Claire Marti
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading your post! I also like quotes, or even partial ones that are well-known. Great for setting and atmosphere, and foreshadowing. I save favorite quotes in a special folder. I found perfect song lyrics to insert into a scene from a contemporary mystery, but after learning how difficult it can be to get permissions, I gave up on that idea and just wrote my own "perfect" lyrics.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone here, I enjoy quotes. But they have to add something to the story, and they should be brief. Great subject, Katie.
ReplyDeleteI am often tempted, but don't want to give too much attribution and get the story off-track, so I rarely use them. I remember the string of song lyrics in novels...I didn't find them helpful and they were often written like poetry, which is so not my thing...I skip over them too! :)
ReplyDelete