You know, when a book or chapter starts with some famous quote? Are you tired of seeing it? I was never planning on doing something like that but then I found a quote that goes right to the heart of my WIP. I'm tempted. Still not sure if it's a good idea though. Your thoughts, folks, please.
Is the whole quote thing too cliché?
- Thread starter Stuart Clark
- Start date
- Status
It probably depends. I usually don't pay much attention to them, but then I was reading some stuff in a slush pile and this one caught my eye - totally cool, totally perfect for the book. I'd never heard the quote before, though, and I think that's what made the difference.
It's similiar to song lyrics - it might not mean the same thing to your readers, so if you're relying on it to set the mood, it's probably not worth it.
It's similiar to song lyrics - it might not mean the same thing to your readers, so if you're relying on it to set the mood, it's probably not worth it.
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2008
- Messages
- 147
- Reaction score
- 35
- Location
- In the Darkness
- Website
- www.radicaldreams.com
If it is something that just happens to fit well and you can't think of anything better than use it.
I don't touch quotes, better off leaving it to the pro's IMO.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2005
- Messages
- 43,746
- Reaction score
- 8,654
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Website
- www.amazon.com
Is the quote really famous or just marginally famous, maybe even obscure to a lot of people? If it's really famous, such as MLK's "I have a dream...", then your readers might find it patronizing or heavy-handed. If it's obscure, then your readers may not really care.
I'm tentatively beginning and ending with quotes from Euripides' Medea since like...it was a source of insight and uh is extremely relevant. Besides, it's kind of my way of saying dude, thanks, if you hadn't wrote this my novel would be a thousand times crappier. A nod to those who have gone before.
It's called a epigraph...and I love seeing them. It gives you an insight into the author, IMHO. Actually, I hear you do not need permission to use these quotes, but I may be wrong. I received permission to use a line from a Leonard Cohen song as an epigraph in my novel that is currently under consideration. For me, the one line seemed to speak out to me while I wrote the book...it encapsulated the whole thing for me.
I would say go for it!
I would say go for it!
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2005
- Messages
- 6,072
- Reaction score
- 4,324
Like everything else, I think it depends.
I've read some books where the quotes were a welcome addition to the story, offering both backstory and insight into the chapter.
I've read some books where the quotes were a welcome addition to the story, offering both backstory and insight into the chapter.
MDSchafer
Banned
- Joined
- May 21, 2007
- Messages
- 1,871
- Reaction score
- 321
- Location
- Atlanta, GA
- Website
- firstfolio.blogspot.com
Putting someone's quote on top of your work usually says to me that you lack confidence in your own words. I'm sure that is not why most people use them. I don't know why people use them. However, that's what the use of them says to me.
I have learned to skip them. If I see a book has a lot of them, I tend to assume the writing is not very good.
Interesting. I have no interest in getting insight into authors so maybe this is why they don't work for me. Unless you mean the author's intention in writing the story. Again, of no interest to me. When I read, the story stands or falls on its own.
Obviously this is my opinion. I'm sure they work for some people.
I have learned to skip them. If I see a book has a lot of them, I tend to assume the writing is not very good.
Interesting. I have no interest in getting insight into authors so maybe this is why they don't work for me. Unless you mean the author's intention in writing the story. Again, of no interest to me. When I read, the story stands or falls on its own.
Obviously this is my opinion. I'm sure they work for some people.
Yes...of course the story has to stand or fall on its own. But...for me...I see the writer as a human being. I like to know more about them. Especially if I love their work. If an author is placing an epigraph in the preface of their novel, it means that quote means something to them. I dig knowing that. I'm all about the story, but I also like learning what makes the author tick. I especially enjoy an epigraph if it carries a significance to the story, which it should. And, come on...let's face it, these are usually one line. It doesn't take a planned holiday to read one line. I love reading quotes that other people see as significant. I love finding new significant quotes.
Mark Z. Danielewski's "House of Leaves" (a truly fantastic book) opens with a very simple quote, courtesy of Mr. Lennon: "I saw a film today, oh boy."
Such a simply, innocent little quote. And you would not believe how perfectly it fits the book. The irreverence of it constrasts perfectly with the nature of the film the book deals with. The 'oh boy' implies it's not that serious, Danielewski's film ruins lives.
Would the book still be awesome without the quote that opens it? Of course! But that one line just adds a little something, and I for one am glad it's there.
Such a simply, innocent little quote. And you would not believe how perfectly it fits the book. The irreverence of it constrasts perfectly with the nature of the film the book deals with. The 'oh boy' implies it's not that serious, Danielewski's film ruins lives.
Would the book still be awesome without the quote that opens it? Of course! But that one line just adds a little something, and I for one am glad it's there.
I agree. I enjoy them. Some writers overdo it, but a single quote at the beginning of your book or a few short quotes spread throughout the book can be very effective in reinforcing your themes. The permission part sometimes can be a real pain, though -- especially if it's a quote that's been used in more than one book.
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2006
- Messages
- 7,508
- Reaction score
- 800
- Location
- Winter Haven, Florida
- Website
- www.donaldmichaelplatt.com
I read them as if they are prologues, and I use them for the same reason. I do become moderately hostile to the author when they are in foreign languages and left untranslated.
www.donaldmichaelplatt.com
www.donaldmichaelplatt.com
I once read a book that had quotes at the start of every chapter. And they were all in ancient Hebrew. That was annoying.
Well, my MC is a librarian who has been turned into a vampire. For each volume in my three-book series, I have one book that the librarian is reading to learn about her new culture, a specific issue she's going through in the plot, etc. I open each chapter with a quote from that book.It usually ties in with what's happening in the chapter.
It works for my stuff because as a librarian, books are an essential part of my MC's life.
It works for my stuff because as a librarian, books are an essential part of my MC's life.
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2007
- Messages
- 2,918
- Reaction score
- 604
It depends on why they're there. Sometimes I feel like they're unnecessary and somewhat distracting; other times, they really illuminate the book. I recently read a thriller, The Fifth Vial, that started each chapter with a quote by Plato. At first, I thought this was sort of pretentious. As the plot unfolded, though, it turned out that the quotes were key clues to what was going on. That was nicely done.
Yay for me that someone out there enjoys them and reads them. My first novel has them at the beginning of every chapter. My betas have all mentioned that they really enjoy how the quotes tie in with the story. They aren't famous quotes that everyone knows, though some of them may sound familiar.
My story can stand alone without them - absolutely. They aren't a crutch in anyway for me. I just thought it was a nice way to introduce each chapter. I really like them, and though I'd be slightly disappointed if an editor told me to delete them...I'd be so happy that I'd gotten that far, I'd delete them in a second if it'd get me published! lol No, I'm not a sellout. I wouldn't change my characters or my storyline - but as I said, my quotes aren't vital to the story.
so to answer your question, I don't mind them. I also like to read them in books because I like trying to figure out how the tie in with the story. But sometimes, authors use such obscure quotes, I can't quite figure it out, and then I forget to go back and read the quote after I've finished reading the book.
Wow, totally rambling! Sorry!
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2005
- Messages
- 23,708
- Reaction score
- 10,661
- Location
- In a world of my own making
- Website
- shadowferret.wordpress.com
Don't go there, Ferret!I don't read those famous quotes any more than I read a prologue.
I definitely love them, yes!
The one I have permission to use is from Leonard Cohen's song ANTHEM. The quote is:
"There is a crack in everything...that's how the light gets in."
I just love the quote...it may even be the impetus for the novel...as I was listening to the song when I jumped into the marathon novel. It's a beautiful line...filled with potential. If I ever get this thing published, I pray that anyone who stumbles upon it will read the epigraph before plunging into the story. That song was my ballast during that gruelling weekend!
Even though I've only used them myself once, and only for a story I never bothered trying to get published, I love them! If I were you, I wouldn't drop them unless legal issues came up or your agent/editor gave you solid explanations as to why you should eliminate them. I think they add a lot to a novel.
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2007
- Messages
- 2,962
- Reaction score
- 629
- Location
- Bay Area, CA
- Website
- www.geardrops.net
And see, I didn't even remember that this quote was in there. (And yeah, seriously, what a book that was.) I don't even bother reading them.
I hate them. I find them condescending and trite for the most part. "I didn't know how to start my own book so I'm letting someone else do it." They're supposed to give you some insight into the story, but they don't make sense until you're done reading. What's the use?
Perhaps if the quote came at the end? I dunno. I've kept quotes at the top of my stories for reference, guidance, direction. But I always remove them from the final draft.
(Now, if you the reader of this post do this, I'm not attacking you. Go ahead and put in your quotes. I just won't read them. Everybody's happy.)
chapter beginnings
I'm writing a novel that uses gambling in the way A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT uses fly fishing. A friend suggested I put quoted passages at the beginnings of the chapters, and it worked really well. Each passage has to do with gambling. For example, the protagonist gets married and I quote a passage about Vegas weddings. I think it adds a lot to the novel.
But I wouldn't use quotes as tool to explain a subtle aspect of the work. I think the themes should stand on their own.
I'm writing a novel that uses gambling in the way A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT uses fly fishing. A friend suggested I put quoted passages at the beginnings of the chapters, and it worked really well. Each passage has to do with gambling. For example, the protagonist gets married and I quote a passage about Vegas weddings. I think it adds a lot to the novel.
But I wouldn't use quotes as tool to explain a subtle aspect of the work. I think the themes should stand on their own.
I like them. Granted, I don't think every book needs one, or that they are appropriate for every kind of novel, but for the right book and with the right quote, I feel I've been given a clue either into the story, into the MC's heart or into the theme.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2007
- Messages
- 19,092
- Reaction score
- 4,059
If it's one quote at the beginning of a book, I'll read it if it's short, usually while I'm in the bookstore buying the book.
If it's real quotes before each chapter, I don't read them, usually.
If they're made up quotes (as done in some fantasy, where the quotes are made up with fake historians and writers and fake sayings and stuff) then I read them because they obviously have something to do with the book if the author made them up.
They don't bother me, though. I'd never think "this author sucks" or "this author's amazing" because of the quotes.
If it's real quotes before each chapter, I don't read them, usually.
If they're made up quotes (as done in some fantasy, where the quotes are made up with fake historians and writers and fake sayings and stuff) then I read them because they obviously have something to do with the book if the author made them up.
They don't bother me, though. I'd never think "this author sucks" or "this author's amazing" because of the quotes.
- Status