Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "quotations"

For this week's illustration, I created a "word cloud" based on one of my all-time favorite quotations. It is, as Virginia Woolf so eloquently said, "If you do not tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people."
Given recent news about authors who allegedly fabricated material in well-known books chronicling personal experiences, I couldn't think of a better quotation or subject for discussion.
In order to properly frame said discussion however, I must first review the differences between memoir, autobiography and fact-based novels.
While memoir and autobiography are both non-fiction, there is a significant difference between the genres. Generally speaking, a memoir chronicles a certain period or aspect of the author's life. An autobiography is devoted to the author's entire life.
On the other hand, fact-based novels, or novels "based on true experiences" are exactly that. Consequently, authors of such novels can take certain liberties with character and plot development.
Those of us who have written memoirs and autobiographies don't have the same leeway. For memoirists, it is especially important to remain faithful to the truth no matter what. We must be brutally honest not only with our readers, but with ourselves. Trust me, I speak from experience.
In my memoir, I was incredibly honest not only about my experience with my ex, but about myself. Because I chose to be truthful about my life, some critics have said my memoir lacks conflict, a "story arc" and "character development." Others have said I included too much mundane detail.
Well, let's be honest. For most of us, life is boring and mundane. Daily drudgery is just that. Frankly there was nothing extraordinary about my life whatsoever until my former-husband's revelation turned it upside down. And although I endured a tremendous betrayal at his hands, there wasn't a lot of conflict between us even after he shared his secret.
I suppose some readers would expect me to invent these details to satisfy their expectations. But the bottom line is that an award-winning journalist, I never manipulated the facts to sensationalize an issue and as an author I refused to manipulate the facts of my own life just to make my book more "marketable" or "entertaining." After all, I wrote a memoir, not a novel based on true experiences.
Neither I nor my ex-husband, nor anyone else in my memoir are "characters" that had to be developed. I made a conscious decision not to cheapen my life experience by writing "true fiction" that could be bent and twisted to appeal to the masses.
Apparently a North Korean prison camp survivor who recently confessed to lying about some details in a best-selling book about his life wasn't inclined to hold himself to the same standards.
Neither, apparently, was a teenager who recently admitted that the events in his memoir, The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, never occurred. In published reports, the teen, who co-wrote the book with his father, said he fabricated the story in order to get attention.
In one case, the publisher announced that it will stop selling the book. In the other, the North Korean prison camp survivor said he is now considering ending his human rights campaign. In any case I hope their stories serve as stark reminders that every action has consequences.
As for me, I have no regrets and I make no apologies. As the great William Shakespeare put it, "To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Until next time, "That's life..."

As someone once said, "A picture is worth a thousand words."
I must confess that as a writer, I used to hate that saying. I resented the idea that photographers captured images that easily conveyed or evoked emotions that I often struggled to put into words.
But somewhere along the line, photography became an interest and then hobby and then something that I did as part of my job. Now it's something I do for fun. Let's just call it another creative outlet.
At any rate, the resentment I once felt is now a thing of the past. Now I admire the photographers who have the technical skill I have never mastered. I have tremendous respect for skilled professionals like my friends Lisa, Adam and Randy.
But instead of emulating those who have mastered the craft, I've created my own unique style while embracing urban photography, beach photography, automotive photography and travel photography. Of all the places I love to shoot, New York City is my favorite. Since I love big, bold graphic images, Times Square is my favorite place to shoot in the Big Apple.
For some reason, I rarely photograph people. Perhaps it has something to do with my dislike of having my own picture taken. I've gotten a few shots of people that I like. One is of a man walking down Main Street in Warrenton, Va., during a snow storm. The other is the one I used as an illustration for this blog. I took it while visiting Lake Eleola Park in Orlando, Fla., a couple of weeks ago.
It was a beautiful, warm early February afternoon, and a number of people were sitting on the park benches near the veterans memorial. But this particular person caught my attention. I couldn't help but wonder about his or her story. After all, everybody has one.
Until next time, "That's life...'

So here I sit. It is 5:20 p.m. on Easter Sunday and I don't have a clue what to write about.
But all is not lost. I'll simply follow the (relatively) new adage that all bloggers swear by: when in doubt, make a list.
This isn't just any old list though. This particular list of some of my favorite quotes about aging is being compiled in honor of my grandfather's 100th birthday, which (knock on wood), he will celebrate in May.
Enjoy!
1. “Most people don't grow up. Most people age. They find parking spaces, honor their credit cards, get married, have children, and call that maturity. What that is, is aging.” ― Maya Angelou
2. “Keeping up the appearance of having all your marbles is hard work, but important.” ― Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants
3. “I want to grow old without facelifts... I want to have the courage to be loyal to the face I've made. Sometimes I think it would be easier to avoid old age, to die young, but then you'd never complete your life, would you? You'd never wholly know you.” ― Marilyn Monroe
4. “When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this but we all have to do it.” ― Mark Twain
5. “You don't stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.”― George Bernard Shaw
6. “It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone.”― Andy Rooney
7. “As you get older; you've probably noticed that you tend to forget things. You'll be talking with somebody at a party, and you'll know that you know this person, but no matter how hard you try, you can't remember his or her name. This can be very embarrassing, especially if he or she turns out to be your spouse.” ― Dave Barry
8. “Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.”― Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
9.“Embrace aging.” ― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie
10. “Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty. But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out.” ― Phyllis Diller
Until next time, "That's life..."

It doesn't really matter if you've met me in person or in print. Either way, you always know where I stand on any issue. I speak my mind. I don't care what anyone thinks.
Yes, I am brash. I am outspoken... and opinionated.
So of course I love New York.
It's filthy. It's grimy. It's crowded. It's loud. It's ridiculously expensive. It's tough. It's resilient. It's beautiful.
There is no room for argument or debate. There is no doubt about it. New York City is the greatest city in the world. Period. End of story.
If you don't believe me, consider the following:
1. “The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
2. “I love New York, even though it isn't mine, the way something has to be, a tree or a street or a house, something, anyway, that belongs to me because I belong to it.”
― Truman Capote
3. “The true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding.”― John Updike
4. “One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.” ― Tom Wolfe
5. “New York is an ugly city, a dirty city. Its climate is a scandal, its politics are used to frighten children, its traffic is madness, its competition is murderous.
But there is one thing about it - once you have lived in New York and it has become your home, no place else is good enough.”
― John Steinbeck
6. “London is satisfied, Paris is resigned, but New York is always hopeful. Always it believes that something good is about to come off, and it must hurry to meet it.”
― Dorothy Parker
7. “You can do what you like, sir, but I'll tell you this. New York is the true capital of America. Every New Yorker knows it, and by God, we always shall.”― Edward Rutherfurd, New York
8. “New York is made up of millions of different people, and they all come here looking for something” ― Lindsey Kelk, I Heart New York
9. “When you leave New York, you are astonished at how clean the rest of the world is. Clean is not enough.” ― Fran Lebowitz
10.“Practically everybody in New York has half a mind to write a book -and does”― Groucho Marx
11. “When you leave New York you ain't going anywhere.” ― Jimmy Breslin
12. “My advice for aspiring writers is go to New York. And if you can’t go to New York, go to the place that represents New York to you, where the standards for writing are high, there are other people who share your dreams, and where you can talk, talk, talk about your interests. Writing books begins in talking about it, like most human projects, and in being close to those who have already done what you propose to do.”
― Walter Kirn
Until next time, "That's life..."

Lord, it's hot in here. And I'm tired - and cranky. My brain is feeling frazzled because I've been cramming for my Family Law final all afternoon. And I've got a guilty conscience because I should still be studying.
But it's Monday and that means I've got a blog to write, and well, now is as good a time as any... especially since I came across such an inspirational quote. Okay, okay, "inspirational quotation" for all of you grammar freaks out there.
It happens every so often. I read or hear something that really resonates with me. Frequently, the quotation that makes me laugh or smile, or groan, or want to put my fist through the wall, is something I come across while reading. Sometimes it is a "goodreads quote of the day," like this one.
I liked it so much, I shared it on Twitter, along with the editorial comment, "Hell, yeah!"
I think it resonated with me so strongly because, like many of you, I've spent years toiling away as a writer. Long before I became an award-winning author, I was an award-winning journalist. Now that was a thankless profession.
I spent more than two decades working long hours for what amounted to less than minimum wage along side and for people whom I freely admit I hated then and still do to this day. Yes, I hold a grudge -- and yes, I can assure you that the general public has every right to detest the mainstream media. Trust me.
But I digress. The fact is I never would have become an award-winning author if I'd never been a reporter. Working in the newspaper business for 21 years provided me with invaluable experience. Sure, I learned how to write -- and how to do it well. But I learned much more than that. I learned how to accept praise with humility and criticism with grace. I learned that a thick skin is essential and self-confidence trumps all.
I learned that writing -- in any form -- is a creative endeavor. As such, it is judged subjectively. Some people will love what you write with good reason and some people will hate what you write for no reason at all. A few people will let you know when they like your work... but don't hold your breath. Most people won't. Most people will let you know when they don't like something, but don't sweat it... that's just human nature and let's face it, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Yes, everyone is a critic... and as I just said, that's fine. Personally I don't care how many people hate my work, as long as they keep buying my book. Indifference is far more bothersome to me than someone's honest opinion.
Still I can't help but wonder if all of those critics understand or appreciate how difficult writing truly is. It takes more than skill. It takes a certain amount of intestinal fortitude, especially for those of us who decide to share our life stories with the world. We do so knowing that readers will judge not only our stories, but the way in which we choose to relay them. In so doing we make ourselves incredibly vulnerable.
Yet when push comes to shove, we are not alone. Everyone has a story. So, to put it simply,"if you do not like someone else's story, write your own."
Until next time, "That's life..."