Jerry Spinelli Quotes - BrainyQuote

American - Author Born: February 1, 1941

Ideas come from ordinary, everyday life. And from imagination. And from feelings. And from memories. Memories of dust in my sneakers and humming whitewalls down a hill called Monkey.

Life Memories Imagination Hill

Peer pressure is just that: pressure.

Pressure Just Peer Pressure Peer

Sometimes I'm asked if I do research for my stories. The answer is yes and no. No, in the sense that I seldom plow through books at the library to gather material. Yes, in the sense that the first fifteen years of my life turned out to be one big research project.

Life My Life Library Research

In my mind, I'm writing for everybody.

Mind Writing Everybody

Just because so many conforming kids wake up every morning asking, 'What is everybody else going to wear today?' doesn't mean that they don't wish it were different. Peer pressure is just that: pressure.

Morning Today Wake Up Wish

I went to Gettysburg College, where the famous Civil War battle was fought. I majored in English. I would've liked to major in writing, but they didn't offer a major in that.

War Battle College Writing

Write what you care about. If you do that, you stand the best chance of doing your best writing.

Best You Care Chance

I became a children's author by accident.

Children Accident Became Author

I would say if you want to write, write what you care about. I think that's the most important thing. I think if you write what you care about, you stand a better chance of having the reader care about your story.

You Care Think Chance

Write about what you care about. If you do that, you're probably going to do your best writing, reach off the page and touch the reader. How are you going to make the reader care if you don't care yourself?

Best You Yourself Do Your Best

Top 10
Jerry Spinelli
Quotes

I have a curious background for someone who turns out to be a writer.

Someone Curious Who Background

Nobody told me how hard it was going to be to get published. I wrote four novels that nobody wanted, sent them out all over, collected hundreds and hundreds of rejection slips.

Me Nobody Rejection Hard

Kids still can be said to live in their own little world. Even if their parents are helicoptering around them, assigning play dates and so forth, I think they're still living in some sense of their own little perceptual worlds.

World Parents Think Live

Now I don't really write for adults or kids - I don't write for kids, I write about them. I think you need to do that, otherwise you end up preaching down.

You End Think Down

I seem to have a natural tendency to want to share my own observations and feelings with other people, and writing seems to be the way I'm best equipped to do that.

Best People Way My Own

Usually it takes me about nine to 12 months to write a book.

Me Book About Write

I've been writing since I was sixteen. At first, I wrote mostly short stories and poetry. The first thing I ever had published was a poem about a football game. It was printed in my local newspaper.

Football Poetry Game Short

My first four books were not published because nobody wanted them. They were adult books, not kids' books.

Nobody Adult Four Books

I don't really write for adults or kids - I don't write for kids, I write about them. I think you need to do that; otherwise, you end up preaching down. You need to listen not so much to the audience but to the story itself.

You End Think Down

I pointedly avoid doing sequels, since for the most part I find that a sequel rarely stands up to the original.

Doing Find Avoid Most

Actually, between books is precisely when I do give myself vacations.

Myself Give Books Between

When I was growing up, the first thing I wanted to be was a cowboy. That lasted till I was about ten. Then I wanted to be a baseball player. Preferably shortstop for the New York Yankees.

Growing Up New New York Baseball

I played Little League in junior high and high school.

School High School High Little

I never became a cowboy or baseball player, and now I'm beginning to wonder if I ever really became a writer. I find that I hesitate to put that label on myself, to define myself by what I do for a living.

Myself Beginning Never Find

In 'Hokey Pokey,' bikes are kind of more than bikes alone. They become mustangs; they become creatures that rip up the dust as they gallop across the Great Plains.

Alone Great More Become

There are bits and pieces of me probably in every one of my 35 or so books.

Me Books Every Pieces

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