Ralph Fletcher > Quotes

“When someone you love dies, you get a big bowl of sadness put down in front of you, steaming hot. You can start eating now, or you can let it cool and eat it bit by bit later one. Either way, you end up eating the whole thing. There's really no way around it.”
― Ralph Fletcher, Fig Pudding

“The real meaning of a poem is to stop time.”
― Ralph Fletcher, A Writer's Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You

“When students write from experience, they can breathe those specifics into their writing- dialect, odd smells, precise names of plants- that can animate even the most tired and tedious text.”
― Ralph Fletcher, What a Writer Needs

“Penulis sama dengan orang-orang lain, kecuali untuk satu perbedaan kecil yang penting. Orang lain berpikir dan merasa setiap hari, tetapi mereka tidak melakukan apa-apa dengan itu. Sebaliknya, penulis bereaksi.”
― Ralph Fletcher, A Writer's Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You

“Writing words is like flying, Rachel thought. Words aren’t solid. Words are lighter than air. But even so, they can sometimes give you a lift.”
― Ralph Fletcher, Flying Solo: An Inventive Middle Grade Novel About Sixth-Graders Learning Self-Reliance and Confronting Grief for Kids

“STORIES . . . 1) are unique as snowflakes. No two are exactly alike. 2) contain small details that often turn out to be important. 3) involve limits: particular characters in a particular place and time. 4) put characters in difficult situations. 5) force characters to make moral choices. 6) contain a problem or conflict that often gets worse before it gets better. 7) connect the ordinary with the extraordinary. 8) usually contain a surprise. (Or two.) 9) sometimes turn on a “moment of silence.” 10) rarely turn out the way you expect.”
― Ralph Fletcher, Flying Solo: An Inventive Middle Grade Novel About Sixth-Graders Learning Self-Reliance and Confronting Grief for Kids

“My father’s a heart surgeon but you don’t see me going around cutting up people’s hearts!” Christopher retorted. He scratched his head. “Though actually that might be kind of fun!”
― Ralph Fletcher, Flying Solo: An Inventive Middle Grade Novel About Sixth-Graders Learning Self-Reliance and Confronting Grief for Kids

“At night these people put out food so the ghosts will have something to eat. They put out Vietnamese food for the ghosts of the dead Vietnamese soldiers. But many American GIs died, too, so they put out American food for the ghosts of the dead American soldiers.”
― Ralph Fletcher, A Writer's Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You

“Just think: our world is a particle spinning through an infinity!”
― Ralph Fletcher, A Writer's Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You

“Springtime
and I wish I knew you”
― Ralph Fletcher, Room Enough for Love : The Complete Poems from I Am Wings and Buried Alive

“Everybody reacts different to something like this—some people cry buckets, other folks store it up inside. When someone you love dies, you get a big bowl of sadness put down in front of you, steaming hot. You can start eating now, or you can let it cool and eat it bit by bit later on. Either way, you end up eating the whole thing. There’s really no way around it.”
― Ralph Fletcher, Fig Pudding: A Heartwarming Coming-of-Age Story About Growing Up in a Loving Family for Children

“They say you're not supposed to feel sorry for yourself, but some nights I couldn't help it.”
― Ralph Fletcher, Also Known as Rowan Pohi