Marion Dane Bauer Quotes

• Never think of revising as fixing something that is wrong. That starts you off in a negative frame of mind. Rather think of it as an opportunity to improve something you already love.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Opportunity, Thinking, Mind

  Marion Dane Bauer (1996). “Our Stories: A Fiction Workshop for Young Authors”, p.165, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  46 Copy quote

• I grew up in a small town with a very small library. But the books in the library opened a large place in my heart. It is the place where stories live. And those stories have been informing my days, comforting my nights, and extending possibilities ever since. If that library had not been there, if the books - such as they were - had not been free, my world would be poor, even today.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Book, Heart, Night

  34 Copy quote

• It is the nature of stories to leave out far more than they include.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Stories

  Marion Dane Bauer (2010). “The Very Little Princess: Zoey's Story”, p.64, Random House Books for Young Readers

  16 Copy quote

• Writing the opening lines of a story is a bit like starting to ski at the steepest part of a hill. You must have all your skills under control from the first instant.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Writing, Skills, Stories

  Marion Dane Bauer (1996). “Our Stories: A Fiction Workshop for Young Authors”, p.14, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  7 Copy quote

• Description needs to slide into a story like a snake through grass - silently, almost invisibly, without calling attention to itself. It should enrich every story moment without slowing the action.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Snakes, Needs, Attention

  Marion Dane Bauer (1996). “Our Stories: A Fiction Workshop for Young Authors”, p.44, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  4 Copy quote

• another word for talent is obsession.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Talent, Obsession

  4 Copy quote

• It is curious how believable I can be when I criticize myself, how unconvincing when I give myself praise.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Giving, Praise, Curious

  Marion Dane Bauer (1995). “A Writer's Story: From Life to Fiction”, p.91, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  5 Copy quote

• I used to tiptoe up to my bedroom door and leap into my room in an attempt to surprise my dolls in the midst of some kind of action. Unfortunately, they were always too quick for me. I'm still disappointed about that.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Doors, Dolls, Rooms

  4 Copy quote

• You don't choose your themes; they choose you. The meaning of your stories will rise out of your deepest longings, often out of longings so deep that you haven't admitted them even to yourself. Your convictions, your confusions, your most passionate dreams will be there whenever you begin a story, so you might as well learn to tap into them.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Dream, Confusion, Stories

  4 Copy quote

• when you are dealing with art, any kind of art, your pleasure in making it is what matters most.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Art, What Matters, Kind

  Marion Dane Bauer (1992). “What's Your Story?: A Young Person's Guide to Writing Fiction”, p.17, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  4 Copy quote

• I was an adult before I began to learn that there is a difference between a conversation and an argument.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Differences, Adults, Argument

  Marion Dane Bauer (1995). “A Writer's Story: From Life to Fiction”, p.24, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  4 Copy quote

• my experience as a fiction writer tells me that the deeper I look into myself, the more universal is the experience I find there.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Looks, Fiction, Deeper

  Marion Dane Bauer (1995). “A Writer's Story: From Life to Fiction”, p.14, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  4 Copy quote

• Human beings are storytelling animals. That's what separates us from other creatures, not just having thumbs or using tools.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Animal, Tools, Thumbs

  Marion Dane Bauer (1992). “What's Your Story?: A Young Person's Guide to Writing Fiction”, p.9, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  4 Copy quote

• Where do storytellers find the wisdom to discover their own stories? From no place more mysterious than their own hearts.

  Marion Dane Bauer

  Heart, Stories, Mysterious

  Marion Dane Bauer (1992). “What's Your Story?: A Young Person's Guide to Writing Fiction”, p.10, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  4 Copy quote

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