Quotes

Great Quotes About Writing: The Importance of Superman

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There are a lot of great quotes about writing out there; these are some of the most insightful, thought-provoking, or ‘ah ha!’ ones I’ve come across.

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“It’s not just that he’s perfect manifestation of our modern heroic ideal. Superman is a character who essentially casts a purifying light on a cynical world. For both the audience, as well as the fictional world he inhabits, he is someone whose power is great, but his motivations are simple.

He just wants to help.

He just wants to do the right thing.

There’s nothing complicated, nuanced, or elaborate. There doesn’t have to be with Superman. He is just a big, strong boy scout. He’ll engage in an epic, multiverse-spanning fight Darkseid one day and save a cat from a tree the next. Both are equally important to him. He doesn’t even see it as being a hero. Being good, being kind, and doing the right thing is just part of who he is.”

-Jack Fisher, describing what makes Superman such a great character

The above is a snippet of a post by author Jack Fisher on his official blog regarding the departure of Henry Cavill from his role as Superman in the DC cinemantic universe. There’s much more on the full post, where Mr. Fisher eloquently sums up why the character has endured for almost a century in pop culture, and why we need him ever, but this bit is one of the best descriptions of Superman I’ve ever read, and would be something that all writers of Superman – whether in comics, TV, films, or games – would benefit from remembering.

Great Quotes About Writing: Survivors Aren’t Fearless

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There are a lot of great quotes about writing out there; these are some of the most insightful, thought-provoking, or ‘ah ha!’ ones I’ve come across.

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‘Sigourney Weaver is such a great actress. I love how unlike some “women” (I used quotes because they don’t really seem that human , just “perfect”) in film, you really believe her terror but at the same time really see her in that adrenaline rush and just doing everything she can to survive. Those are my favorite types of characters in horror/thriller films in general. Their not made of stone with no sense of fear, but they also don’t sit around weeping and waiting for the killer to get them. These characters are terrified and can barely think or move, but they dig as deep as they can into their primal survival instincts and they just do what they need to do to survive.’

–David Ganderson, commenting on Ellen Ripley’s escape from the Nostromo in ‘Alien’ (emphasis mine)

Not much to add here: This is one of the best summaries of survivor characters I’ve ever come across, and a reminder that even a character who is brave and works to save themselves can still be scared out of their minds.

Great Quotes About Writing: Winning Without Punching

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There are a lot of great quotes about writing out there; these are some of the most insightful, thought-provoking, or ‘ah ha!’ ones I’ve come across.

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‘I can’t think of a single other superhero movie right now where the real superpower that saves the day is the protagonist’s ability to convince other people to Do the Right Thing.

Of all the major confrontations in the flick, Peter is either at a disadvantage, or loses. He never wins via punch. He convinces Harry to tell him where Octavius is. He convinces Octavius to sacrifice his life to save the city. He wins over a train car full of New Yorkers. He convinces MJ to attack Octavius at the last minute. He convinces freakin’ J. Jonah Jameson that Spider-Man is a hero.

We need more heroes like that, and fewer heroes who save the day by using billion-dollar tech and magic rocks to vaporize their enemies. Yeah, you heard me. F*** Tony Stark and Spider-Holland. Long live Spider-Tobey.’

–2lines1shape, commenting on ‘Spider-Man 2 Is a Perfect Sequel‘ (emphasis mine)

With superhero movies having saturated cinemas for the past decade, we’ve gotten used to expensive fight scenes, explosions, and magical artifacts being used to save the day at the climaxes of those movies. But as 2Lines1shape points out, perhaps the best heroes in fiction aren’t the ones who can punch through planets, control reality, or can blow things up with their minds.

The best heroes – superpowered or not – are the ones who inspire other people to be their best, to help them do what they can with their own abilities and gifts, and even save themselves, both physically and morally, characters like Superman, Atticus Finch, or Samwise Gamgee. They seek not to glorify themselves, but to extend a hand and invite us to join them in greatness.

Great Quotes About Writing: Taking A Journey

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There are a lot of great quotes about writing out there; these are some of the most insightful, thought-provoking, or ‘ah ha!’ ones I’ve come across.

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‘great story telling takes you on a journey WITH the character. You feel like you are on that journey with them because you see all the highs and lows. You see them when at their worst and grow with them. When a character is developed in this way, you have an emotional attachment to them and want them to win. Not only that but you remember that journey and want to see it again.

When watching the original Star Wars films now, the Special effects that are 30+ years old dont even bother me in the slightest because you want to be part of that characters journey again.

Making a film look good, with loads of amazing action makes it visually impressive the first time you see it. But a good story gets burned into your brain and you take it with you for ever.’

-Jameznash, commenting on ‘Why Jyn Erso is a better Rey than Rey is.‘

Regardless of how you may feel about Rey and the Star Wars sequel trilogy, this is a great quote about the importance of following a character in a story and seeing them grow from who they were to who they end up being. While the big choices and decisions they make are important, it’s also the little things that count, if not more so: Seeing them cry in private over how hard their journey may be, what hobbies they have to try and relax when they have a break from their responsibilities, and so on.  In other words, seeing their failures and the quirks that make them feel real, alive, and human.

Great Quotes About Writing: A Part Of Their World

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There are a lot of great quotes about writing out there; these are some of the most insightful, thought-provoking, or ‘ah ha!’ ones I’ve come across.

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‘This music video always makes me nostalgic even though I’m not old enough to have been around to watch the originals and the prequels in theaters (which is a fact that makes me sad). It’s such a good representation of the Star Wars cinematic universe. Being a fan of the movies isn’t just watching them, but loving the universe and the characters, and for me, wanting to be a part of their world…’

–Lindsey Kim, commenting on ‘NOT THE FUTURE’ (emphasis mine)

This is such a simple comment, but the last part of it jumped out at me; part of the appeal of so many fictional worlds is the eagerness to explore and experience it: How many of us have dreamed of visiting the Star Wars Universe, Hogwarts, or Middle-Earth? If my safety was guaranteed, I’d love to visit Lothlorien, Minas Tirith, Barad-Dur, Valinor, and so many other places in Tolkien’s universe and look things over, maybe sit down for dinner with some of the characters, drinking ale and munching on Lembas bread.

When crafting our fictional worlds, it’s easy to forget that, for all the drama, danger, and terror that our stories can hold, there should be good things, too, things that readers and audiences would want to experience for themselves. Perhaps it’s magic, incredibly advanced technology, recreational activities that allow people to live out their most beloved fantasies, or a world where governments actually get along and war is a thing of the past, but having these good things can draw in the audience and make them not only want to learn about this new setting they’re in, but even long for it to be real. And if they want to be a part of the world you’re presenting, then you’re doing something right.

Great Quotes About Writing: The Wisdom of Batman and Not Taking Things So Seriously

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There are a lot of great quotes about writing out there; these are some of the most insightful, thought-provoking, or ‘ah ha!’ ones I’ve come across.

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‘The Adam West “Batman” teaches us that life is serious and angsty enough without having to get more of it from our entertainment. That it’s ok to be lighthearted and not always take things so seriously. The world would be a better place if more people took this approach.‘

–Matthew Marcinko, commenting on the Honest Trailer for 1966’s, ‘Batman: The Movie’

While this isn’t a quote on writing, per se, it’s still a valuable reminder that not all fiction has to be serious; fun is a part of life, too, and we should cherish and remember that.

 

Great Quotes About Writing: The Difference between Scary and Gory

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There are a lot of great quotes about writing out there; these are some of the most insightful, thought-provoking, or ‘ah ha!’ ones I’ve come across.

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‘To any director given that assignment (directing a remake of ‘It’), here’s my advice: Maintain clarity about the difference between “Scary” and “Gory.” Do all you can of the former, and not too much of the latter. Keep your eye on the ball: First and foremost, It is about an evil assault on a group of kids, and how they respond to this epic crisis. Don’t get lost in special effects, gimmicks ‘n’ gore, stunts and fancy camera work — it’s always gonna be about the people, and that’s what counts.’

–Tommy Lee Wallace, in a retrospective of 1990’s ‘It’, Emphasis mine.

This is a fantastic quote that summarizes what so many horror stories seem to miss: Horror is not about how much blood, guts, and gore you can cram into a story; it’s about characters dealing with forces far more powerful than they are who want to harm them or those they love, and who are nearly impossible to harm or kill, if they can even be killed at all.

Furthermore, perhaps more than any other genre, caring about people in a horror story is vital. If we don’t care about them, then they’re just cannon fodder. Visual effects will inevitably become dated in horror movies, but great characters and a great story are timeless.

Great Quotes About Writing: The Mundane and Everyday Things

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There are a lot of great quotes about writing out there; these are some of the most insightful, thought-provoking, or ‘ah ha!’ ones I’ve come across.

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‘I’ve always liked how in Star Wars, they’d just show you the mundane, everyday things peppered in with the fantastic. It just gave it a believability that most sci-fi movies never can get across.’

-Phraggle, from this picture (emphasis mine)

Before reading this quote, I mainly thought about the things in Star Wars that most fans do: The lightsabers, the battles, the wars, and the Force. But thanks to this insight, I realized that, for all the futuristic things we see in Star Wars, we also see a lot of ordinary, everyday things:

*Political struggles of a struggling democracy

*50’s style diners

*Ordinary, boring jobs (moisture farmers, bartenders, and the like)

*Recreation (podracing, Colosseum fights, holographic chess, etc.)

*Repairing old, beat-up, spacefaring technology that, contrary to most science fiction, does indeed wear down and break.

All these things, while minor, and background details for the most part, give the Star Wars universe a feel of being lived in, of existing beyond the main conflict, and that the characters who inhabit this world have the same issues we face, as well as enjoyments. When applied to other stories, whether they’re set in the reality, the future, the past, or in alternate dimensions, it lets writers create a living, breathing place that invites the audience to imagine what’s happening beyond what’s presented to us.

Great Quotes About Writing – Have Fun, But Don’t Just Check Off Boxes

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There are a lot of great quotes about writing out there; these are some of the most insightful, thought-provoking, or ‘ah ha!’ ones I’ve come across.

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‘…when telling a story, it is important to commit to making the characters, plot developments and other narrative accoutrements actually work on their own merits. If the writers are simply rushing from one plot point to the next instead of making everything feel real and worthy of emotional investment, audiences will intuitively notice and penalize you for it.

In addition, a movie has to have fun telling its story; if it feels like a chore to make it, it will also feel like a chore for those who have to watch it. Finally, it is crucial to bring something new to the table beyond a few interesting ideas sprinkled here and there. Barring that, if you’re going to do a remake, make sure the story that you’re remaking is one that audiences actually want to have told to them.’

-Matthew Rozsa, from this article (emphasis mine)

 

Great Quotes About Writing – The Importance of Leaving Some Things A Mystery

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There are a lot of great quotes about writing out there; these are some of the most insightful, thought-provoking, or ‘ah ha!’ ones I’ve come across.

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‘You ruin anything when you explain it too much, from JK Rowling’s daily revisions of Harry Potter to how you made the ribs so tender and spicy, but not TOO tender and spicy.

There’s magic in the mystery, and as a creator you inspire your audience to stretch their imaginations and invent their own stories and explanations. By that, you also give your creation its own life beyond your own abilities.

When I was a kid, I had my own story about how Leia knew Vader, and what the Clone Wars were, or what Jabba the Hutt looked like. What happened at Ord Mantell with the bounty hunter? I had a story. What did the gang do after defeating the Empire? So many stories…’

-Chairman Kaga, from this thread (emphasis mine)