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"Clichés are relatives of the fairy tale, and tropes aren't bad; they go with the territory."
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"You spill a lot of beans in historical fiction. Crime fiction is about spilling no beans at all. You spill the least beans you possibly can. So because I had already written historical fiction before I was really good at the spilling beans section, but the new skill I had to learn when I was writing Brighton Belle was difficult. I had to avoid the equivalent of shouting, "this character's a murderer! Look who did it!."
"Don't say it was delightful; make us say delightful when we've read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers Please will you do the job for me."
"We write, edit, and rewrite the story of our own life employing descriptive words, metaphors, and symbols. Our lives are full of symbols including those supplied by nature and religion, which touch upon the mystical and spiritual aspects of life. Symbols inspire enduring hope by formulating idealist expectations."
"Writers aren't exactly people, they're a bunch of people trying to be one person."
"Don't go overboard in avoiding "said. Basically, "said is the default for dialogue, and a good thing, too; it's an invisible word that doesn't draw attention to itself."
Explore more quotes by Seanan McGuire
"And you shouldn't believe all the press about Ouija boards. They can't be used in an exorcism. Trivial Pursuit can, but that's another story."
"I am so tired of this gothic crap, I muttered. 'Just once, I want to meet the villain in a cheerful, brightly lit room. Possibly one with kittens."
"Hey!' I turned, crossing my arms and glaring. 'I was talking to him!'Tybalt eyed me with amusement, which just made me glare harder. 'No, you were inciting him to stab you with a toothpick. Again, the difference is small, but I think it matters."
"Doors opened everywhere. Maybe one day, the children of this world who had gone to that world to save themselves would see a door that didn't fit right with the walls around it, something with a doorknob made of a moon, or a knocker that winked. Maybe they could still go home."
"I would love a sandwich,' said Tybalt, with enough gravity to make it sound like a formal proclamation. Resolved: that we will have ham and cheese sandwiches."
"Hello? I peered into the shadows.Two green circles flashed in the dark. I yelped, jumping backward and pressing myself against the wall.'And may I wish a very good morning to you, too, October. The voice was amused, underscored by a chuckle like thick cream. 'What happened? Did the prettiest little princess miss her carriage home?"
"Now, if you will excuse me, a dead woman is trying to convince me to drink something that comes in layers."
"I didn't look back. Sometimes, not looking back is the only mercy the world has left to show."
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