A to Z Challenge Theme: Quotes from Authors and Bookish People about Writing
And here we go! Today is the first day of the April A to Z Blogging Challenge, and we’re getting off to a fine start! If you haven’t signed up yet, the list is still open– get on this mega-blogging ride, and join in the fun and games with the rest of us!
Today on Amlokiblogs, I begin the challenge with a word that leads a lot of fiction to hit bestseller lists: Action. Action is the method fiction writers use to show movement in the story. It is the heartbeat of a story– and no story, no matter how abstract or literary, can do without action.
Here are few quotes that talk about action:
“Begin your writing, fiction or article, where the action begins. This
action can be internal (e.g., an important insight or personal decision)
or external (e.g., a murder or calamity). Begin too early, you lose
your reader. Begin too late, you lose your story.”— Walt Shiel
“Pace is crucial. Fine writing isn’t enough.
Writing students can be great at producing a single page of well-crafted
prose; what they sometimes lack is the ability to take the reader on a
journey, with all the changes of terrain, speed and mood that a long
journey involves. Again, I find that looking at films can help. Most
novels will want to move close, linger, move back, move on, in pretty
cinematic ways.”– Rose Tremain
“Character gives us qualities, but it is in actions – what we do – that
we are happy or the reverse….All human happiness and misery take the
form of action.”— Aristotle
“In many cases when a reader puts a story aside because it ‘got boring,’
the boredom arose because the writer grew enchanted with his powers of
description and lost sight of his priority, which is to keep the ball
rolling.”
― Stephen King
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you like stories with action? What sort of stories do you like to read or write?
Some really great tips there. 🙂 Excellent choice of quotes.
Stopping by after the #atozchallenge – ROAD TRIP style. 😉
@JLenniDorner
I used the same A word. Great choice! And for B? Build.
Some great quotes there, action is extremely important to a story.
Action, pace and character work together to create wonderful connections with readers. And yes, we really are off to a great start 🙂
I am not really a fan of Stephen King because his material is a bit too scary for me, but he is a talented writer, and he is write about how bravery helps one get over self doubt in the writing process.
Sweetbearies Art Projects
Sweetbearies Art Photography
Lovely quotes…Loved the first one in particular.. 🙂
I am glad you used Action and not Attitude because Attitude is frequently explored. This was different and informative.
Stephen King probably never read Victor Hugo 🙂
A.
Love the quotes! Very useful 🙂
Very often I don't know where to start the story. Rewriting it helps clarify sometimes.
anna @ Deeply Shallow
Those are some great quotes! I really need to find a place to keep all of these little treasures… hmmm..
Alex Hurst, fantasy author in Japan. "B is for Books" is my current post.
I thought I'd pay all the A to Z Blog Challenge Hosts a visit today. Everyone has put in so much effort into this event. I think its the best blog challenge in the Blogsphere! Enjoy the rest the challenge and I adore the image!
Thanks, that's so nice of you to say. 🙂
Action in itself is quite a powerful word.
I didn't know you had gooseberries in the states. It's great to connect and follow with a an AtoZ host
http://aimingforapublishingdeal.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter: WriterBizWoman
Comley, I don't live in the States. 🙂
love your post and the quote. I love reading some real action paced non-fiction but based on a 'true life' sort of line! I however recently ventured into becoming an author and unconventionally chose non-fiction, hmm a big Challenge in there too!
Marie an #AtoZ er at http://myeverydaypersonal.blogspot.be/
Non-fiction is just as tough as fiction.
Totally agree with your post and the importance of action. I do, however, find that books that feature big 'action' scenes, you know like a fight scene in a film, quickly lose my focus. I find it a bit hard to picture and if it goes on for too long I get bored. I guess like everything getting the action *just* right is a balancing act!
Agree. I think it is about pace, more than action.
What a great theme! I love quotes, I have them all throughout the book I'm writing. I also like books with action, but have trouble getting enough of it in my own writing :/
I'm not very good at writing action unless it happens via dialogue. I know what I need to work on this summer as I rewrite the first act of my Work-in-Progress!
Great post for writers! I especially liked Stephen King`s quote. Looking forward to more insights here. 🙂
The Doglady's Den
I do appreciate a good action story. I write personal stories that have little action. I mainly write thoughts about living in general, etiquette, manners, kindness, etc. You do have me thinking. I have had an interesting life and everyone tells me I should write a book. Have a great day. http://thoughts-of-pink.blogspot.com
Fun motivation for fiction writers! I can't add much action to my journalism work, but I do try to use active voice. Does that count? LOL! ~ Angela, A to Z participant from Web Writing Advice (http://www.webwritingadvice.com/) and Whole Foods Living (http://wholefoodsliving.blogspot.com/)
'Action' is a great word! Whether passive or aggressive, I always strive to begin my pieces mid-action. 🙂
Although I like the painting of scenes and setting, a writer who does this too much will lose me. Of course the opposite is true too. Too much action is annoying as well.
Visit us during the A to Z Challenge. We're highlighting authors who are more than writers. Click HERE.
I love action! Great start to the A-Z! Can't wait to see what you bring us tomorrow! Thanks for all your hard work in hosting and organizing the challenge. It's my first year and I'm already having a blast!
These are great reminders. I am in the middle of editing my second book and my editor asked for more action in a couple of places.
Good luck with the rest of the challenge!
doreenmcgettigan.com
Writing dialog is very difficult for me, Damyanti. I tend to write pages and pages of what is going on in my characters' heads and their motives for their behavior. 😐 Making the switch from rhetorical/essay writing to fiction is difficult and this was painfully pointed out to me during this past NaNoWriMo, but at least I finished, so there is hope for me yet!
Now I get to sound, for a moment, intellectual. I was reading Willa Cather's "The Professor's House" yesterday, just for fun, and I noticed her gorgeous descriptions which one would more than likely NEVER find in today's fiction? Why? Because we are trained to jump immediately into the "What happened." Nothing wrong with that, just a different take and is appealing to today's average reader.
I enjoy reading memoir and letters/journals more than anything else… usually not action dense. i do love your quotes. Very helpful. Perhaps it is pacing, for me, more than action. Pacing and cadence of the author's voice.
Happy A to Zing!
Julie Jordan Scott
A to Z Challenge Participant/2011,12,13,14…..
The Bold Writer from A to Z
Great post. I like Rose Tremain's quote about cinematic pacing.
I love books with action. Yes, I agree about pacing. Too much too soon will be overkill and too little too late makes me bored.
Pacing will really make or break an otherwise good story! Nice quotes. Happy A to Z!
Action and tension are vital for a good story.
Nothing beats a page-turning action-packed story!
Love the quotes too!
Action is my biggest weakness in my stories. I do a lot of description, a lot of dialogue, but not much to keep the ball rolling. That's something I'm going to have to go back and check in these current edits on my novel. Good post. I got here because of the A to Z Challenge and I may just have to come back for more.
Amazing! I finally caught up with you (you always google-plus my blog articles – bet you do that to all the bloggers!). Great quotes. I may have to change some of my "darlings,"and instead keep the ball rolling.
I also love gooseberries – seemingly not available here in these southern states where I am in "retirement exile." Oh well, more time to read blogs and what else? Oh yes, write!
So true. I must say though that I do like descriptions. Sometimes they're the only thing which allows one to catch a much-needed breath in a story. That said, I have been known to skim over such passages… :p
Fe
Felicity Writing Away
I love these quotes you have up here! Pace is everything too.
I remember trying to read some of the classics and ending up quitting because of the long and boring descriptive passages. So yes, I too like action. I love dragon books.
JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE
Action. Yes you ladies have done an amazing job #teamdamyanti and hooked me.
I am enjoying having my grey cell exercised.
Thanks.
http:// http://www.inderpreetkaur.blogspot.in
Fellow atoz challenger.
There HAS to be action in the books I read and write. It's essential for me. 😀 And you picked some really great quotes.
All great quotes, especially liked Stephen King's.
Best wishes,
Nilanjana.
Madly-in-Verse
Who doesn't like a little action that has you on the edge of your seat? 😉
~Patricia Lynne~
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, YA Author
Definitely like my stories with action.
Thanks for those, hadn't come across these quotes before.
mood
Moody Writing
I've picked up several books lately – all with too much telling and not enough showing, or action. Great post today!
A to Z: deborahdera.com & writingforpeanuts.com
Action in a story grips the readers. They are intrigued to know what follows next. For me action does not mean in its typical sense. Any story that arouses an interest in me to continue has action because that's what keeps me moving with the story. Nice educative theme.
Regards,
POETICbug
So true. When the action is happening, I'm turning those pages.
I like fast-paced, action-packed books. I am seeing too many books that bask in descriptions and that only makes the book boring. I'm all for the action!
Action is important not only at the beginning, but also at the end of a story. To make character change believable, you have to show the person acting on what they're learned.
Laurel
Laurel's Leaves
Don't know a thing about writing. But I bet action is a good place to start!
Yes. Trying to find the right balance to weave in the action is key. Something I seem to struggle with in my current piece.
Hugs and chocolate!
I enjoy writing action scenes, but mine tend to be sex scenes or sports scenes. No fights or car chases.
What a great collection of quotes! I especially Stephen Kings…
Hope all is well with you, my dearest friend.
Tina @ Life is Good
A to Z Team @ Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2014
Pace is crucial. I write reviews for theatres. When the pace is off, I lose interest. A well-paced show keeps me captivated long past the final curtain.
Play off the Page
Love the first quote. "Begin too early and you lose the reader. Begin too late and you lose the story." Achieving that fine balance is the hardest thing to do.
Sania @ Fragile Words
//.All human happiness and misery take the form of action // I truly believe in this quote wonderful share 🙂
Hi Damyanti, I look forward to seeing your posts throughout the A to Z! 🙂 I so agree that pacing and action are important things in any story. One of my big problems with some novels has been to leave the real action until very far into the story. Not good!
I love action scenes that seem effortless, where you forget you are reading. Harry Potter comes to mind, with all the Quidditch games and fights and suspense.
Oh this is such a fun theme 🙂 I love quotes. Use them liberally in my presentations and teaching moments. And, since I started trying my hand at fiction, that is an area worth exploring in detail 🙂
And I agree with the excessive description. Turns me off the story.
Hello, D.! These are great quotes. Action is always fun to read. But I don't like when a book starts with it immediately in the first line because I think it's too jarring and confusing. I don't know the characters yet so why would I care about the action-packed happenings? I much prefer starting, in reading and writing, with tension that foreshadows inevitable action.
Happy A to Z-ing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines
In this day and age of writing you can't spend 10 chapters developing the scenery. Action is a good place to start.
Cheers for another year of A to Z challenge
A Plus!
Keep the ball rolling – well said, Stephen King. Long, colorful descriptions bore me.