“I just try to tell a story with a song, and be able to try to transmit the emotion to you. That's all I'm really trying to do.” TryingStoriesAbleSongEmotionTransmit Author:Meshell Ndegeocello
“If you aren't having fun, if you aren't anxious to find out what happens next as you write, then not only will you run out of steam on the story, but you won't be able to entertain anyone else, either.” IfsWritingStoriesHappensRunningAbleNextFunHaving FunAnxiousSteam Author:Tamora Pierce
“To be able to make up stories has been a great gift to me from my ancestors and from the storytellers who were so numerous at Laguna Pueblo when I was growing up. I learned to read as soon as I could because I wanted stories without having to depend on adults to tell or read stories to me.” Has BeensStoriesAbleWantedGrowing UpGrowingDependsAdultsAncestorStorytellerGreat Gifts Author:Leslie Marmon Silko
“Stories have always been the things that entertain me and make me feel happy and sad and move me and give me the experience of being able to live many lives in one lifetime. It's the best thing about being alive.” GivingFeelsStoriesAbleMovingAliveGive MeLifetimeBest Things Author:Michael Sheen
“At MTV, it's very nice sometimes to be able to be very specific. Specificity really makes a news story interesting because you can color it in that personality.” SometimesStoriesAbleInterestingNiceColorPersonalityNewsVery NiceMtvSpecificityNews Stories Author:Tabitha Soren
“I got to draw monsters, robots and write funny stories. I loved doing that stuff and working with the actors. But it got to be less and less that stuff and more about trying to be everywhere and not being able to do one thing very enjoyably.” WritingTryingStoriesAbleActorsStuffOne ThingDrawsMonstersRobotsFunny Story Author:Jhonen Vasquez
“Every actress has a line she'll draw, where she'll say, 'This I will do and this I won't.' For me, everything has to be important to the story and the director has to be able to tell me why.” ImportantStoriesAbleLinesDirectorsDrawsActresses Author:Sheryl Lee
“The great thing about having spent all this time on film sets is that I've been able to watch directors and how they work. I now know that this is what I want to do as well: to tell stories visually. But it's definitely my vision that I want to put across, nobody else's.” KnowsWantWellsStoriesAbleFilmVisionWatchesDirectorsGreat ThingsFilm Set Author:Catherine McCormack
“The process of open adoption is not discussed in the way it should be. Everyone I know who has adopted domestically has at least one tragic story. It was important to me to be able to describe those situations.” KnowsWayShouldImportantStoriesAbleProcessSituationTragicAdoptionAdoptedOpen Adoption Author:Jennifer Gilmore
“I'm very lucky to be able to work in print and radio. I'm very lucky to be able to work at a time when finance and economics are really important. And the number of people who tell finance and economic stories in a kind of accessible storytelling way, there's much more demand than there is supply.” PeopleWayKindImportantStoriesAbleNumbersEconomicLuckyDemandEconomicsRadioStorytellingFinancePrint Author:David Plotz
“Until a character becomes a personality it cannot be believed. Without personality, the character may do funny or interesting things, but unless people are able to identify themselves with the character, its actions will seem unreal. And without personality, a story cannot ring true to the audience.” PeopleMayCharacterStoriesSeemsAbleActionInterestingAudiencePersonalityTheatreRingsAnimationInteresting ThingsUnreal Author:Walt Disney
“I've had a wonderful career and I'm very happy to have had all of the opportunities that I've had to tell stories and work for as long as I have. I'm sure there'll be a few more films but I'm happy that I'm able to be selective.” LongStoriesAbleFilmOpportunityCareersWonderfulVery HappySelective Author:Angelina Jolie
“Even one word, or certainly one sentence, should be able to describe the basic characteristic that the scene has, or the character has, or the story has. And then you begin to detail that one spine, and you have offshoots from that spine, and it becomes more and more complex, but all of it stems from that one-word, one-line theme, which can give the character, the scene, or the play its uniqueness.” GivingShouldPlayCharacterStoriesAbleLinesSceneComplexesDetailsSentencesCharacteristicsThemeUniquenessStemOne WordSpineOne LineOne Sentence Author:William Shatner
“What are the hallmarks of a competent writer of fiction? The first, it seems to me, is that he should be immensely interested in human beings, and have an eye sharp enough to see into them, and a hand clever enough to draw them as they are. The second is that he should be able to set them in imaginary situations which display the contents of their psyches effectively, and so carry his reader swiftly and pleasantly from point to point of what is called a good story.” ShouldFirstsHumansEnoughStoriesHandsSeemsEyeAbleHuman BeingsFictionSituationReaderDrawsCleverDisplayImaginaryCompetentGood StoryHallmarkPsych Author:H. L. Mencken
“Until recently we’ve only been able to speculate about story's persuasive effects. But over the last several decades psychology has begun a serious study of how story affects the human mind. Results repeatedly show that our attitudes, fears, hopes, and values are strongly influenced by story. In fact, fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than writing that is specifically designed to persuade through argument and evidence.” WritingMindHumansFactsStoriesShowsSeemsAbleLastsValuesBeliefResultsAttitudeFictionStudyPsychologyEffectsSeriousEvidenceArgumentDecadesHuman MindPersuasive Author:Jonathan Gottschall
“I think Santa Claus is, by and large, quite beneficial, for when the child is finally allowed -- or forced -- to recognize the nonexistence of Santa Claus, then the child is able to go through the vital intellectual process of reconstructing reality in light of new evidence, complete with back-forming new stories to account for past events. This prepares the child for many other disillusionments and gives her vital and well-supported experience in maintaining her grip on reality independent of the stories told to her at any given time.” ThinkingGivingWellsChildrenStoriesRealityLightAblePastGivenProcessEventsIntellectualEvidenceAccountsIndependentMaintainingBeneficialSantaSanta ClausDisillusionmentPast EventsReconstructing Author:Orson Scott Card
“To invent a story, or admirably and thoroughly tell any part of a story, it is necessary to grasp the entire mind of every personage concerned in it, and know precisely how they would be affected by what happens; which to do requires a colossal intellect: but to describe a separate emotion delicately, it is only needed that one should feel it oneself; and thousands of people are capable of feeling this or that noble emotion, for one who is able to enter into all the feelings of someone sitting on the other side of the table.” PeopleKnowsFeelsShouldMindStoriesFeelingsHappensWould BeAbleSidesEmotionNeededCapableSittingConcernedTablesOneselfIntellectNobleAffectedColossal Author:John Ruskin
“As readers, we want not only a strong story, but also characters we can relate to, characters that feel real. We have to find something of ourselves in them. Each character, even those only there to serve the mechanics of the plot, should have a number of layers. The entire world you are stepping into as a reader must feel real. It must have resonance, you must be able to touch the light; smell the smells.” WorldWantFeelsShouldRealCharacterStoriesLightAbleStrongNumbersReaderShould HaveSmellRelatePlotLayersMechanicResonance Author:Carlos Ruiz Zafon
“No music. No rituals. At home I write in my office or on the laptop in the kitchen where our puppy likes to sleep, and I love his company. But I've trained myself to be able to work anywhere, and I write on trains, planes, in automobiles (if I'm not the driver), airports, hotel rooms. I travel often. If I couldn't write wherever I was I would get little done. I also can write in short bursts. Fifteen minutes are enough to move a story forward.” IfsWritingLittlesDoneEnoughStoriesHomeAbleMovingSleepRoomsCompanyMinutesOfficeTrainLikesPlanesKitchenHotelDriversRitualFifteenAirportsAutomobilePuppyLaptopsHotel Rooms Author:Gail Carson Levine
“While the romance genre has expanded so much over the years, in an odd way it's also narrowed, with too many people trying to stick stories into tight, well-defined marketing niches. It can, admittedly, be a tricky balancing act, but I believe the key is to be able to step back and take a long hard look at what you do well, what makes your work different from other writers, what feels the most natural to you when you're writing.” PeopleWayFeelsWritingTryingYearsBelieveWellsLooksLongDifferentHardStoriesAbleRomanceI BelieveNaturalStepsKeysSticksMarketingDefinedGenreOddTrickyNicheBalancing Act Author:JoAnn Ross
“The fact is that there is a profound spiritual hunger in the western world which, for a variety of reasons, its church is no longer able to assuage. So a book which suggests that there is a spiritual significance to the Christian story but that this has been suppressed by the church undoubtedly appeals to those who are anxious to square this circle.” WorldHas BeensBookReasonFactsStoriesAbleChristianSpiritualReligionChurchMoralityProfoundWesternHungerCirclesVarietyAppealsSignificanceSquaresAnxiousWestern WorldSpiritual HungerProfound Spiritual Author:Melanie Phillips
“Well it's been about 100 years and every attempt at a comics writers' union has failed miserably. There is, sadly, a long history of short-term thinking and self-destructive behavior among my fellow comic book creators. No matter how many horror stories they have heard they won't even go so far as to hire themselves a lawyer when they need it. It breaks my heart. I am a very proud union member of the Writers Guild. And I can't imagine my fellow comic creators being able to pull something like this together.” ThinkingNeedsYearsWellsHeartLongI CanBookSelfMatterStoriesAbleTogetherTermBreakImagineHeardProudMy HeartHorrorMembersBehaviorFellowsUnionsCreatorLawyerComicDestructiveComic BookShort TermSelf DestructiveBreaking My HeartHorror StoriesGuildsSelf Destructive BehaviorDestructive BehaviorShort Term Thinking Author:Brian Michael Bendis
“Towards orthodox religion, father's own attitude remained one of tolerance. He looked upon the New Testament as the noble story of a human being which, because of ignorance and the lack of printing presses, had become exaggerated. He maintained that religions served their purpose; some people depended on them all their lives to make them honest. Others did not need to be so held in line. But subjection to any church was a reflection on strength and character. You should be able to get from yourself what you had to go go church for.” PeopleNeedsShouldHumansCharacterStoriesAblePurposeFatherChurchLinesHuman BeingsAttitudeAtheismHonestIgnoranceReflectionPressesPositive AtheismNobleToleranceOrthodoxTestamentNew TestamentPrintingExaggeratedPrinting PressSubjection Book:The Autobiography of Margaret Sanger Source: The Autobiography of Margaret Sanger
“What's so great about television. You're able to tell a long story, where you couldn't really do that in a film because you have to tell a story in an hour and a half or two hours.” LongTwoStoriesAbleFilmHoursHalfTelevisionLong Story Author:Aaron Paul
“I think, even a lot of people that make movies forget is that, in my mind, a movie should work with the sound off. You should be able to watch a movie without the sound and understand what's going on. That's your job, to build a series of chronological images that tell the story.” PeopleThinkingShouldMindStoriesAbleJobsSoundForgetWatchesSeries Author:Channing Tatum
“The media can be challenging, but at the same time, without the media, I would not have been able to share my personal story. Often the media can bring beauty and encouragement to people's lives...” PeopleHas BeensStoriesAbleChallengesShareMediaEncouragementPersonal Stories Author:Bethany Hamilton
“There are, occasionally, writers who are able to combine both story and style. They are, of course, the best. You get a spectacular view and you also get to look at it from the backseat of a chauffeur-driven Cadillac. In the field of fantasy, those writers able to combine story-as-narration with story-as-style are even rarer. But there are a few...the late Theodore Sturgeon, the early Ray Bradbury...and Richard Christian Matheson. A brilliant chip off the old block.” LooksStoriesAbleChristianCoursesViewsFantasyStyleFieldsLateDrivenBrilliantBlockRaysChipsSpectacularNarrationCadillacsBackseatTheodoreChauffeursBradbury Author:Stephen King
“When you get into a film, it is one story and one set development of a character, and you are able to delve into one character for a short period of time and discover everything about them.” CharacterStoriesAbleFilmDevelopmentPeriods Author:Alexander Gould
“As we get older it is our short term memory that fades rather than our long term memory. Perhaps we have evolved like this so that we are able to tell the younger generation about the stories and experiences that have formed us which may be important to subsequent generations if they are to thrive.I worry though, about what might happen to our minds if most of the stories we hear are about greed, war, and atrocity” IfsMindMayLongImportantWarStoriesMightHappensAbleTermMemoriesWorryGenerationsGreedLong TermThriveFadesShort TermAtrocitiesYounger GenerationShort Term Memory Book:How to Stay Sane Source: How to Stay Sane
“The media is tremendously important for all governments that are able to communicate through the it. It doesn't mean there is a balance of editorial opinion that favors what you are doing or that the opposition doesn't have its voice, but you have to be able to effectively communicate your story through the media.” MeanImportantStoriesGovernmentAbleVoiceOpinionMediaBalanceCommunicateFavorsOppositionEditorials Author:Stephen Harper
“You ought to be able to discover something from your stories. If you don't, probably nobody else will.” IfsStoriesAbleOught Book:Mystery and Manners Source: Mystery and Manners
“My vocation is to write and I have known this for a long time. I hope I won't be misunderstood; I know nothing about the value of the things I am able to write. I know that writing is my vocation. When I sit down to write I feel extraordinarily at ease, and I move in an element which, it seems to me, I know extraordinarily well; I use tools that are familiar to me and they fit snugly in my hands. But when I write stories I am like someone who is in her own country, walking along streets that she has known since she was a child, between walls and trees that are hers.” KnowsFeelsWritingWellsChildrenLongCountryStoriesUseHandsSeemsAbleMovingValuesKnownTreeStreetsWallFitWalkingElementsLong TimeToolsFamiliarEaseVocationMisunderstood Author:Natalia Ginzburg
“A story demanded to be written, and that is why I have not answered your letter before: a wrong-headed story, that would come blundering like a moth on my window, and stare in with small red eyes, and I the last writer in the world to manage such a subject. One should have more self-control. One should be able to say, Go away. You have come to the wrong inkstand, there is nothing for you here. But I am so weakminded that I cannot even say, Come next week.” WorldShouldSelfStoriesEyeAbleLastsNextWrittenWeekSubjectsRedWindowLettersShould HaveManageStaringGoing AwaySelf ControlNext WeekMothsRed Eye Book:Letters Source: Letters
“I always say about acting: the audience doesn't come to see you, they come to see themselves. So if you're able to give them an experience where they feel, 'Oh, my gosh, that's me, that's my story, they know!' then you've done your job.” IfsKnowsGivingFeelsDoneStoriesAbleJobsActorsActingAudienceOh My Gosh Author:Julianne Moore