I have done occasionally, when I've written a piece based on or inspired by a quote but in general I don't.
For my most recent joint novel, we're pretty sure that we're going to use a quote but a quote of our own fabrication rather than an existing one so I'm not sure if that really counts...
Generally don't, but I'm kind of strange and do odd things in odd places. I think Death Machine needs to have quotes scattered randomly through it, but then you can't do things randomly, they have to be proper and systematic and with reason (bah!) so I need to work that out, hah. Having quotes in it would help ground it to reality. It's an historical fiction pieces, so if I have quotes from the era it will make the truth/reality of it stronger.
“It's necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good it is to live.” ― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
I quotes to start things a lot, whether it be a story or a piece of philosophy, and essay or a blog entry. They serve to set the mood for a piece very effectively - the beginning of John Irving's classic novel, A Prayer for Owen Meaney, for example, has a quote from Leon Bloy that says, "any Christian who is not a hero is a pig." The tension between the two sides of that quote are the perfect intro to the book, especially considering it's paired with two equally excellent quote from St. Paul's Letter to the Phillipians and Frederick Buechner. Snatches of songs, philosophical one-liners, pieces of poetry: all of these find their place at the beginning of my writing, and I really think they serve not only to enhance my work but also as a homage and a tribute to some of the brilliance of other people's work that has inspired me.
I do, but more often than not I take it away by the end. Usually I just use it for inspiration. And more often than not it's a song lyric that I feel has something to do with the story, or the characters, or the feelings I'm trying to convey.
But yeah, I'll only keep one if it absolutely fits and I don't feel lame about it. D:
-:pirate3:
"2-4-6-8! I like to delegate!" -Meshugenah "Teague: Stomping on your dreams since 1992." -Sachiko "So I'm looking at FLT and am reminded of a sandwich." -Jabber
Yes, I have. It used to be a habit, probably still is. I used quotes in my younger days, either my own or using another's than putting their name next to it.
Bound for Glory: Our Brethren will have a quote by Patrick Henry at the very end, if I choose to follow through with it. And with the Epilogue, my own person quote that I've carried for years will finish it off, and that's it. My three year work will be completed.
I've seen some that start every chapter that way. In some cases, it's from fictional books that only exsit in the author's imagination. In one case, though, it was quotes from real poems and a few informational pieces that were relevant. It can work, but you have to be careful. In the non-fiction book I'm working on, I do use a quote from a song. The reason I use it is because the book is about my year in the college residence, and they had made a video yearbook with the song I quote.
Please, sit down before you fall down.
Belloq, "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
I use them frequently. I think they help to inspire and shape the piece if they match up perfectly, and is a great starting point when you're not always sure on the beginning. Good quotes at the start of stories always get me excited.
Nate wrote:And if YWS ever does become a company, Jack will be the President of European Operations. In fact, I'm just going to call him that anyways.
Mmm, quotes yummy. I love quotes. I collect them, really, and I love using them at any opportunity. Done well, they really enhance the poignancy of a piece. Especially, as others have said, to create a sense of legitimacy in historical pieces.
Got YWS?
"Most of us have far more courage than we ever dreamed we possessed."
- Dale Carnegie
I love quotes, hoard them in my computer and quote them to other people whenenver I can, but in my writing, no, never.
I don't want to rely on other people's words to say what I want to say.
Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher. ~Flannery O'Connor
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