You Quotes

“Experience is less about where we've traveled and worked, or what we've seen. It's more about our feelings. Reflecting on your interior life and your emotions leads back to story and to the realization that no matter what your age, if you've felt deeply, you've lived deeply. And in that way, you are a courageous person of deep experience. And when we acknowledge the infinite number of emotions that we're capable of feeling, we realize that there are an infinite number of ways to feel - and be - human. That's beautiful”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

“And it's important to note that dialogue is not only the words but also the nonverbal expressions between the words. The quiet pause, the hike of an eyebrow, the kneading of the hands, or the distracted look the other way. Gestures speak and breathe.”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

“In the universe of memories, we're all the villain in someone's story.”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

“At its best, writing facilitates reflection and comprehension, not condemnation.”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

“As much as home is a physical construction, it's also an emotional construction. As such, it's one of the most powerful settings in our memory and in our hearts.”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

“Familiarity has a way of stealing the sheen from our everyday existence.”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

“The excitement of life dwells within the waves.”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

“No, we are not perfect. But we are perfect in our imperfection. It's our imperfections of character, dialogue, and perspective that make us interesting and memorable.”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

“But with practice and exploration, you'll eventually find a style that feels so comfortable and resonant for you to write in, that you'll return to it again and again. It may take years. Decades. You may have to throw things out and start again. But it's worth it. Because along the way, you'll find your reason for writing; you'll find your purpose. You'll find your voice.”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

“But your true voice is layered deep within your life experience and your memories. It's the voice of your old diary, the voice of your desperation, and sometimes the voice you hope no one else will hear. With voice, age is an asset.”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

“But your true voice is layered deep within your life experience and your memories. It's the voice of your old diary, the voice of your desperation, and sometimes it's the voice you hope no one else will hear. With voice, age is asset.”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

“Such is the case with voice. It requires exploration, failure, success, hard work, grit, and, most of all, emotional experience.”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

“Backstories thread through our entire lives, and they should also thread through a character's life. They present surprises and obstacles that will enrich your story.”
― Ruta Sepetys, You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory