17 Quotes by Carmen Agra Deedy

Read, read, read. Read good books. You will strengthen your understanding of story. Your vocabulary will be the richer for it.

I began telling stories as a volunteer in my daughters' school. But I grew up hearing stories from Cuban and Southern storytellers, and I learned a great deal by just being quiet and listening.

Listen to great storytellers; slowly, you will learn about voice, timing, tension, structure, climax - all the things you need to tell stories that will capture the imagination of your audience.

Listening to others does not mean you should sound like them; find your own voice by telling stories as authentically as possible.

You're more likely to finish a book you enjoy, than one that feels like literary drudgery.

The hardest part is making the time to write. Not finding the time to write, mind you. Making.

I cannot always write at the same time, in the same place. I work, travel and have a vigorous family life. If I'm stranded in an airport lobby - I write. If I have to wait in a doctor's office - I write. If I have a morning or evening to myself - I write.

I find that it takes a lot of years of living, and many more of reckoning, to come up with one worthwhile paragraph. And when a deadline looms, prayer doesn't hurt, either.