Quote of the Day

[Lonna]

;) We could start a "Quote of the Day" and use quotes about Tolkien; by Tolkien; about Peter Jacksons "The Lord of the Rings" films; about New Zealand; about the writing process--or whatever seems appropriate to The Tolkien Forum and the Writers Guild.

I'll start, borrowing from The Writer's Lifeline:

Here's the Writer's Lifeline quote of the day,
inspiration from writers, for writers:

"Evil, that is, has every advantage but one - it is inferior in imagination. Good can imagine the possibility of becoming evil - hence the refusal of Gandalf and Aragorn to use the Ring - but Evil, defiantly chosen, can no longer imagine anything but itself. Sauron cannot imagine any motives except lust for domination and fear so that, when he has learned that his enemies have the Ring, the thought that they might try to destroy it never enters his head, and his eye is kept toward Gondor and away from Mordor and the Mount of Doom."

W. H. Auden, reviewing Tolkien's masterpiece, from the New York Times, January 1956 (via David Angsten)

*****************************

A Note: Auden was part of the same writers' Group as Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and others who met at an Oxford pup to share their manuscripts. The group was called the Inklings. Auden wrote poetry. Gee, to have been part of The Inklings!

[Lonna]

Another day, another quote. This one is by J.R.R. Tolkien himself.

Tolkien made up the word "eucatastophe" to refer to the great turning point in a story--from despair to hope. He wrote to his son Christopher that the Resurrection of Christ "was the greatest 'eucatastrophe' possible in the greatest Fairy-story--and produces that essential emotion: Christian joy which produces tears because it is qualitatively so much like sorrow, because it comes from those places where Joy and Sorrow are at one, reconciled, as selfishness and altruism are lost in love."

In the film "The Return of the King," When Sam and Frodo lay on the rock as lava poured around them, and they saw no escape at the end, they shed tears together. Then the eagles swooped them up and carried them to safety.

When Frodo left his Hobbit friends to sail off with the elves, Gandalf told Merry, Pippin, and Sam not to fear weeping, because not all tears are sorrowful.

Those were both "eucatastrophes" in the last film.

[Gandalf The Grey]

Two days late and a gold piece short! :)

"Evil, that is, has every advantage but one - it is inferior in imagination. ...." W. H. Auden

I'm familiar with both of the quotes you've posted so far ... good choices, Lonna! * bows *

The memory of something I once read returns when I see the first sentence of your first quote, about the surprising mundanity of evil.

In Germany, they were having a casting call looking for an actor to play the part of the guy in the Nazi concentration camp who processed incoming Jews. An older man showed up for the audition, rather shy and very mild-mannered. When it was his turn to show his stuff, the man walked over to the table and sat down in front of the paperwork. As the actor portraying a Jewish prisoner joined the auditioning actor-guard at the table, this "guard" hunched forward and in a bland voice so low he could barely be heard, began to ask the "prisoner" information about his name, address, age, etc. The "guard" didn't even make eye contact, instead keeping his head down or cupping the side of his head in one of his hands, elbow on the table.

"CUT!" shouted the film producers. "That's all wrong. You're no good for the part."

"Really?" asked the old man, standing up after his audition, "But this is exactly how I used to question the prisoners when I actually worked as a Nazi guard years ago."

[Lonna]

Gandalf the Grey,

Thanks for the praise. I liked your quotes, too. We could all jump in and add whatever quotes we can find.

[Lonna]

In his essay "On Fairy Tales," Tolkien wrote that fairy tales were more for adults than children.

"Fairy-stories have in the modern lettered world been relegated to the 'nursery,' as shabby or old-fashioned furniture is relegated to the play-room, primarily because the adults do not want it, and do not mind if it is misused."

What do you think of that quote?

[Lonna]

Tolkien, a Christian, once wrote:

"The Incarnation of God is an infinitely greater thing than anything I would dare to write. To reject it leads either to sandness or to wrath."

Interesting, eh?

[Lonna]

I realize I've neglected the Quote of the Day. Here is one I got from msn.com, talking about the end of the films:

"Yet for actors Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, the end of the journey is a little more bittersweet.

"'It's funny because when we talk about the end and the leaving process and all that, there are kind of a lot of ends -- it has ended many, many times over the past four years," Elijah Wood says. "The sort of iconic end is when we left New Zealand after principle photography, which was three years ago, and that was a very difficult thing.'"

"Yet as hard as leaving New Zealand was re-adjusting to life back in the United States was even tougher.

"'Because we were so used to that world in New Zealand, suddenly I didn't quite know what my own life meant anymore,'" Wood smiles. "'So it was really about trying to reinstate myself into reality and what that meant. It took me about five or six months to come out of hibernation really, to being whole and complete and back in the world again. That sounds pretty dramatic, but it was pretty profound.'"

--from "Return of Frodo and Sam:
Elijah Wood and Sean Astin cross the 'Lord of the Rings' finish line"

By Vanessa Sibbald
Zap2It.com

So, I ask you all, what is Reality? Didn't Elijah Wood find a better reality in New Zealand than in Los Angeles? I live on a mountain near Los Angeles and do not drive there unless I have no other choice. I spent a month in New Zealand last summer and left my heart there. The reality of green hills, silver ferns, forests, and "wetas" (guess what they are) far surpasses the fakeness of Hollywood. I'm so glad Peter Jackson proved that Hollywood is not the only place where actors can work and films can be made. And I think that the cast members for "The Lord of the Rings" films will always feel the tug to return to New Zealand--as will all who enter that wild and elvish place.

What do you all think? Want to plan a group trip to New Zealand for next summer?

[Lonna]

"Yes, it's hard to write, but it's harder not to."--Carl Van Doren

[Lonna]

I'm half Irish, and I've been known for dreaming up crazy things that probably would never happen--like my books becomming Best Sellers . . . But, hey, I got to travel in England, Scotland, Ireland, and New Zealand for awhile because of those crazy dreams.

My newest crazy dream was to apply my local newspaper for The Pulitzer Prize. Yes, THE Pulitzer Prize. Why not reach for the best? After all, the staff did a great job covering our devastating October mountain wildfire, even though 3 staff members (including the Editor) lost their homes and all their possessions in the blaze.

When I told the publisher about my idea, he said,

"It's a crazy idea. But interesting."

So wish us luck! Maybe this idea will come true . . .

DREAM BIG! :cool:

[Lonna]

Friends of mine were planning their 25th Wedding Anniversary Party last October.

"Wow, 25 years," I mumbled when I heard about it. "How could 2 people live together that long without killing each other?"

Anyway, this couple had a Pastor lined up to oversee their Renewal of Vows, singers and musicians lined up for Entertainment, and a caterer lined up for Food.

The very day of their party a wildfire started on our mountain. I thought, "No big deal. I'll go anyway."

Then my friends called to say that the Pastor had already evacuated and that they were headed out the door.

"We've called off our Anniversary Part," they lamented.

That wildfire burned up most of our mountain, many homes, and kept us all evacuated for 2 weeks.

When we returned, I said to my friend Jim,

"That must have been very depressing for that couple. What would you say if on your 25th Anniversary your mountain caught on fire?"

Jim looked at me and then exclaimed, hitting the coffee table for emphasis,

"I'd say, 'My marriage is HOT!'"

************************

How's that for looking on the bright side of things??? :cool:

[Lonna]

In "The Tolkien Reader" (page 88), Tolkien is quoted:

"The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories. They contain many marvels, particularly artistic, beautiful, and moving: 'mythical' in their perfect, self-contained significance . . . But this story has entered History and the primary world . . . This story is supreme, and it is true. Art has been verified. God is the Lord, of angels, and of men--and of elves."

As a Christian, Tolkien was writing about the New Testament books (especially Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the Gospels). Isn't that interesting?

[Lonna]

In "The Fellowship of the Ring," (the book) Galadriel discusses her mirror that Frodo looked into to see the future.

“This is what your folk would call magic, I believe; though I do not understand clearly what they mean; and they seem also to use the same word for the deceits of the Enemy,” she said (page 468).

I find this quote very interesting.

P.S. I finally got my avatar! Thanks, Lanty! :)

[Lonna]

Here's a quote from Gandalf, from "The Fellowship of the Ring":

In “The Council of Elrond” chapter, Elrond and Gandalf condemn “sorcery.” Gandalf explains that Saruman has become evil because of his pride and lust for power and that:

“It is perilous to study too deeply the arts of the Enemy, for good or for ill” (page 345, Ballantine Edition).

[Bethelarien]

A little something(s) that I'm using for this issue of my lovely underground newspaper:

"Apathy is an infectious disease." ~L. Kuhlenberg

"You should be anxiously engaged in a good cause." ~J. Smith

:D

[Lonna]

Nice quotes!

Anybody else have any?

[Finduilas]

Happy St. Valentine to everybody!
Here're some quotes for the so called "situation"..."in love"... :rolleyes: :

All you need is love! - The Beatles :D

I'm drunk of my younger days!
So beautiful is everything around me!
Women and wine! Wine and women! - Kiril Hristov (a Bulgarian singer)

The Intelectual person is the one who has found something more interesting than sex. - Edgar Wolas

A girl can wait the right man to appear but meanwhile nothing stops her from having fun with the sinners! - Cher

I kissed my first girl and lit my first cigarrette in one and the same day, since then I don't have time for cigarrettes. - Arturo Toscannini

If you follow all the rules, you lose all the pleasure. - Katrin Hapbern

I think that there are other things in life except money, beer and sex, but I don't know what they are. - Billy Kristal

[Lonna]

I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day, too.

Here's a list of Love Qualities:

"Love is patient and is kind, love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, is not selfish or provoked to anger, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in evil, but rejoices in the truth; bears all thiings, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails . . . There live faith, hope, and love--these three--but the greatest of these is love." (from 1 Corinthians 13)

Know anyone who shows this kind of love? Obviously it is God's unconditional love (the Greek word is "agape"), and we need His help to live this way for others.

[Lonna]

"Literature is news that STAYS news."

Ezra Pound

[Lonna]

In the much-loved children's book, "Alice in Wonderland," an ordinary English schoolgirl falls down a rabbit hole and into an insane world of singing DoDo birds and poetry-spouting caterpillers. At one point, she tells a disappearing, grinning Cheshire Cat:

"Oh, I don't want to go among MAD people."

He replies,

"Oh, we are all MAD here. As you might have noticed, I am not entirely here myself." (and the only thing remaining of the cat is his grinning teeth)

The author, Lewis Carroll, as you may have heard, was an opium addict and a bit crazy himself.

Have you ever had those days when you wonder,

"Why must I go about with MAD people???"

*************************************

Trivia question of the day: What recent film used the idea of the "rabbit hole" and "follow the white rabbit" as part of its mad-world, futuristic theme?

[Kelonus]

Is the answer to your trivia question, The Matrix? I think it is. Well, I don't think I have those days where I ask myself why I go about with MAD people, because I am never around them or be with them, but I hate to be around bad people and those that act stupid and don't care about anyone.

[Lonna]

Kelonus, you're right--it was "The Matrix." Remember the woman who had the white rabbit tattoo on her arm, and Neo followed her to a party?

Well, I suppose BAD people are like MAD people in a lot of ways.

Quote of the Day:

"First you learn the rules. Then you break them."--Mark Twain

[Lonna]

The great Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (who wrote such lengthy works as "War and Peace") once said,

"I hardly ever go into a shop that sells my published books. If I do, I pick up a copy, flip through the pages, and say to myself,

'all this must be rewritten.'"

Take heart, all you writers! If Tolstoy, whose books are still read and loved throughout the world 100 years after his death, was still unhappy with his writing, perhaps we are our own worst critics! ;)

[Lonna]

"Selfish writers leave you with the memory of their book. Generous writers leave you with the memory of the world they evoked."

--Arundhati Roy

[Lonna]

The Bible is full of poetry. Here is one section:

“’For as the rain comes down,
and the snow from heaven,
and do not return there,
but water the earth . . .
so shall My word be that goes forth
from My mouth;
it shall not return to Me void,
but it shall accomplish what I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing
for which I sent it.

For you shall go out with joy,
and be led out with peace;
the mountains and the hills
shall break forth into singing before you,
and all the trees of the field
shall clap their hands.’” (Isaiah 55:8-12)

We have snow on my mountain, and it is covering the ashes, burned-out cars, charred chimneys, and dead trees left by the wildfires last October. Snow is made of six-sided crystals, no two of which have the same pattern. What a miracle of beginning, of freshness, of renewal. I love to walk in the new snow, and sometimes it seems as if the trees are singing in their coats of white, and the mountains echo their joy.

“Come, let us reason together,
says the Lord,
though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18)

[Manveru]

I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day, too.

Here's a list of Love Qualities:

"Love is patient and is kind, love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, is not selfish or provoked to anger, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in evil, but rejoices in the truth; bears all thiings, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails . . . There live faith, hope, and love--these three--but the greatest of these is love." (from 1 Corinthians 13)

Know anyone who shows this kind of love? Obviously it is God's unconditional love (the Greek word is "agape"), and we need His help to live this way for others.
me tries...

To love means: it's so wonderful you exist.(forgot who said that...anyway, still holds true;))

:D

[Lonna]

Here's a quote by the Bard himself:

"Thge poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling,
Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven;
And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen
Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation and a name."

From "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

[Lonna]

"children
when they ask you
why your mama so funny
say
she is a poet
she don't have no sense"


Lucille Clifton

[Lonna]

Here is an excerpt from my review of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ" (you can read the entire review on my website):

“The Passion of the Christ” is a definitive film of our time, and it will bring a sword through each of us--to cut to our very heart and reveal where we stand in regards to Jesus, whether for Him or against Him.

Caviezel should get an Oscar for his painful performance. He suffered a dislocated shoulder while on the cross, and twice the actors who whipped him missed the protecting board and cut into his side with their metallic whips. On one particularly cold day of filming, Caviezel noticed that the cast and crew were wearing coats and shivering while he, high above them on a cross, was hanging nearly naked, exposed to the elements while being sprayed with water to keep the “blood” wet.

For all the seriousness, the film was not without some humor. During one shoot, Caviezel was struck by lightning. As smoke rose from his ears, the actor looked up toward Heaven and stated,

“So, you didn’t like that take?”

[Rhiannon]

"I believe one writes because one has to create a world in which one can live." -- Anais Nin

I was trying to read myself to sleep last night with In Favor of the Sensetive Man and Other Essays, since I didn't feel like starting a novel, and which I bought on a whim months ago because it looked interesting. It's the second sentence of Ms. Nin's essay The New Woman, which was interesting in and of itself, but that one line struck me as being very true, especially about people like me, who spend so much time reading and writing fantasy. The fine line of healthy vs. unhealthy escapism--I think perhaps the difference rests in your awareness. She goes on to say "I had to create a world of my own, like a climate, a country, an atmosphere in whcih I could breathe, reign, and recreate myself when destroyed by living." To me that says much the same thing as "I needed to be in touch with my soul."

[Ireth Telrúnya]

This could have been said by Samwise Gamgee, the gardener, and I think there's some truth in this:

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of
strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something
infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature— the assurance
that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.
- Rachel Carson

[Lonna]

Wow, those last 2 quotes were great, and so true. Here's a little quote from a former First Lady of the U.S.A.:

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."

--Eleanor Roosevelt

[Lonna]

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Question of the Day: What famous American nature writer said something about marching to the beat of a different drummer?

[Lonna]

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment, and in retrospection."*
**
--Anais Nin

[Gandalf The Grey]

"You only live twice
Once when you are born, and once
When you look death in the face."

-- James Bond

[HLGStrider]

You only live twice, or so it seems, one life for yourself and one for your dreaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaams. . .


OK, so Elgee's Nancy Sinatra impression leaves something to be desired. . .blah. . .

[Lonna]

"I think and think for months and years, ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right."

--Albert Einstein (via M. J. Ryan)

[Lonna]

"Without playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth."


--Carl Jung

[Lonna]

"But of bliss and glad life there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while still they endure for eyes to see, are their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken forever do they pass into song."

--J.R.R. Tolkien

[Lonna]

Happy Easter, Everyone!

Easter is a time for change, for rebirth, for revamping TTF and our lives.

Here is a good Easter quote:

"Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold,
I am alive forevermore."

--Jesus (Revelation 1:17 & 18)

[Rhiannon]

Lonna, that verse was one of the ones being memorized weekly by my little four year old student! His translation runs along the lines of "An' he laid his right finger on me saying 'Don' be 'fraid, I the firs' and the last.'"

[Lonna]

Rhi,

That's so cute!

[Lonna]

"But of bliss and glad life there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while still they endure for eyes to see, are their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken forever do they pass into song."

--J.R.R. Tolkien

[Lonna]

THE HOKEY POKEY
Original Lyrics

Put your left foot in,
Your left foot out,
Your left foot in,
And shake it all about.
You do the hokey pokey
And turn yourself around
That's what it's all about.

THE HOKEY POKEY
Shakespearean Style

O proud left foot, that ventures quick within
Then soon upon a backward journey lithe.
Anon, once more the gesture, then begin:
Command sinistral pedestal to writhe.
Commence thou then the fervid Hokey-Poke.
A mad gyration, hips in wanton swirl.
To spin! A wilde release from heaven's yoke.
Blessed dervish! Surely canst go, girl.
The Hoke, the poke -- banish now thy doubt
Verily, I say, 'tis what it's all about.

[Rhiannon]

HAH! :D Lonna, that's a riot!

[Lonna]

"When I write, I lay down my weapons and give the book to the reader."

--Arundhati Roy

[Eledhwen]

"Children are not a class or kind, they are a heterogenous collection of immature persons, varying, as persons do, in their reach, and in their ability to extend it when stimulated. As soon as you limit your vocabulary to what you spupose to be within their reach, you in fact simply cut off the gifted ones from the chance of extending it." - JRR Tolkien to Jane Neave, 1961

[Lonna]

Great quote, Eledhwen! Here's one from an old Chinese poet:

"Oh, let a man of spirit venture where he pleases
And never tip his golden cup empty towards the moon!
Since heaven gave the talent, let it be employed"

Li Po

[faila]

"Im an american aquarium drink, I assasin down the avenue"
Wilco (a band) Im trying to break your heart (the name of the song)
note: if anyone has any idea whats that means please tell me cause i have no idea.)

[Lonna]

I think you should ask the band what that means!

[HLGStrider]

Don't ask me what it means, Faila. I'm still trying to figure out how exactly one surries down to a cold stone picnic, why strawberry fields are forever, why Lucy has diamonds in the sky but Judy has glasses, etc.

[Lonna]

"The writer does the most who gives his reader the most knowledge, and takes from him the least time."

Sydney Smith

[Manveru]

He has done half, who has begun.*

Horatius

-------
* EDITed successfully (and quite fast;)) Enjoy!

[Lonna]

I like that sentence!

Here's another quote, by a writing mom:

"It seems to me that since I've had children, I've grown richer and deeper. They may have slowed down my writing for a while, but when I did write, I had more of a self to speak from."

--Anne Tyler

[Eledhwen]

With three young girls and a dance show coming up (all taking part), I find that quote very encouraging.

[Lonna]

Glad to give encouragement! God knows that we mothers need it.

Here's another quote:

"If you’re a writer, the first thing you’ve got to do is get your foot in the door. You’ve got to do whatever that takes. The most important thing is don’t give up. Just knock on enough doors till one of them opens up."

Cynthia Whitcomb

[Kelonus]

Hey everyone! Lonna I read the quote by Cynthia Whitcomb. It in encouraging and inspires me to continue, but I have one problem. I don't have the tools I need to help me. I want to be a writer/actor. I'm graduating from High Scool in June. That is one of my goals. I'm completing that goal and since I am I can pursue writing/acting, without worrying about school. I finshed my trilogy finally, which it has been four years.

I feel my trilogy could be a good book and hopefully be turned into a movie, which I would love, but I need to get an editor and publisher to help me fix up what I need to and start having books being sold, but don't know what to do. Becoming an actor is another, but my books are more of an importance for me right now. I'm writing another story and even a screen play that I would like to submit to be a movie, but I have to copyright my work first. Can you give me insight or help me out? I know you have your own things your doing and don't mean to interupt. Well, since I finished my trilogy I am currently writing a book in, which I was inspired by J.R.R Tolkien's, "The Lord of the Rings".

[HLGStrider]

I think copyrighting a work is pretty simple. According to my guide for young writers, you need to simply put the word copyright followed by the year and the copyright c (there must be a key code for it, but I'm too tired to look it up) and then your name on the bottom of the first page. Then it is copyrighted yours unless you chose to sell it, which is, according to that book, normally a bad idea. What you want to sell is called "serial rights." That won't come up until someone wants to publish it, however, and then the book says to get a lawyer to look over any contracts and explain them to you.

It is only necessary to include the copyright on the first page, but some writers do on every page just to be safe.

[HLGStrider]

Here's one from the novel I'm reading (The Last Jihad)


Maybe he who dies with the most toys doesn't win, thought Bennett. Maybe he's just dead.

[Eledhwen]

I think copyrighting a work is pretty simple. According to my guide for young writers, you need to simply put the word copyright followed by the year and the copyright c (there must be a key code for it, but I'm too tired to look it up) and then your name on the bottom of the first page. Then it is copyrighted yours unless you chose to sell it, which is, according to that book, normally a bad idea. What you want to sell is called "serial rights." That won't come up until someone wants to publish it, however, and then the book says to get a lawyer to look over any contracts and explain them to you.

It is only necessary to include the copyright on the first page, but some writers do on every page just to be safe.The important thing is to prove a date by which your work existed. The WGA offer a copyright register for a price, but you could send a sealed copy of your work to yourself by registered post/recorded delivery (or whatever the USA equivalent is). You then store the work, unopened, with any delivery documentation, which you can then produce in the event of a dispute.

Maybe he who dies with the most toys doesn't win, thought Bennett. Maybe he's just dead.Moths and Rust, and bigger barns!

[Lonna]

Kelonus & Everyone,

Getting published sure isn't easy. I'm still looking for a big publisher that will pay me an actual advance and publish 10,000 copies of my book & distribute them to bookstores nation (and world)-wide.

My current publisher (http://www.booksurge.com) is print-on-demand--the best around (good quality paperbacks printed quickly, computer-to-computer formatting; you can buy the books at a great discount to put in your local bookstores--and you can sell them on the publisher's website and sign up with Amazon.com through their Amazon Advantage program at http://www.amazon.com).

This is working OK for me, but I wouldn't mind making some money at writing. I'm open to ideas! It's usually who you know . . .

[Lonna]

"Imagination is an intuitive thing; I think it’s something you’re born with. But it has to be developed."

--Walt Disney