As for advice for aspiring authors, the best I can give is to be brave. It sounds like a simple enough thing, but it's not. Rejection is such an integral part of this journey, and it never goes away. Victoria Elizabeth Schwab
Young people like to think they're invincible. They don't like to face any situation where they've gotten weaker instead of stronger. Victoria Elizabeth Schwab
I still get rejections – frequently – and my goal isn't to never fail, to never be turned down, but simply to succeed more often than I don't. And in order to do that, I have to constantly put myself out there, to judgment, critique, and rejection. Victoria Elizabeth Schwab
I'd grown up an athletic child, a competitive soccer player since age 4, with stints ranging from months to years in gymnastics, softball, volleyball. Victoria Elizabeth Schwab
I think a lot of writers are tempted to add complexity by over-complicating things, but always remember that most natural rules/laws are, at their core, simple. Start simple, and build from there, or you risk getting yourself and your readers tangled. Victoria Elizabeth Schwab
It's always hard, when introducing readers to a new world/set of rules, not to lay it all out manual-style in the opening chapters but make sure to put the action and the characters at the front. If people don't become invested in them and in the story, the world in which it's set will become a burden. Victoria Elizabeth Schwab
I was fourteen, watching 'The Princess Bride' for the 254321th time, captivated by Wesley and Inigo dueling on the cliff-top. I had never held a sword in my life, but I phoned my mum and said, 'I want to learn to fence!' Victoria Elizabeth Schwab
I almost always start with setting! I have to know the world before I know how to populate it. I have a tendency to play with doors – between life and death, human and monster, mundane and magic – and with 'ADSOM,' I knew I wanted to play with the physical doors between worlds. Victoria Elizabeth Schwab
So many people think that if you're writing fantasy, it means you can just make everything up as you go. Want to add a dragon? Add a dragon! Want some magic? Throw it in. But the thing is, regardless of whether you're dealing with realism or fantasy, every world has rules. Make sure to establish a natural order. Victoria Elizabeth Schwab
Poland, of course, was the key country. I remember Stalin telling me that the plains of Poland were the invasion route of Europe to Russia and always had been, and therefore he had to control Poland. W. Averell Harriman
I have always loved and avidly read the novels of Jack London, Jules Verne and Ernest Hemingway. The characters depicted in their books, who are brave and resourceful people embarking on exciting adventures, definitely shaped my inner self and nourished my love for the outdoors. Vladimir Putin
Kids definitely go into bookstores after reading 'Twilight' and want something else like it. Phyllis Christine Cast
The first thing I do in the morning is take my vitamins. I don't want to say which vitamins; I don't think you should push what you believe in. Doctors should do that, not fashion designers. L'Wren Scott
Victoria Elizabeth Schwab
W. Averell Harriman
Vladimir Putin
Phyllis Christine Cast
Zac Brown
L'Wren Scott