140 Quotes by Anne McCaffrey

Your music can be played easily and well by any half-stringed harper or fumble-fingered idiot. Not that I'm maligning your songs. It's just that they're an entirely different kettle of fish-to use a seamanly metaphor-to Domick's. Don't you judge your songs against his standard! More people have already listened to your melodies and liked them than will ever hear Domick's, much less like them.

James Blish told me I had the worst case of "said bookism" (that is, using every word except said to indicate dialogue). He told me to limit the verbs to said, replied, asked, and answered and only when absolutely necessary.

Of course, an exhausting day at sail lines and nets left little energy to expend on running or laughing. Perhaps that was why her parents couldn't appreciate her music-it wouldn't appear to be hard work to them. Menolly shook her hands, letting them flap from her wrists. They ached and trembled from the constricted movements and tension of an hour of intensive playing. No, her parents would never understand that playing musical instruments could be as hard work as sailing or fishing.

Fear has its uses but cowardice has none.

Step by step Moment by moment We live through Another day

I didn't mean to stay up all night to finish Windhaven, but I had to!

Tell a story! Don't try to impress your reader with style or vocabulary or neatly turned phrases. Tell the story first!

Tell the readers a story! Because without a story, you are merely using words to prove you can string them together in logical sentences.

The blackest night must end in dawn, the light dispel the dreamer's fear.