Latest Rick Riordan Quotes from Interviews

• Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go off on a tangent or if you give them extraneous information that doesn't serve the story. You really have to tell a tight story. You have to give them humor and suspense and believable characters. All those things that adults want too, but you have to be really on your game when you're writing for kids.

  Rick Riordan

  Writing, Character, Kids

  Source: www.fanpop.com

• You have to read a lot so you know what good writing looks like and you get inspired. You have to write a lot because it's like a sport - you have to practice. And, also, you have to persevere. Don't give up. I got rejected on my first book, like, 14 times, but I just kept going. So believe in yourself and don't give up.

  Rick Riordan

  Sports, Giving Up, Book

  Source: starraptureblog.wordpress.com

• I think every writer struggles in some way with writers block. The trick is to plan out what you are going to say beforehand. I found out that if you make an outline you're much less likely to get blocked when you get into the middle of the story.

  Rick Riordan

  Block, Struggle, Thinking

  Source: starraptureblog.wordpress.com

• The most important thing whenever we're connecting kids to books, is that we try to match the book to the kid and make sure that reading is a fun, rewarding experience outside the classroom.

  Rick Riordan

  Fun, Book, Reading

  Source: www.usatoday.com

• I try to craft books that are fun, that are sort of subversively educational so kids learn but they don't really feel like they're being lectured to, and I want kids to always finish one of my books and think, "That was great, where's the next one?"

  Rick Riordan

  Fun, Educational, Book

  Source: www.usatoday.com

• I like to remind teachers that even though they're all overwhelmed and overloaded, and it's easy to get burned out, it really is about the kids. It only takes one good teacher to change a life - one time, and one book. That's what happened when I was a kid. I had one good teacher that came in at the right time and turned me into a writer. So never lose sight - you could be that teacher.

  Rick Riordan

  Teacher, Book, Kids

  Source: www.teachingbooks.net

• Teachers and librarians are some of my favorite people, especially since I was a teacher myself. I love talking to them because they have wonderful ideas about how to share books, and especially about how to share my books with kids.

  Rick Riordan

  Teacher, Book, Kids

  Source: www.teachingbooks.net

• It's all still about having a good story. You have to have a good story as your anchor, as your main focus. So for me, personally, I just like to concentrate on writing the best book I can, and if there's other stuff that goes along with it, that's awesome, as long as the story is central.

  Rick Riordan

  Book, Writing, Anchors

  Source: www.teachingbooks.net

• As an author, I don't really think too much about being a celebrity. It's not like being a movie star or a TV star. It's not as if people recognize me when I walk down the street. That hardly ever happens, and it's just as well. But it is great when people know my books, when I walk through an airport and see them in the bookstore, or when I see someone reading a book on a plane or on a train, and it's something I've written. That's a wonderful feeling.

  Rick Riordan

  Stars, Book, Reading

  Source: www.teachingbooks.net

• I could always see myself being a teacher. I remember sitting in class as a kid, listening to the teacher and thinking, you know, I'm pretty sure I could explain that a little bit better.

  Rick Riordan

  Teacher, Kids, Thinking

  Source: www.teachingbooks.net

• I think I write for reluctant readers. Of course I want everyone to enjoy my books, but if the kids in the back row who normally don't pick up a book are engaged with what I'm writing, along with the kids who are big readers anyway, then I really feel like I've done my job.

  Rick Riordan

  Jobs, Book, Writing

  Source: www.teachingbooks.net

• It's hard to know what [literature] will end up being timeless and what will be something that doesn't translate into the future, especially with the way we're evolving since our culture is changing so fast.

  Rick Riordan

  Culture, Literature, Way

  Source: archive.wired.com

• I enjoy writing for both kids and adults, though I think I'm better at children's stories because I was a teacher for so long, and I know that audience well. The process is no different whether I'm writing for children or adults. Really, the elements of making a good story are the same.

  Rick Riordan

  Teacher, Children, Writing

  Source: blog.exclus1ves.co.za

• Selling one's book to Hollywood is rather like selling someone your house. After it's sold, it isn't yours anymore. They can paint it a different color, tear it down and build something new, or do anything they want.

  Rick Riordan

  Book, Color, House

  Source: blog.exclus1ves.co.za

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