by Ruth Floresca

Created on: April 21, 2009

I am a book "highlighter". That is, I usually highlight quotes, sentences and even whole paragraphs that I could relate to or which provoked me to think deeper thoughts. Usually, these passages would stupefy me enough to make me stop reading and backtrack a few lines just so I can savor more the meaning of those beautifully written words.

Needless to say, whenever I read any book on writing, the pages of that tome will not be left pristine for long. As a writer myself, it is a wonderful feeling to discover that there are others who feel exactly like me.

When I saw this Helium title, I was inspired to bring out the writing books I have and check the pages where my Dermatograph pencils left their marks. Allow me to share with you what I found. It's great to be reunited once again with the beauty of these words, some of which I have already forgotten over time.

Quotes from Julius Lester's book "On Writing for Children and Other People"

"There is a sacred place in each of us, whether we know it or not. It is from that place I seek to write and it is to that place in you my words seek to go."

"For writers the issue is not whether we write about our culture or someone else's. The issue is what it has always been - that we write well, that we write with integrity, that we write as much of the truth as we are able to apprehend."

"I write for anyone who honors my efforts by picking up a book I've written because, it its essence, story is one heart touching another."

"Within all of us, there is still that baby who cried, that baby who cries. By deciding to write for children, I chose to continue listening to that crying child."

"The best editor is one who understands what the writer is doing and helps him to do it better."

"I had an instinct for words, which are so real to me that I feel like I hold them in my hands and assess their weight and shape before deciding which ones to put on the page."

"The aspiring writer must read everything he or she can to appreciate the myriad ways words are used and to what effect."

"The extent to which others know us is determined by the stories we choose to share. Sharing stories creates trust because through stories we come to a recognition of how much we have in common."

"Words had the power to make people laugh ... How incredible that something I said could evoke joy."

Quotes from the book "Writing that Works" by Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson

"If you write 'infer' when you mean 'imply,' not more than one reader in ten will detect your lapse.

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