In honor of National Author Day today, and the official start date for NANOWRIMO, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite quotes from my favorite authors, artists, and stories.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with NANOWRIMO, National Novel Writing Month, it is an internet-based creative writing project that encourages aspiring writers to write a novel throughout the month of November. The standard length for a work to be considered a novel is 50,000 words, and writers are encouraged to focus on the quantity of their writing rather than the quality. Once they have completed their first draft, hopefully by November 30th, it is up to the author’s discretion on how much editing and revising they would like to do for their novel to be considered completed.
Prizes include, but are not limited to: a potential publishing or manuscript feedback through Kindle Scout, discounts off of word processing programs such as Scrivener and Ulysses, and many opportunities to have your work published on sponsoring platforms. If you do choose to participate in this year’s NANOWRIMO, happy writing!
With that being said, let’s get to a list of my favorite quotes that have inspired me, and might inspire you as well.
1. J.M Barrie, Peter Pan
“You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting.”
Beautifully said by Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts), this quote embodies both heartbreak and hopefulness towards Peter Pan, played by the beloved Robin Williams, in the 1991 classic, Hook.
2. John Green, Looking for Alaska
“Thomas Edison’s last words were “It’s very beautiful over there.” I don’t know where there is, but I believe it’s somewhere, and I hope it’s beautiful.”
Photo from freebooksummary.com
Miles Halter, the protagonist, leaves us with these final and ambiguous words from a very lovely story about falling in love and becoming independent.
3. Laurie Halse Anderson, Wintergirls
“There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn’t matter anymore.”
Taken from one of my favorite novels, the last lines present us with a feeling of hope and comfort. After the painful death of her best friend, Lia Overbrook relapses into her deadly struggle with anorexia. And while many stories of eating disorders don’t quite get it right – often teetering on the edge of romanticizing the illness, or superficially presenting them – this heart-breaking novel by Laurie Halse Anderson shows just how dangerous they truly are, and how the path to recovery will be painful, but ultimately achievable.
4. Edgar Allan Poe, Annabel Lee
“We loved with a love that was more than love.”
It’s a very simple line from a poem about the death of a beautiful woman Edgar Allan Poe claims he will always love, but it always holds a warm place in my heart.
5. Dr. Seuss
“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”
Photo from quotesaga.com
First of all: I have insomnia.
But all jokes and memes aside, Dr. Seuss has always had a way with words and this quote is no different, hitting you right in the feels.
6. Shel Silverstein, Every Thing on It
“There are no happy endings. Endings are the saddest part. So just give me a happy middle, and a very happy start.”
Photo from quoteswave.com
I first heard this quote on the show, The Middle, at Axl Heck’s high school graduation when the valedictorian parted their graduating class with this small poem. As a child, I used to love Shel Silverstein’s strange poems, and even this sentimental short verse highlights his many talents.