Judy Blume is an icon in the world of children’s literature. Some of her most famous works include: Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing, and Superfudge. Throughout her career, the author has inspired many to continue reading and writing. Here are some of her profound words.
“When I talk to kids and they say, ‘How do you become a writer?’, well, I don’t know that you become a writer: you just are. I always had stories, they were always there inside my head.”
“Writing saved my life. It saved me, it gave me everything, it took away all my illnesses.”
“When I’m writing a book, you can’t think about your audience. You’re going to be in big trouble if you think about it. You’ve got to write from deep inside.”
“Observe. Make notes. Listen carefully. Listen to how people talk to one another. A good writer is always a people watcher.”
“I try to create new characters in each book I write. That’s what makes writing fun and interesting for me.”
“I wanted to write honest books for kids because I didn’t have those when I was a kid.”
“The only thing that works with writing is that you care so passionately about it yourself, that you make someone else care passionately about it.”
“What I remember when I started to write was how I couldn’t wait to get up in the morning to get to my characters.”
“I would cry when the rejections came in…but I would wake up in the morning optimistic and saying, ‘Well, maybe they didn’t like that one, but wait till they see what I’m going to do next.’ And I think you just have to keep going.”
“Read your work aloud! This is the best advice I can give. When you read aloud you find out how much can be cut, how much is unnecessary. You hear how the story flows. And nothing teaches you as much about writing dialogue as listening to it.”
“I once met a woman who wanted to write… I suggested that instead of reading books about writing, she read the best books she could find, the books that would inspire her to write as well as she could.”
“You can start as many [projects] as you like because you’re writing for yourself. With each story you’ll learn more. One day it will all come together for you.”
“Even when you’re published you’ll have to contend with less than glowing reviews. There is no writer who hasn’t suffered.”
“There are no hard and fast rules for writing, and no secret tricks, because what works for one person doesn’t always work for another. Everybody is different. That’s the key to the whole business of writing—your individuality.”
I hope these quotes inspire you to keep on going and keep on dreaming. As Judy Blume once said- “If you don’t have dreams, what do you have?”
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