Presentation to the Pagoda Writers Group on Saturday, May 5, 2012

1. My Writing Life:
A Tale in Quotations
By Gale Martin
Pagoda Writers
Group
May 5, 2012

2. “Have regrets. They are fuel. On
the page they flare into desire.”
—Geoff Dyer

3. “The way to write a book is to actually
write a book.”
—Anne Enright

4. “Regard every new page
as
a small triumph.”
—Roddy Doyle

5. “The first twelve years are
the worst.”
—Anne Enright

6. ―When people tell you exactly what they think is
wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always
wrong.‖
—Neil Gaiman

7. Learn what criticism to accept.
—Ian Rankin

8. Read Becoming a Writer
by Dorothea Brande
—Hilary Mantel

9. Fiction that isn’t an author’s personal adventure
into the frightening or the unknown isn’t worth
writing for anything but money.
—Jonathan Franzen

10. “Respect the way characters may change
once they’ve got 50 pages of
life in them.”
—Rose Tremain

11. ―Remember: when people tell you
something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them,
they are almost always right.‖
—Neil Gaiman

12. “Read it aloud to yourself because that is
the only way to be sure the rhythms of the
sentences are okay.”
—Diana Athill

13. “Open your mind to new experiences, particularly to
the study of other people. Nothing that happens to a writer—
however happy, however tragic—is ever wasted.”
—PD James

14. ―Have more than one idea on the go at any one
time. If it’s a choice between writing a book and
doing nothing I will always choose the latter.‖
—Geoff Dyer

15. “A problem with a piece of writing often
clarifies itself if you go for a long walk.”
—Helen Dunmore

16. Record moments, fleeting impressions,
overheard dialogue, your own sadnesses
and bewilderments and joys.
—Michael Morpugo

17. Try to think of others’ good luck as
encouragement to yourself.
—Richard Ford

18. ―Get lucky.‖
–Ian Rankin

19. ―Finish what you’re writing. Whatever you
have to do to finish it, finish it.‖
—Neil Gaiman

20. ―Writing is work. Nobody is making you
do this: you chose it, so don’t whine.‖
—Margaret Atwood

21. ―Resign yourself to the lifelong sadness
that comes from never being satisfied.‖
—Zadie Smith

22. “Have humility.”
AL Kennedy

23. “Shut up and get on
with it.”
—Helen Simpson

24. Acknowledgments
 Ten Rules for Writing Fiction | Books |
guardian.co.uk
2/21/10
Part One available at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-
rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one
Part Two available at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/10-
rules-for-writing-fiction-part-two

25. Resources for Writers
 Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande
 Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
 Imaginative Writing: the Elements of Craft by
Janet Burroway
 Writing the Breakout Novel (and workbook) by
Donald Maass
 Tell It Slant: writing and shaping creative non-
fiction by Brenda Miller and Suzanne Paola
 The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book
Published by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry
Sterry
 Write Great Fiction – Dialogue by Gloria Kempton

26. Where to find me
 Website – http://galemartin.me
 Twitter – @Gale_Martin; @Operatoonity
 Facebook Fan Page – Gale Martin –Author
 Linked In – Gale Martin
 Goodreads – Gale Martin (author page)
 Email – galemartin.writer@gmail.com
 Amazon.com – Gale Martin (author page)
 Kirkus Reviews – DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA

27. Where to find DON JUAN IN HANKEY,
PA
"Packed with comic misadventures,
mystery, intrigue and opera lore, the
book rollicks along to
a satisfying conclusion."
-- Kirkus Reviews