Kate Klise Quotes & Sayings

I like to take writing retreats within a day's drive of home. Less travel time means more time for writing, which is the name of the game here. — Kate Klise

Because that's what art is; that's what it does. It breaks your heart. It moves you. If it doesn't do that, forget it. It's not worth it. — Kate Klise

For the next thirteen-plus hours, I stared out the window at the passing towns and countryside. All those lives. All those untold stories and private dramas. There was something so beautiful and sad about it. I felt weirdly emotional, like I was running away from home, but also running to a new home. — Kate Klise

When I lead essay workshops, I ask students to come up with at least five topics, which they'll narrow down to one. The winning idea should be the story the student is most excited to tell because it honestly reflects his or her best self. — Kate Klise

I like that there's no love as fierce as the love you feel for your family; that there's no one you feel more protective of than the very same people who can drive you crazy. — Kate Klise

Just like old librarians, old coins are often more valuable than they appear at face value. — Kate Klise

As writers, we must keep throwing problems at our characters. Conflict is the heart of good storytelling. Hiking in nature along a twisting trail can remind us what a good story feels like. It's the opposite of a treadmill - or an interstate highway. — Kate Klise

I walked down Paseo del Prado, losing myself to the sights, sounds, and dense magic of the city. There's something weirdly calming about being alone in a big city. It made me feel like the universe was hugely generous, and that my species was so damn smart to have constructed such a beautiful city. — Kate Klise

Some wishes come true. some wishes dont. sometimes you find out you were wishing for the completely wrong thing. — Kate Klise

One of the best essays I've seen in recent years was by a young woman who wrote about how being chosen to choreograph a high school musical forced her to assume a leadership role she wasn't sure she was ready for - but of course she was. — Kate Klise

Many adult book authors supplement their income by teaching at the college level. Full-time professors fare well, but pay for adjunct professors is notoriously shabby. Children's book authors have a sweeter deal. We're invited by schools, libraries, law firms, and Fortune 500 companies to share our best writing tips and strategies. — Kate Klise

I think romance is harder in the digital or postdigital age or whatever we're supposed to call it. Love is harder. — Kate Klise

Is that what I wanted? To be in the middle of something complicated and dramatic? To be a cheerleader for someone else's romance? Or to have a romance of my own? — Kate Klise

Writing for children isn't easy. Kids will abandon a story that doesn't interest, enchant, delight, thrill, or terrify them. But when you can find a way into a young reader's imagination through something as simple as words on paper, well, there's nothing more satisfying. — Kate Klise

And you know, the crazy thing about love," I went on, "is that you can tell the other person anything in the world, and they'll love you. No matter what. — Kate Klise

You don't have to know what you want to be. That comes later. But I want you to know what you want to be. That comes later. But I want you to want more than just having a job and muddling through life. I want you to find a passion you believe in strongly enough to risk humiliation and rejection. — Kate Klise

And you know, that's another reason I named her Coco. Because to me, chocolate is about indulging in things that give you pleasure. And what's the point of life if you can't find joy? — Kate Klise

Uh, puedo hablar con Andrew Nelson, por favor?" I asked, feeling like an idiot.
"Quien?"
"El americano," I explained. "Muy grande americano."
In trying to describe my father, I sounded like I was ordering coffee. But it worked. — Kate Klise

For years, friends in Springfield, Missouri, have remarked on the physical resemblance between Brad Pitt and his only brother, Doug. But the two share a deeper similarity: their commitment to charitable causes. — Kate Klise

I want to give kids that fall-off-the-bed-laughing feeling. Either that, or the sixth-grade feeling that life is hard - sometimes unbearably hard - and it is ultimately about death. But in the meantime, life can be really funny, too. — Kate Klise

I'm still driven by the feeling I had when I wrote my first book or read a Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle adventure. — Kate Klise

I like working on stories where I can explore the darker corners of childhood without illustrations but with humor. — Kate Klise

Can I tell you what I want? I want to stop wanting things I can't have. I want to stop falling for jerks I don't need. And I want to stop feeling like an f/ing gooey butter cake somebody left out in the rain. — Kate Klise

But we're all characters in our own stories, Iggy. — Kate Klise

I'm so convinced that hiking helps my writing that I recently decided to offer a series of hiking-writing workshops to see if others had the same experience. — Kate Klise

P.S. Nothing personal, but I think this journal assignment is a waste of time. I know I have to do something to make up for all the work I'm missing at school, but I HATE busywork. And that's what this journal thing is. Half the teachers at school assign work they never read. When we get stupid assignments like that, I always write somewhere on my paper "blah blah blah" or "I bet you're not even reading this," are you? or "Give me a sign if you're reading this." They never are. — Kate Klise

And so, we end with a beginning. Because every ending is really a beginning. All you need is a house that's old and creaky ... filled with lots of books ... a cat ... a person who's willing to try again ... someone who promises never to leave ... and most important of all ... a little Hope. — Kate Klise

The smartest thing I ever did as a writer was hire a retired conservation agent to blaze a hiking trail for me. It's nothing fancy - just a narrow path that meanders for a little over a mile through the woods near my home. But that trail through the trees has become my therapist, my personal trainer, and my best editor. — Kate Klise

Remember that other people are as real as you.Other people's feelings are as real as yours.In fact, our feelings are what make us real. — Kate Klise

What's wrong with just talking? Isn't that why bars were invented? So you could talk to somebody over a drink - as opposed to sitting at home alone getting sloshed? — Kate Klise

But for those of us lucky to be alive there are some things that should be said face to face. — Kate Klise

In his homilies, this old Jesuit always talked about desire, and how we were connected by our desires. He said the most basic human desire was the desire to be desired by one you desire. — Kate Klise

During the holiday season, it's easy to forget that sometimes the best gift of all is simply the gift of time. I can't think of anything a writer would appreciate more than being given time and space to work. — Kate Klise

Many things can cause us to worry, but a kind word or deed can do wonders. Sometimes that's all we need to feel better. — Kate Klise

I love the Bronte sisters, but I feel a closer kinship to the Ephron sisters, Nora and Delia, if only because their work makes me laugh more than the Brontes. I also love the Mitford sisters with their secret language and their endless letters back and forth. — Kate Klise

Now think of life in the same terms. Start over when you have to. Make a second draft. Or a third. Embrace the chance you have to do things over again in a different, better, wiser way. — Kate Klise

Recent studies have shown that our creativity is increased by 60% when we're walking. I encourage my workshop participants to write at their desks but think on their feet. — Kate Klise

You stupid, selfish, philandering coach-class jackass. — Kate Klise

What do people want? Well, you really can't talk about wants until you talk about needs. — Kate Klise

I know I should try harder to make her feel necessary in my life. It totally freaked her when I said I didn't need her anymore. But isn't that the whole point of growing up? A healthy bird can fly the nest? Roots and wings and all that Hallmarky crap? — Kate Klise

I'm pretty good at walking away from things - probably too good, in fact. — Kate Klise

Every writer dreams of having a backyard cottage, similar to Dahl's 'writing hut.' English cottages and charming huts might seem out of reach, but a good carpenter could build a modest cottage on the cheap. — Kate Klise

Among my books, the ones that sell best are for readers between the ages of 8 and 12. According to a study by the Association of American Publishers, the largest area of industry growth in 2014 was in the children and young adult category. — Kate Klise

Early in my publishing career, someone told me I'd need to have five books in print before I could quit my job as a journalist. Turns out it was closer to 10 books. It also turns out that while it's great to see my titles on bookstore shelves, my best customers are schools and libraries. — Kate Klise

If these artist were trying to convince me that the pursuit of love in the postdigital age was more exciting, more mysterious, more ... . well, everything love should be, they'd failed. — Kate Klise

If your hogs have warts, call us. Hogwarts Wart Removal. 555-HOGWARTS — Kate Klise

It's nice of Mrs. Goe to think that marching against the juvenile juror law is going to keep kids safe. But the fact is, we're NOT safe. Nobody is. That's the whole point. There's no such thing as being safe
here or anywhere. People get hurt every day. Some people get killed by weirdos like Bob White and some people just get teased to death at the lunch table for drinking orange soda or eating a tuna fish sandwich. — Kate Klise

Our job as friends, mentors, parents, and writing coaches is not to write anyone's college essay. That's cheating. Plus, it sends a discouraging message to the teenager that he or she can't be trusted with this important assignment. Trust the student to write the essay, but verify that it gets done. Gentle editing and proofreading are allowed. — Kate Klise

The tagline at Westin hotels is that they strive to surprise and delight their guests. This is exactly what a college essay should do. — Kate Klise