The great
Patti Gauch said that what makes a good fantasy is the
details...You must embed real world details in your fantasy to make it
believable. I've been thinking about this a lot, as I'm writing a mg hf novel. Today, as I was searching (
frantically) for a speech given by Winston Churchill on September 9, 1940 and I discovered a wonderful site:
The Quotation Page. If you need to quote someone to give your novel some
real world details this is a great place to find that quote. I couldn't find any radio speeches given during the time period I was looking for
(I guess they were busy with The War), but I did find a wonderful quote from Winston Churchill:
“…One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half.”
Do you have a
TIP FOR TUESDAY to share?
I enjoy that quote very much from Churchill. It's something like, "The best defence is a good offence."
ReplyDeleteChurchill was awesome.
ReplyDeleteHere's a tip/site to keep bookmarked. It's a slang dictionary.
http://www.thesource4ym.com/teenlingo/index.asp
My Tuesday tip:
ReplyDeleteWhen living in northern Italy (or any part of the world where cities and mountains collide), be sure to check your shoes for hidden scorpions before slipping your feet into them.
I like that quote:) Tip for the day? Don't watch the last episode of LOST alone. It's easier to cry with someone else:)
ReplyDeleteWell since it's an unseasonable 90 degrees here today, I'll say "Don't forget your sunscreen!"
ReplyDeleteHere's mine, Sharon, since I have been mulling about this for some time now: "Don't just focus on your destination. Enjoy the journey that gets you there."
ReplyDeleteGreat quotes....
ReplyDeleteThank you for that site. I really, really love good quotes. :)
ReplyDeletehi
ReplyDeleteHave you tried:
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/
and
http://www.archive.org/web/web.php
You just have to register (free) and you get access to archival audio broadcasts of the man himself! Sorry if you've done these already!
I love the quote - yes - be brave people! - and your tip for tuesday! And that link to quotations is so so so handy!
take care
x
I love your comment, "They must have been busy with the war." Yep, nothing like a war to tie up all your spare time, especially in those days.
ReplyDeleteI like the quote...but I wonder if old Winston was right...I mean, what if you ran away and actually got away from the threat....went off and became stronger, then came back and kicked the threat's butt?
ReplyDeleteJust sayin'.
Shelley
Beautiful post! I understand most human words but I don't know what a mg hf novel is fur sure. Anyways, here's my contribution:
ReplyDelete"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats." - Albert Schweitzer
Thanks so much for that site - I'll definitely keep that one in mind. My tip? I'll copy Terri a little bit and say: Don't watch Paranormal Activity on a night your husband is out of town and you have to sleep alone. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteMy tip is get the kids to bed on time so you can write! (but my kids aren't yet in bed tonight so I'm not following my own tip! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen we were little, my mother always used to tell us, "Never pass up an opportunity to say something kind."
ReplyDeleteI'm here from Susan's blog. Nice to meet you.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE quotes, and you picked a great one to share with us. Thanks.
~Lola
Great tips you've already got here. I love Shannon's line about kindness. My tip is simple, and involves being more like dogs- wag more, bark less.
ReplyDeletexx
AM
Great quote -- I wish I'd had it a couple weeks ago when I was teaching about America's reaction to terrorism.
ReplyDeleteWill definitely keep it for next year, though!
Paul C.--Thanks for stopping in. :) You are right that is another great Churchill quote. I'm reading The Second World War (vol 2) right now. He was an amazing writer! I have two of his fiction books, but haven't read them yet.
ReplyDeleteBuffy--What a great link! Perfect for the YA/mg writer. Thanks for sharing.
Wendy R.--I hope you didn't have one in your shoe! One place we lived in in Arkansas had scorpions. I was terrified if I had to get out of bed at night. I think that's why I never want my blankets to touch the floor.
Terri--I so have to find the time to watch that episode. I taped it...but haven't seen it yet. I'll be watching it alone...
Joanne--You are right! Sunscreen is super important (even when it's not sunny)!
Hema--You are such a deep thinker. I'm glad I'm getting to know you. :)
Jeff--Glad you stopped in and that you are enjoying the quotes.
Sandy--I'm glad you found the link helpful. :) Thanks for dropping in.
Old Kitty--Thanks for the links. I was on Winstonchurchill.com today. :) I will check out the other one tomorrow, during my writing time...I love "Be brave people," too...
Stina--You know people are always criticising officials in desperate times because they are not visible...perhaps they are sitting in a room trying to solve the problem. (I'm smiling because you liked my attempt at humor in a serious discussion.)
Shelley--You are so funny! Thanks for dropping in...
Brian--What a purrfect quote! An mg hf novel is a mid-grade historical fiction novel. Mid-grade means stories for children aged 7-10. Thanks for pointing out that not everyone knows the genre abbreviations. Sometimes I really am a blonde...I'll do better in the future.
ReplyDeleteSusan--Okay, now I've got to rent it. Can Katherine watch it with me? She loves scary. Walt won't watch scary. :(
Kelly--You are so cute! I can't write in the evenings. Walt requests that I sit beside him in the evening like a doting wife. (So I blog while I sit there...)
Shannon--What a lovely quote! Thank you for sharing it with us. :)
Lola--Thanks for dropping in. I hope you'll come back often and join in on the discussions. You have a lovely blog with a great post today. :)
Anne-Marie--I love it! Wag more, bark less. Can I add my spin on it? Wave more, honk less....FYI lady in Waterloo honking at the green light.
Jennie--Did you see the links Old Kitty put in her comment? Great stuff! This internet thing is pretty amazing!
Oh, great link! I will definitely be using it, I'm sure. And that's a great one by Churchill!
ReplyDeleteI don't write fantasy, but I was mulling this over the other day when I was at the library.
ReplyDeleteI don't generally read fantasy because some of them are so 'out there' I don't have any foundation to stand on or anything to cling to.
Give me something real I can relate to!
I love great quotes!...A favorite I heard years ago and don't recall who said it, but I never forgot it..."Every situation in life, whether filled with pain or joy, has the potential for grace realized."...A bittersweet quote from the movie Shadowlands that stayed with me because it was such a deep, yet simple explanation of grief..."The pain now is part of the joy then."...These are just off the top of my head in the middle of the night=hope they make sense to you!...Happy Wednesday Sharon.
ReplyDeleteParanormal Acvitity's rated R for language, so I guess it would be up to you to let her watch it or not. I don't know how scared she gets, but it's not something I'd want to watch before going to bed, that's for sure. It's about demon possession, and that freaks me out, way more than murderers or anything human.
ReplyDeletehi miss sharon! i like quotes. i got one from winnie the pooh on my blog. mom used to say one that goes like this. i felt sorry for my self cause i had no shoes til i met a man who had no feet. i didnt ever forget it. ...hugs from lenny
ReplyDeleteCarolina--Isn't it great when you stumble on something by chance!
ReplyDeleteVicki--If you look at Twilight, it is just a story about teenage love and family with a big twist. If you took out the vampires and wolves you would have a teen romance/struggle with parents divorce/moving to a new school and discovering yourself story...
Jacqueline--Wonderful quotes. Thank you for sharing them with us. :)
Susan--Thanks for the info on the movie...We don't worry too much about language, K is old enough to know what is appropriate or not. I worry mostly about Sxx or things that we consider immoral when it comes to letting K watch stuff.
Lenny--(hug) Your mom gave you some good advice. It's so important to be grateful for what you have. :)
Gotta love Churchill!
ReplyDeleteHm, a tip for Tuesday? Can't think of one, but it's Wednesday now so I might be safe!
That's really good advice. I would say it applies to all books. Setting details are not my strong suit, but if I'm working on it. Off to check out the quotations page!
ReplyDeleteWandered over here from Amy Sonnichsen's blog. You've got a great site.
ReplyDeleteTip for Tuesday: When it's 11:56 at night and you've just managed to convince yourself you're the worst writer there ever was, just go to bed. Everything will be brighter in the morning:)
GREAT quote! With my mom's cancer, sometimes she wants to ignore it, but it's something we (and especially her) have to meet head on and fight tooth and nail.
ReplyDeleteI love Churchill quotes and love the quote page.
Off the top of my head, the only tip I have is to visit Adventures in Children's Publishing where they've posted some brilliant advice on characterization (which you know I've been struggling with).
Happy Wednesday!
Talli-- :) I didn't know you wrote under a pen name! I will have to get your London in 24 Hours before I come to England again.
ReplyDeleteJill--You are right, it does apply in all writing. You should fact check in all your writing.
Krista--Thanks for stopping by. I'm a daytime writer. My brain shuts down about 7 pm...You are right! Exhaustion doesn't do your writing
any favors.
Jackee--I'm glad you like the quote page. I do read Adventures in Children's Publishing...It's a great site. :) Best wishes to your Mom.