See? Anger Can Be Healthy. When The Time Comes–and It Will Come–remember That. And What I Said. Embrace Your Powers–love Yourself The Way Nature Made You, And You Will Prevail. Always.

-Meg Cabot

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See? Anger Can Be

Meg Cabot

See? Anger Can Be Healthy. When The Time Comes–and It Will Come–remember That. And What I Said. Embrace Your Powers–love Yourself The Way Nature Made You, And You Will Prevail. Always.

Topic

Love Yourself

Healthy

Way

More From Meg Cabot

Meet Me Inside The Edge Of The Icepack Penguin Enclosure In At Four Fifteen" She Says, Sounding Just Like Kim Possible. If Kim Possible Ever Asked People To Meet Her Inside A Penguin Enclosures.

People

Four

Fifteen

But Things Were Different Now. I Finally Had My Head -pun Intended- On Straight.

Different

Pun

I Felt As If The Milky Way, Hovering Above Our Heads Like A Celestial Pitcher, Had Suddenly Overturned, Pouring Suns And Planets Down My Throat. Stars Seemed To Be Shooting Out Of My Finger And Toes, The Ends Of My Hair.

Stars

Hair

Pouring

You Know. Life's Short. If You Don't Try New Things, You'll Never Know What You're Best At. And You Can Only Make Time For New Things By Quitting The Things You Know Don't Work For You.

Trying

Quitting

Making Time

One Of The Reasons That I Think I Do Love To Write Is Because I Did Have A Difficult Childhood And Not So Great Teenage Years. It Always Helped Me Escape From My Problems.

Teenage

Writing

Thinking

Usually Writer's Block Arises When Something Is Wrong Internally With The Story.

Block

Stories

Arise

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself.

Safety

Wrecks

Due Date

This Was Very Exciting. I'd Never Had Two Boys Get Into A Fight Over Me Before. The Fact That One Of The Boys Was My Stepbrother, However, And Held About As Much Romantic Appeal For Me As Max, The Family Dog, Somewhat Dampened My Enthusiasm. And Michael Wasn't Much Of A Catch, Either, When You Actually Thought About It, Being A Potential Murderer And All. Oh, Why Did I Have To Have Such A Couple Of Losers Fighting Over Me? Why Couldn't Matt Damon And Ben Affleck Fight Over Me? Now That Would Be Truly Excellent.

Dog

Couple

Fighting

I Stare At Her, As Dumbstruck As If She'd Just Admitted She's A Scientologist With An Invitation To Join Tom And Katie On The Spaceship When It Shows Up.

Spaceships

Staring

Shows

See? Anger Can Be Healthy. When The Time Comes–and It Will Come–remember That. And What I Said. Embrace Your Powers–love Yourself The Way Nature Made You, And You Will Prevail. Always.

Love Yourself

Healthy

Way

It Is A Documented Fact. I Read It In People Magazine.

People

Magazines

Facts

There Will Be No More British Guys. Unless They Are Members Of The Royal Family, Of Course.

Guy

Royal

British

I Needed Another Soda. I’d Only Had Six Since Breakfast.

Breakfast

Soda

Six

I Think We Make Our Own Luck. Our Parents Give Us Life, But What We Do With That Life Is Our Own Responsibility.

Responsibility

Thinking

Giving

One Of The Biggest Mistakes Girls Can Make Concerning Their Romantic Life Is Sitting Around Waiting For Their Prince To Find Them, Rather Than Getting Out There And Finding Him Themselves.

Girl

Mistake

Waiting

Okay, Yeah, He Staggered Back And Fell Into The Condiments. Big Deal. There Wasn't Any Blood. I Didn't Even Get Him In The Face. He Saw My Fist Coming, And At The Last Minute He Ducked, So Instead Of Punching Him In The Nose, Like I Intended, I Ended Up Punching Him In The Neck. I Highly Doubt It Even Left A Bruise.

Blood

Doubt

Bruises

Loud Ringing Noises, I've Discovered, Upset Mr.peepers.

Upset

Noise

Loud

Hey," Dopey Said When I Was Finished Reading. "how Come They Never Mentioned Me? I'm The One Who Found The Skeleton." "oh, Yeah," Sleepy Said In Disgust. "your Role Was Really Crucial. After All, If It Wasn't For You, The Guy's Skull Might Still Have Been Intact.

Reading

Skeletons

Skulls

It's Only In Fairy Tales That Princesses Can Afford To Wait For The Handsome Prince To Save Them. In Real Life, They Have To Bust Out Of Their Own Coffins And Do The Saving Themselves.

Real

Princess

Waiting

The Peace Sign Is With Two Fingers Not One.

Two

Fingers

Peace Sign

Accept The Things I Cannot Change," I Said. "and Pray For The Courage To Change The Things I Can, As Well As The Wisdom To Know The Difference." The Thing Is... I Know This Is Good Advice. It's Called The Serenity Prayer, And It Really Does Put Things In Perspective (it's Suppose To Be For Recovering Alcoholics, But It Helps Recovering Freakoutaholics, Like Me, As Well).

Prayer

Differences

Perspective

Why Can't You Just Get Married In Las Vegas Like Normal Americans?

Vegas

Las Vegas

Normal

Whatever. Boris, Must You Constantly Breathe On Me?

Breathe

It’s Only By Studying The Mistakes Of The Past,” Lucien Said Mildly, “that We Can Even Have A Future

Mistake

Past

Study

Anything Can Happen In The Blink Of An Eye. Anything At All. One. Two. Three. Blink.

Eye

Two

Three

I Don't Have Kids, But In Many Ways I Feel I've Had Them Already. I Don't Want To Say I Raised My Brothers - That Sounds Too Strong - But Actually I Do Feel Like That A Bit.

Brother

Strong

Kids

I Really Wanted To Be Veterinarian, But I Got A 410 On My Math Sats.

Math

Veterinarian

Sat

Only A Fool Is Never Afraid, Frank. Heroes Are The People Who Carry On Despite Their Fear, Because They Know The Job’s Got To Get Done

Jobs

Hero

People

It Wasn't Until Hope Fluttered Over And Landed At Alex's Feet, Peering Questioningly Up At Him, That He Finally Tore His Hands Away From His Eyes.oh, My God, He Said, Sounding Disgusted. Why Is There A Bird Looking At Me?that's Miss Oliviera's Bird, Henry Volunteered Cheerfully. The Captain Gave It To Her As A Present.kayla Punched Me In The Arm. John's Got His Captain's License? She Whispered. You Are So Lucky. Frank Says He Just Loads Cargo.i Glanced At Frank. I Wondered If Kayla Would Like Him As Much If She Knew The Cargo He Loaded Was Human Souls.

Eye

Feet

Hands

You Know What You Sound Like? A Jealous Girl Friend. And How Are Things On Planet You Wish?

Girl

Jealous

Wish

I've Only Been Gone A Week," I Reminded Him. Well, A Week's A Long Time. It's Seven Days. Which Is One Hundred And Sixty-eight Hours. Which Is Ten Thousand, Eighty Minutes. Which Is Six Hundred Thousand, For Hundred Seconds.

Eight

Long

Gone

Jesse, Who Had Not Stirred The Whole Time From The Spot He'd Been Standing, Confident I Could Handle Cheryl Myself, Was Grinning. "it's Every Girl's Dream To Guy To Go To Prom With The Guy She Loves?" He Echoed, Not Just One, But Both Inky Black Eyebrows Raised. "don't Start With Me," I Said. I Tried To Hide My Suddenly Flaming Cheeks By Scraping Away What Was Left Of The Cannolis, And Replacing Them With The Contents Of An Upended Bag Of Chocolate Chip Cookies. "i Have Things To Do.

Girl

Dream

Eyebrows

Zach Had Rushed Down To Rescue Me Without Remembering To Put A Shirt On...maybe I Had Died And Gone To Heaven.

Heaven

Gone

Remember

In Order For People To Be Happy, Sometimes They Have To Take Risks. It's True These Risks Can Put Them In Danger Of Being Hurt.

Happiness

Hurt

Order

Pretty Isn't The Only Thing That Matters - Being Smart And Kind Matters More, Of Course - But All Daughters Should Hear From Their Moms That They Look Pretty Once In A While.

Mom

Daughter

Mother

Hope Springs Eternal, Even In The Heart Of A Fat Girl.

Girl

Spring

Heart

What's A Mediator You Ask? Oh, A Person Who Acts As A Liason Between The Living And The Dead. Hey, Wait A Minute...what're You Doing With That Strait Jacket?-suze Simon's Imagination

Imagination

Waiting

Hey

No. The Answer Was No, I Was Not All Right. I Nearly Got Knocked Out. Knocked Out By Desire! Desire For Forbidden Dissimilar Molecules

Desire

Molecules

Answers

Who Knew An Elf Queen Could Be So Vicious!

Queens

Vicious

Kill Her For Me," She Said In That Whiny Little-girl Voice. Diego Took A Step Toward Me, Wearing An Expression That Told Me He Was Only Too Happy To Oblige His Lady Love. "oh, What?" I Said. I Wasn't Even Scared. I Didn't Care Anymore. The Numbness In My Heart Had Pretty Much Taken Over My Whole Body. "you Always Do What She Tells You? You Know, We Have A Word For That Now. It's Called Being Whipped.

Girl

Taken

Heart

I Don't Seem To Fit To Associate With Humans.

Fit

Humans

Seems

I Wish I Had Taken Spanish Instead Of French In High School. I Could Eavesdrop On A Lot More Conversations On The Subway If I Knew Spanish.

Taken

School

Wish

Maybe You Just Saw What You Wanted To See. Or Maybe You Justfelt What You Wanted To Feel.

Saws

Feels

Wanted

She Hadn't Slain The Dragon. Not At All. She Hoped No One Ever Would.

Dragons

But Once I'd Come Up With It, I Realized It Really Was The Perfect Plan. Instead Of Waiting For Maria To Come To Me, I Was Simply Going To Go To Her And, Well... Send Her Back To Where She Came. Or Reduce Her To A Mound Of Quivering Gelatinous Goo. Whichever Came First.

Perfect

Waiting

Firsts

This Is Not To Say That I Wasn't Completely Repulsed. I Mean, I Wasn't Exactly Proud That My Stepbrother Was In There Tongue Wrestling With The Second Stupidest Person In Our Class, After Himself.

Mean

Wrestling

Class

I Was The Kind Of Kid Who Couldn't Really Stop Making Up Stories During Class. I Didn't Do Very Well Academically Because I Was Always Drawing These Little Doodles In The Margins Of My Notebooks And I Wasn't Bringing Home The Best Grades.

Notebook

Home

Kids

Back In Middle School, Catherine And I Had Gone Through This Stage Where All We Would Read Were Fantasy Books. We'd Consume Them Like M&m's, By The Fistful, J.r.r. Tolkien And Terry Brooks And Susan Cooper And Lloyd Alexander. Susan Boone Looked, To Me, Like The Queen Of The Elves (there's Almost Always An Elf Queen In Fantasy Books). I Mean, She Was Shorter Than Me And Had On A Strange Lineny Outfit In Pale Blues And Greens.

Queens

Book

School

But Then I Remembered Something Grandmere Had Once Assured Me Of: No One Has Ever Died Of Embarrassment-never, Not Once In The Whole History Of Time.

Embarrassment

Remembered

Whole

I Looked Where He Was Tapping. "local Girl Missing, Feared Dead" Beneath It Was A Photo Or Me-my Most Recent School Photo. "oh No." My Heart Filling With Dread, I Took The Paper From Mr. Smith's Hands. "couldn't They Have Found A Better Picture?

Girl

Heart

School

Jesse, This Is Craig. Craig, Jesse. You Two Should Get Along. Jesse's Dead, Too.

Two

Should

Suze Simon

I Swear, Sometimes I Am Convinced My Life Is Just A Series Of Sketches For America's Funniest Home Videos, Minus All That Pants-dropping Business. Except My Life Really Isn't All That Funny If You Think About It.

Home

Thinking

America

And I'm Going To Tell The Truth: I Didn't Like That Sean Penn Movie Into The Wild So Much. Yes! I Know It Was Critically Acclaimed. I Know It Won All These Awards! It's Very Sad That A Boy Is Dead And All. But I Thought The Movie Enchanted, With The Singing Princess And The Chipmunk And The People Dancing In Central Park, Was Cuter. So There!

Princess

Boys

Awards

Faint Heart Never Won Fair Lady

Heart

Cowardice

Faint Of Heart

Why Does Anyone Commit Murder?' He Asked In A Low Voice. 'i-'i Blinked.'how Should I Know?' 'three Reasons,' Christopher Said. He Held Up One Finger. 'love.' Another Finger. 'revenge.' And Finally, A Third Finger. 'profit...

Revenge

Voice

Doe

It Just Goes To Show That What One Person Considers A "bad Attitude" Might Actually Just Be Total Frustration Over Being Pushed Beyond The Brink Of One's Mental And Physical Endurance.

Attitude

Frustration

Endurance

Oh My God. I Thought I Was Going To Have An Aneurysm Right There In Line. Your Hair Smells Really Good? Your Hair Smells Really Good? Who Did He Think He Was? James Bond? You Don't Tell Someone Their Hair Smells Good. Not In A Mall.

Thinking

Hair

Smell

But Who Wants To Hang Aroundfrat Guys ? I Want To Be With Guys Who Have More On Their Minds Than Where The Next Keg Party Is. I Want To Be With Guys Who Care About Making This World A Better Place-the Way Andrew Does. I Want To Be With Guys Who Know That What's Important Isn't The Size Of A Girl's Waistband But The Size Of Her Heart-like Andrew. I Want To Be With Guys Who Are Able To See Past A Girl's Outward Appearance, And Into Her Soul-like Andrew.

Girl

Party

Heart

Someday You're Really Going To Have To Describe To Me In More Detail What Life Is Like On The Planet You Live On. Because It Sounds Really Great, And I'd Like To Visit There One Day.

Life Is Like

One Day

Sound

Jake Leaned On The Horn, Swearing Loudly. Gina Covered Her Eyes. Doc Flung His Arms Around Me, Burying His Face In My Lap, And Dopey, To My Great Surprise, Began To Scream Like A Girl, Very Close To My Ear.

Girl

Eye

Jake

I Don't Think He Could Ever Be A Serial Killer. He's Way Too Shy. That Ted Bundy Guy, He Was Pretty Outgoing , From What I Heard. -jess About Doug P. 107

Thinking

Guy

Ted Bundy

Foxy Girls Know That Silence May Be Golden-but Only For Four Seconds. Anything Longer And You're Heading For Awkward Avenue.

Girl

Silence

Awkward

I Think If I Hadn't Been A Writer, I'd Have Been A Teacher Like My Dad. He Was A College Professor, And One Of My Greatest Regrets Is That He Passed Away Before I Was Able To Prove To Him That I Wasn't Going To Be Stuck Working At Rax Roast Beef For The Rest Of My Life!

Teacher

Dad

Regret

Because My Heat Was Too Full Of Appreciation For What My Friends-- My Real Friends-- Had Done For Me.

Appreciation

Real

Done

You Can't Be Friends With Someone Who's In Love With You If You Don't Love That Person Back The Same Way.

Love You

Way

Persons

My Original Inspiration Was My Mom: A Few Years After The Death Of My Dad, She Started Dating One My Teachers!

Mom

Teacher

Dad

She'd Realize Steve Was Her Soul Mate And That She Would Never Love Anyone As Much As She Loved Him.

Soul

Soul Mate

Realizing

Whoa. If High School Was Suppose To Be The Best Years Of My Life - At Least So Far - I Was Truly Destined To Have A Sucky Adulthood.

School

Years

Best Year

And In What Fairy Tale Would John Ever Be Any Sane Person's Idea Of Prince Charming Anyway? He Was The Opposite Of Charming. More Like Prince Terrifying.

Opposites

Ideas

Fairy Tale

Don't Cry." "how Can I Not?" I Asked Him. "you Just Said You Loved Me." "well, Why Else Did You Think All Of This Was Happening?" He Set The Book Aside To Wrap His Arms Around Me. "the Furies Wouldn't Be Trying To Kill You If I Didn't Love You." "i Didn't Know," I Said. Tears Were Trickling Down My Cheeks, But I Did Nothing To Try To Stop Them. His Shirt Was Absorving Most Of Them. "you Never Said Anything About It. Every Time I Saw You, You Just Acted So... Wild." "how Was I Supposed To Act?" He Asked. "you Kept Doing Things Like Throwing Tea In My Face.

Book

Love You

Thinking

Sleepy Pulled The Car To A Stop In Front Of This Paved Entranceway, Which Was Flanked On Either Side By These Enormous Palm Trees, Kind Of Like The Polynesian Resort At Disney World. In Fact, The Whole Place Had Kind Of A Disney Feel To It. You Know, Really Big, And Kind Of Modern And Fake.

Car

Fake

Tree

The Brave May Not Live Forever, But The Cautious Do Not Live At All.

Stay Strong

Courage

Business

You Know In Sixth Grade, When They Made All Of Us Girls Go Into This Other Room And Watch A Video About Getting Our Periods And Stuff? I Bet While We Were Gone, The Boys Were Watching A Video About How To Look At Each Other In That Infuriating Way.

Girl

Boys

Watches

When I Did See The Story Of Persephone, I Was Really Drawn To It. Persephone, The Goddess Of Spring, Was Kept From Olympus By Her Mother, Demeter, Because Demeter Was Very Worried That The Gods Of Olympus Would Do Something Terrible To Her.

Mother

Spring

Olympus

When You Feel Like An Outsider - For Whatever Reason - You Spend A Lot Of Time Alone.

Outsiders

Reason

Alone Time

It’s Seemed More Like A Punishment Than A Reward Most Days…” He Said, His Tone One Of Bitter Resignation. Then His Gaze Lifted To Meet Mine, And His Voice Changed. “…at Least Until I Found You.

Punishment

Voice

Found You

It's Just That The Times I'm Wrong Don't Register In Your Memory With As Much Clarity As The Times I'm Right.

Memories

Clarity

Do People In The Twenty-first Century Still Dance?" My Heart Beat Thundered In My Ears, Far Louder Than The Slow Music. "um," I Said, Barely Able To Swallow, My Throat Had Gone So Dry. "sometimes." "how About Now?" He Asked. And Then His Strong Arms Were Encircling My Waist, His Breath Soft Against My Cheek As He Gently Whispered My Name: "susannah. Susannah...

Strong

Heart

Names

I Loved You Way Before You Ever Had A Chance To Put A Spell On Me. I Loved You At 'i've Never Been To Long Island,'" Zach Said. I Couldn't Keep A Big Goofy Grin From My Face. I Loved You At 'i Like Seals,'" I Admitted. He Grinned Back.

Islands

Long

Way

I've Never Even Been To Long Island

Islands

Long

Long Island

Adam Gave Me A Scandalized Look. "fraternizing With The Enemy!" He Cried. "for Shame, Wench!

Enemy

Looks

Wenches

Sometimes What You Want Is Right In Front Of You. All You Have To Do Is Open Your Eyes And See It.

Eye

Want

Sometimes

I Know. I Seriously Need To Just Give Up Men Entirely. I Wonder If Episcopalians Can Enter Convents?

Giving Up

Men

Needs

I Just Want To Let You Know That When I Look Into My Future, I See Nothing But You.” That’s What Chaz Had Whispered In My Ear At Some Point During The Wedding Last Night. Then He’d Whispered. “and You’re Not Even Wearing Spanx.

Night

Looks

Ears

I Used To Draw And Illustrate, But I Don't Do That Anymore Because I Just Like To Write. I Like To Leave The Illustrations To Actual Professional Illustrators.

Writing

Illustration

Used

You Want A Happy Romantic Relationship? Don’t Ruin It By Getting Married.

Want

Ruins

Married

Oh My God, She Said Are You Going To Be Reasonable About This?

Said

Reasonable

We Need To Talk.” “i’m Just – Look,” I Said, As He Took A Step Toward Me. “i’m Just Going To Give Cee Cee A Call And Maybe We’ll Go To The Beach Or Something, Because I Really … I Just Need A Day Off.”another Step Toward Me. Now He Was Right In Front Of Me. “especially,” I Said Significantly, Looking Up At Him, “from Talking. That’s What I Especially Need A Day Off From. Talking.” “fine,” He Said. He Reached Up And Cupped My Face In Both His Hands. “we Don’t Have To Talk.”and That’s When He Kissed Me. On The Lips.

Beach

Hands

Talking

I'll Put A Bullet Through My Own Brain. Let Alone Wait For Stark To Do It. Your Sister Will Drive Me To It, Howard. No Offense.

Waiting

Brain

Bullets

I Usually Know Almost Exactly How I Feel. The Problem Is, I Just Can't Tell Anyone.

Problem

Feels

Knows

It's What's Known As An Origin Myth. What Happened To Me? That's No Myth.

Myth

Happened

Known

I’ve Never Enjoyed Myself More Than I Have The Past Forty-eight Hours, During Which I’ve Been Trapped In A Car With One Of The Worst Drivers I’ve Ever Seen, Run Up The Spanish Steps And Then Down Again So I Could Be On Time To Wait In Line To Perjuer Myself At The American Consulate. And I’d Like To Continue Doing Those Sorts Of Thing With You On A Regular Basis For The Foreseeable Future.

Running

Past

Eight

I Stood On Susan Boone's Front Porch, Feeling Lame. But Then, Since I've Pretty Much Felt Lame My Entire Life, This Was No Big Surprise. On The Other Hand, Usually I Felt Lame For No Particular Reason. This Time I Really Had A Reason To Feel Lame.

Hands

Feelings

Lame

I Won’t Tell You How I Managed To Break In, Since I Don’t Want The Authorities Figuring Out, But Let’s Just Say That If You’re Going To Make A Gate, Make Sure It Reaches All The Way To The Ground.

Want

Way

Break

When He Smiled, Something Strange Happened To My Insides. It Was Like They Turned To Liquid.

Liquid

Strange

Happened

Every Seven Miles, In America, There Is At Least One Mcdonald's. Not A Hospital, Mind You, Or A Police Station, But A Mcdonald's, Every Seven Miles. I Mean, That's Sort Of Scary, If You Think About It.

Mean

Thinking

Mcdonalds

All I Did Was Die,' I Said. 'and Then, When Presented With An Opportunity Not To Be Dead Any More, I Took It. Anyone Else Would Have Done The Same Thing.

Opportunity

Done

Said

Why Should Women Have To Fit Into Child Sizes In Order To Be Considered Desirable? That Is Both Sick And Depressing.

Depressing

Children

Order

I Love Jezebel.com For The Latest On Fashion, Style, And Celebrity Gossip. I Also Love Gawker.com For New York Celebrity Sightings, And Galleycat.com And Trashionista.com For Book News.

Fashion

New York

Book

How Is It That I'd Nearly Been Smothered To Death, And Yet I Could Sit There And Notice Things Like My Stepbrother's Abdominal Muscles A Few Minutes Later?

Abdominals

Minutes

Muscles

Why Had I Taken All Those Useless Classes Like Bio And German When I Should Have Been Taking Lipreading?

Taken

Should Have

Class

This Was Something You Had To Work Through On You Own," Jason Said. "besides, I Knew You'd Do The Right Thing." "oh, Right," I Said. I Wanted To Throw Something At Him. I Really Did. "and If I Hadn't?" Now Jason Brandished Something He'd Been Holding Behind His Back. It Was A Golf Club. "i Figured Big Bertha Here Would Drive Them Away," He Said.

Golf

Clubs

Jason

You Didn't," John Said, Stepping From The Shadows As He Clapped For Me, "even Hit Your Head This Time.

Shadow

Said

Abandon

Didn't Your Mother Ever Tell You," Rob Asked, "that You're Supposed To Play Hard To Get?" I Looked At His Lips. I Probably Don't Need To Tell You That They're Really Nice Lips, Kind Of Full And Strong-looking. "what," I Wanted To Know, "is That Going To Get Me?

Mother

Strong

Nice

I Might Look Like A Honey-eyed Schoolgirl On The Outside, In My Skirt With Its Regulation Four-inches-above-the-knee Hem. But I'll Rip Those Tassels Off Your Shoes, Old Man. Just Try Googling Me.

Rip

Men

Shoes

We Were A Very Funny Family. Humour Was The Tool With Which My Brother And I Tried To Get Attention. We Were Always Trying To Be The Funniest.

Brother

Always Trying

Funny Family

Wait. Why Am I Thinking About Krispy Kremes? We’re Supposed To Be Exercising.

Food

Exercise

Thinking

It’s So Much Easier To Walk Away Than It Is To Have To Explain To Someone That You Never Want To See Them Again.

Want

Easier

Walks

Courage Is Not The Absence Of Fear But Rather The Judgement That Something Is More Important Than Fear; The Brave May Not Live Forever But The Cautious Do Not Live At All.

Brave

Forever

Judgement

My Shoulders Sagged. Really, Is It Too Much To Ask That I Be Able To Come Home From A Long Day Of Work And Relax? Oh, No. I Have To Come Home And Read A Bunch Of Letters Written To The Love Of My Life By His Fiancée, Who, If I Am Correct, Had Him Killed A Hundred And Fifty Years Ago. Then, As If That Is Not Bad Enough, He Wants Me To Explain The Vietnam War.

War

Home

Years

Someone, I Was Beginning To Suspect, Had A Bit Of A Gangster Complex. It Wasn't Really Very Hard To Figure Out Who. I Mean, I Was Guessing It Wasn't Christopher's Aunt Jackie.

Mean

Aunt

Guessing

Looks Fade,' Mom Would Go On. 'but Intelligence Lasts Forever.

Mom

Forever

Looks

There Is A Difference Between Listening And Hearing, Just As There Is A Difference Between Seeing And Knowing.

Differences

Knowing

Listening

And Now Rocky Is Begging Me To Watch Dora The Explorer With Him. I Understand That Millions Of Kids Love Dora And Have Learned To Read Or Whatever From Her Show. But I Wouldn't Mind If Dora Fell Off A Cliff And Took Her Little Pals With Her

Kids

Mind

Watches

There Was A Dj Who Stayed Up For Eleven Days Straight, The Longest-recorded Period Of Time Anyone Has Ever Gone Without Sleep, And He Started Playing Nothing But Crosby, Stills And Nash, And That's How They Knew It Was Time To Call The Ambulance.

Sleep

Gone

Eleven

Save Your Rejections So That Later When You Are Famous You Can Show Them To People And Laugh.

Funny

Motivation

Sea

Screenwriting Is A Much More Collaborative Effort. When You Write A Novel, It's Just You, With Input From Your Editor.

Writing

Editors

Effort

I Like 'em Big. And Stupid. Don't Tell My Husband.

Husband

Stupid

Ems

Aaron, In Order To Die You Have To Live A Little First.

Order

Littles

Firsts

Though I Imagine In Your Case, Trying Not To Fall Just Made You Fall Harder.

Fall

Trying

Imagine

It's Truly Weird How Everyone Just Thinks They Can Bring Me Diet Coke And Everything Will Be Okay. Especially Since It's Pretty Much True.-lizzie Nichols

Thinking

Coke

Okay

I Don't Do Alcohol. Or Other People's Boyfriends. And Don't You Forget It.

People

Alcohol

Forget

How To Be The Best That You Can Be

Being Yourself

Hoosiers

Just Be Yourself

I Was In Love With Scott Bennett. That I Had Been In Love With Him My Whole Life, Practically.

Whole Life

Been In Love

Whole

I Don't Give Books As Gifts. Books Are Extremely Personal, And I Would Hate To Give Someone A Book That They Don't Like Or Want, Because It Would Break My Heart If They Didn't Read It.

Hate

Book

Heart

Do Not Chase Boys. Chasing Boys Is Bad. Chasing Boys Can Lead To Horrible Things Like Mansions Going Up Into Flames, Hand Amputations, And Blindness. So Have Some Self Respect And Don't Let Things Get Too Far Before The Wedding Day.

Boys

Self

Flames

However, Because They Have No Actual Interests Of Their Own (or If They Do, They Squelch Them In Order To Fit In) And Merely Pursue Those That They Think Will Look Best On Their College Apps, They're Zombies.

Thinking

College

Order

My Mother's Psychologist Says I Have An Overactive Anger Switch, But People Just Keep Pissing Me Off.

Mother

Anger

People

They Just Kept Grinning At Me From Over The Stupid Sign, Dopey Because He's Too Dumb To Know Any Better, Doc Because – Well, I Guess Because He Might Have Been Glad To See Me. Doc's Weird That Way. Sleepy, The Oldest, Just Stood There, Looking … Well, Sleepy.

Stupid

Dumb

Might

They've Arrested Sebastian! For M-murder! You've G-got To Stop Them! He D-didn't Do It! He Can't Have Done It! He Doesn't Believe In Murder! He's A V-vegetarian!

Believe

Done

Vegetarian

Remember... Life Is Short. Each Moment You Have Is Precious. Treasure Every Second. Don't Spend Them Doing Anything You Don't Love.

Life Is Short

Treasure

Remember

You’re Not A One Hundred Dollar Bill, Not Everyone Is Going To Like You.

Dollar Bills

Dollars

Like You

Writing Used To Be My Hobby, But Now That It's My Job, I Have No Hobby - Except Watching Tv And Laying Around The Pool Reading 'u.s. Weekly.' I Have Tried Many Hobbies, Such As Knitting, Pilates, Ballet, Yoga, And Guitar, But None Of Them Have Taken.

Jobs

Yoga

Taken

And I'm Sure Than In Poland, Or Somewhere, It Is Considered Cool To Drive A Porsche And Wear Necklaces And Black Silk, But At Least Back In Brooklyn If You Did Those Things You Were Either A Drug Dealer Or From New Jersey.

Drug

Black

Brooklyn

Sometimes Between Lunch And Dinner, When There's A Lull, Jill And Shaniqua And I Will Sit Around And Fantasize About What We'd Do If A Real Celebrity Walked Into The Place, Like Chad Michael Murray (although We've Gone Off Him A Bit Since His Divorce) Or Jared Padalecki, Or Even Prince William (you Never Know. He Could Have Gotten His Yacht Lost, Or Whatever.)

Real

Divorce

Lunch

One Of The Biggest Motivations For Me With Writing My Books Is To Offer Girls Some Escapism, Especially Girls Who Really Need It, Like I Did.

Girl

Motivation

Book

There's Nothing Secret About It. Everyone Knows That I Am Waiting For My Real Parents, The King And Queen, To Come Restore Me To My Rightful Throne.

Kings

Queens

Real

It’s One Thing To Protect Yourself,” Dad Yelled At Me During Our Very Next Lunch. “that I Get. Have I Ever Told You Not To Defend Yourself? No. But Did You Have To Permanently Maim Him? I Spent All That Money On That On That Fancy School For Girls-not To Mention All That Money For The Shrinks-and What Did That Get Me?” I Shrugged. “a Seven-figure Civil Suit?

Girl

Dad

School

When People Look You In The Eye And Call You Stupid, Dont Look Away, But Tell Them That Half Of The World Is Stupid And They Are One Of Them Because They Are Dening Their Own Stupidity.

Stupid

Eye

People

Needless To Say, The Fact That He Actually Spoke To Me At All Practically Caused Me To Pass Out. And Then The Fact That He Was Actually Saying Something That Sounded Like It Might Be A Prelude To Asking Me Out - Well, I Nearly Threw Up. I Mean It. I Felt Really Sick, But In A Good Way.

Mean

Sick

Asking

If Kisses Were What You Were Looking For, Little Fool, Why Didn't You Come To Me? Quoted By Susannah Simon

Kissing

Littles

Fool

But I’m Living Proof You Don’t Have To Spend A Lot In Order To Look Great.

Order

Looks

Proof

But I Had Loved Him. A Part Of Me Still Did. Maybe More Than A Part Of Me, Because I'm A Complete Moron.

Moron

Stills

Emerson:bite Me Whitne:you Wish

Wish

Bite Me

Bites

Michael Has Never Cried During A Broadway Show. Except In That Scene Where Tarzan's Ape Father Is Brutally Murdered. And That Was Only Because He Was Laughing So Hard.

Father

Laughing So Hard

Broadway

What Is The Sound Of One Hand Clapping? What Is The Weight Of A Single Grain Of Sand? The Answer Is Equal To My Interest In The Message You Are About To Leave. So Make It Short.

Hands

Voice

Sound

Dear Mia, What Can I Say? I Don't Know All That Much About Romance Novels, But I Think You Must Be The Stephen King Of The Genre. Your Book Is Hot. Thanks For Letting Me Read It. Anyone Who Doesn't Want To Publish It Is A Fool. Anyway, Since I Know It's Your Birthday, And I Also Know You Never Remember To Back Anything Up, Here's A Little Something I Made For You. It Would Be A Shame If Ransom My Heart Got Lost Before It Ever Saw The Light Of Day Because Your Hard Drive Crashed. See You Tonight. Love, Michael

Kings

Book

Heart

Even Though I Loved To Write, I Never Liked English Lit. Class Very Much. I Think It Ruins Books When You Dissect Them Too Much. I Liked My Art Classes Best.

Art

Book

Writing

If The Guy Likes/loves You, He Won't Care If You Are A Good Kisser Or Not. He Should Like You For What You Are - Not How You Kiss.

Love You

Kissing

Guy

Honey, Some Boys Stopped By To See You. They Had Wood.

Boys

Honey

Woods

Friend Tim Shakes Hands With Perfect Specimen Of Mankind. Will Never Wash Right Hand Again.

Hands

Perfect

Mankind

But I Don't Care What Megan Fox Or Jessica Biel Say: There Are Definite Advantages To Being The Hottest Girl On The Planet. Number One Was That I Got Paid For It. A Lot.

Girl

Numbers

Care

What Is The Appropriate Reply To Make To A Man Who Says He Loves You? Thank You. You Are Very Kind.

Love You

Men

Kind

But As You Age, You Lose Other, Even More Important Things, Like Friends-hopefully Only Bad Friends, Who Maybe Weren't As Good For You As You Once Thought. With Luck, You'll Be Able To Hang On To Your True Friends, The Ones Who Were Always There For You....even When You Thought They Weren't. Because Friends Like That Are More Precious Then All The Tiaras In The World

True Friend

Bad Friend

Luck

I Didn't Even Think About Suggesting He Take The Boots Off. There'd Probably Be A Apocalypse Or Something.

Thinking

Boots

Apocalypse

It's Truly Weird How Everyone Just Thinks They Can Bring Me Diet Coke And Everything Will Be Okay. Especially Since It's Pretty Much True.-lizzie Nichols

Thinking

Coke

Okay

Strong Female Characters - Even If They Don't Necessarily Make The Same Decisions That We Might - Make Such Great Narrative Material, Especially When There's An Equally Strong Male Character In The Mix.

Strong

Character

Decision

Life's Not Easy For Unicorns, You Know. We're A Dying Breed.

Dying

Unicorn

Easy

You;re Colling Me, So I Fugure You Must Not Hate Me Anymore. Does This Mean You Wanna Go Out? Ii'm Free Tonight. I Mean , I Have Plans, But I Can Break Them. For You. Brandon, You Kidnapped Me. And Then You Made The Only Person I'll Ever Love In My Life Hate Me. I Completely Despise You. So..., I Take That As A No, You Do Not Want To Go Out With Me Tonight.

Hate

Mean

Doe

Tell Me Jesse, Does She Sigh When You Kiss Her Too

Kissing

Doe

Sigh

The First Thing We Did Was Change All The Clocks So That Her Siblings Thought It Was Bedtime, Then Put Them To Bed Ignoring Their Plaintive Protests That They Were Not Tired. They Wept Themselves To Sleep Soon Enough.

Sibling

Tired

Sleep

Weight Doesn’t Matter. It Really Doesn’t. I Mean, It Does If You’re A Model Or Whatever.

Mean

Doe

Weight

No Matter How Nice The Company One Might Be With, However, It Is Never Pleasant To Have A Rifle Pointed At One's Back.

Nice

Rifles

Meg

But If That Was Really True, Why In The Name Of All That Is Holy Would Anyone Have Ever Liked Nikki In The First Place? I Was Becoming More And More Convinced She Was A Cross Between Heidi Montag And Hitler.

Names

Firsts

Becoming

Suze, Your Whole Life," My Dad Went On, Not Without Sympathy, "you've Always Made The Right Decisions. Not Necessarily The Easiest Ones. The Right Ones. Don't Mess That Up Now, When You're Facing What's Probably The Most Important Decision You'll Ever Have To Make.

Dad

Decision

Important

Oh, Jason, I Couldn't Get My Locker Open...i Know, I Tried Twisting It Right, Then Left, But It Wouldn't Budge. I Guess I'm Just Not Strong Enough. Could You Help Me? Please? Oh, Great. Oh, Jason, You're So Strong... Seriously? That Was Me Now? On The Other Hand , A Guy Was Following Me.

Strong

Hands

Guy

[...] Even In The Cruelest Human Being There Can Exist A Flower Of Good. Maybe Just The Tiniest Blossom, In Need Of Water And Sunlight, But A Flower Just The Same.

Flower

Water

Needs

It Was Also, However, A Favorite Place For Novices To Stand And Wait For Innocent Students To Slip Up By Talking Too Loudly Between Classes. No Novice Has Ever Been Created That Could Keep Gina Quiet, However.

Talking

Class

Waiting

That Hurt Querida, That Really Hurt

Hurt

Meg Cabot Is The Best Author Ever

Meg

Summer Is My Favorite Time To Read Mysteries.

Summer

Mystery

My Favorite

He Let His Mouth Linger On Mine, Neither Possessively Nor Sweetly... Like His Mouth Just Belonged There On Mine. And He Was Right. It Did. It Always Had.

Mouths

Abandon

Mines

Sorry, Bex," Jason Said "you Don't Have The Recognizable Facial Characteristics - Such As A Huge Chin, Or A Large Amount Of Real Estate Between The Eyes - That Would Merit The Bestowing Of A Criminal Mastermind Nickname Such As Lockjaw Or Walleye. Whereas Crazytop Here...well, Just Look At Her." "atleast I Can Blow-dry My Hair Straight," I Pointed Out. "which Is More Than What I Can Say For Your Nose, Hawkface.

Sorry

Real

Eye

Write The Kind Of Story You Would Like To Read. People Will Give You All Sorts Of Advice About Writing, But If You Are Not Writing Something You Like, No One Else Will Like It Either.

Kids

Writing

Giving

When I Was A Kid, I Had A Couple Of Really Good Friends, Like Some Really Good Best Friends, But I Was Really Shy Other Than That.

Couple

Kids

Good Friend

Home. Wow. I’m Already Calling It Home. Well, Isn’t That What Any Place Is? Any Place That You Share With Someone You Love, I Mean?

Home

Mean

Calling

This Is Exactly Why Patrick And I Chose Not To Have Children." He Muttered. "so We Would Never Have To Have Conversations Like This. Andy Yet...here I Am?""if You Could Answer The Question," I Said As Politely As I Could, "that Would Be Great. I Really Don't Want To Have A Freaky Demon Baby, And I Can't Imagine John Wants One, Either

Baby

Children

Here I Am

You'll Blow Up A Helicopter, But You Won't Go Out With Me? What Is Wrong With You?

Relationship

Blow

Helicopters

I'm Sorry, Heather, But Everything Was Not Just Fine Before I Got Here. You Know How I Know That? Because You're Dead. Okay? You Are Dead. Dead People Don't Have Lockers, Or Best Friends, Or Boyfriends. You Know Why? Because They're Dead.-suze Simon

Sorry

People

Heathers

Sometimes In Life, You Fall Down Holes You Can't Climb Out Of By Yourself. That's What Friends And Family Are For-to Help. They Can't Help, However, Unless You Let Them Know You're Down There.

Fall

Family And Friends

Helping

Tell Me What Game Steph Landry And I Used To Play In The Big Dirt Pile They Made While They Were Digging My Family’s Pool, Back When We Were Both Seven, Or I’ll Know You’re An Alien Replacement And You’ve Got The Real Steph Up In Your Mother Ship!” I Glared At Him. “g.i. Joe Meets Spelunker Barbie,” I Said. “and Stop Being So Ridiculous. We Have To Go. We’re Going To End Up At A Bad Table For Lunch.

Mother

Real

Games

If You Have To Say “no Offense” To Someone, You Have Already Offended Them.

Offense

Ifs

Offended

Hasn’t Anyone Ever Told You,” Jesse Asked, In A Semi-amused Voice, “ That A Gentleman Never Lays A Hand On A Lady?” Which I Thought Was Kind Of Funny, Considering Where Jesse Had Had His Hand The Last Time I’d Seen Him. But I Thought It Better To Let That Slide.

Hands

Voice

Gentleman

No One Wants To Pursue Anything Creative Anymore, Because That's Too Risky. They May Not Get The Kind Of Return On The Financial Investment They've Made In Their Education That They Think They Should.

Thinking

Creative

May

Of Course. I Was On The Run From Evil Spirits That Wanted To Kill Me And Now, According To The Local Paper, The Law. Yet Richard Smith, Cemetery Sexton And Death Deity Scholar, Had A Book For Me To Read In All My Copious Spare Time.

Running

Book

Law

In High School, I Wanted To Be An Actress. Until I Got To College And Took Some Creative Writing Courses. Then I Decided I Wanted To Become A Novelist.

Writing

School

College

Who-who Are You?" Seth Asked, Hesitantly."wh-what Do You Want?" How Else Was Was I Supposed To Reply? The Words Were Out Of My Mouth Before I Could Stop Them.i Mean, I'd Only Seen The Movie Like Seventeen Times. "i'm Luke Skywalker," I Said. "i'm Here To Rescue You.

Mean

Want

Mouths

But I Intend To Enjoy The Weeks I Have Left With You To The Fullest. Because I Know From My Study Of The Philosophy Of Time, Whatever Is Going To Happen In The Future Is Already Unavoidable.

Philosophy

Study

Week

My Family, Theyre Story Tellers. My Mom Is Irish, And My Dad Is Italian. In My Family, We Werent Allowed To Watch Tv While We Ate - We Had To Sit Around The Table And Tell Stories About Our Day.

Mom

Dad

Italian

Your Assignment,' He Bellowed At Kelly, 'was To Make A Persuasive Argument. Demanding To Know Whether Detractors Of Your Position Are On Crack Is Not Arguing Persuasively.

Cracks

Arguing

Argument

Even If Vampires Were Stupid. Especially American Vampires. They Hung Out In Places Alaric Himself Would Never Have Gone, Especially If He Were Immortal. Such As High Schools. And Walmart.

Stupid

School

Vampire

The Fact Is, I Love Him. He's The Boy I Want And One Day He'll Be Mine.

I Love Him

Boys

Romance

Hormones Are Very Powerful Things. We Are Helpless In Their Wake.

Powerful

Hormones

Very Powerful

Do Not Listen To Her," Alaric Said. "she Is Going To Tell You In Some Kind Of Code Only The Two Of You Will Understand, Because You Are Siblings, To Call The Police On Your Cell Phone. But If You Do That, I Will Kill You And Dispose Of Your Body In A Place Where No One Will Find It. The River, I Think. Your Doorman Is So Stupid, He Won't Notice If I Leave This Building Carrying A Body In A Rolled-up Carpet.

Sibling

Stupid

Thinking

You And Me?” I Let Out A Stunned Bark Of Laughter. “there Is No You And Me.” “that’s What You Think,” Chaz Says, Tugging On His Coat. “and I’ll Be Damned If I’m Going To Wait Around Until You Figure Out That Isn’t True.” “fine,” I Say “i’m Not Asking You To, Am I?” “no.” Chaz Is Smiling… But Not Like He’s Happy. “but You Would If You Had The Slightest Idea What Was Good For You.” And With That, He Yanks Open The Door And Storms Through It, Slamming It Closed Behind Him With Enough Force To Cause The Windowpanes To Rattle. And Then He’s Gone.

Laughter

Thinking

Doors

Look, I Know What You're Thinking. You're Thinking I Said No Because The Whole Thing Would Just Be Too Dirty Dancing , Right? Summer Fling At The Resort, Only With The Roles Reversed: You Know, The Poor Working Girl And The Rich Doctor's Son, Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner, Blah Blah Blah. That Kind Of Thing.

Summer

Girl

Baby

Inside The Envelope With The Letter Was A Little Princess Leia Action Figure Usb Flash Drive. For Me To Store My Novel On, Since He Was Right - I Never Back Up My Computer's Hard Drive. The Sight Of It - It's Princess Leia In Her Hoth Outfit, My Favorite Of Her Costumes (how Had He Remembered?) Brought Tears To My Eyes.

Princess

Eye

Sight

It Was Only When They'd Rounded The Corner Toward The Penguin That We Finally Sat Up, Laughing Semi-hysterically. "oh My God, Did You See Her Face?" Becca Asked Between Guffaws. "'there's Something In My Hair!'" "that Was Fantastic, Crazytop," Jason Said, Wiping Tears Of Laughter From His Eyes. "best Master Plan Yet.

Laughter

Eye

Hair

I Snatched The Paper Away From Dopey. "hey," He Yelled. "i Was Reading That!" "let Somebody Who Can Pronounce All The Big Words Have A Try," I Said.

Reading

Trying

Hey

I'm A Liar. And I Can't Stop Thinking About Boys.

Liars

Boys

Thinking

Understanding Quotes: Their Essence and Application

Quotes, or quotations, are powerful tools in communication, encapsulating ideas, emotions, and wisdom in concise expressions. They serve various purposes across different contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.

1. Defining Quotes

A quote is a repetition of someone else's statement or thoughts. It can be a direct replication of words spoken or written by another individual, often used to support arguments, provide evidence, or convey profound insights.

2. The Importance of Quotes

2.1. Enhancing Credibility

Incorporating quotes from authoritative sources can bolster the credibility of your work. By referencing experts or primary sources, you demonstrate thorough research and a solid foundation for your arguments.

2.2. Providing Evidence

Quotes serve as concrete evidence to support claims. In academic and professional writing, they validate points made, offering readers a basis to trust the information presented.

2.3. Conveying Emotions and Perspectives

Quotes can encapsulate emotions and perspectives succinctly. They allow writers to express complex feelings or viewpoints through the words of others, often more eloquently than paraphrasing.

3. Types of Quotes

3.1. Direct Quotes

Direct quotes involve copying the exact words from a source, enclosed in quotation marks. They are used when the original wording is significant or particularly well-expressed.

3.2. Indirect Quotes (Paraphrasing)

Indirect quotes restate the original message in your own words. While not enclosed in quotation marks, they still require proper attribution to the original source.

3.3. Block Quotes

Block quotes are lengthy direct quotations, formatted as a separate block of text. They are typically used for quotes exceeding a certain length, varying by citation style. For instance, in APA style, quotes longer than 40 words are formatted as block quotes.

4. Proper Usage of Quotes

4.1. Contextual Relevance

Ensure that the quote you choose is relevant to the topic and adds value to your content. Avoid inserting quotes solely for decorative purposes.

4.2. Integration into Your Writing

Seamlessly integrate quotes into your writing. Introduce them appropriately and follow up with analysis or commentary to connect them to your main points.

4.3. Attribution and Citation

Always attribute quotes to their original authors and provide proper citations according to the required style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

5.1. Overusing Quotes

Relying too heavily on quotes can overshadow your voice. Use them sparingly to support your arguments, not replace them.

5.2. Lack of Analysis

Presenting a quote without analysis or explanation can leave readers questioning its relevance. Always follow up with your interpretation or discussion.

5.3. Misquoting or Taking Out of Context

Ensure that quotes are accurate and not taken out of context, as this can mislead readers and undermine your credibility.

6. Quotes in Different Contexts

6.1. Academic Writing

In academic writing, quotes are used to support arguments, provide evidence, and engage with existing literature. Proper citation is crucial to avoid plagiarism.

6.2. Journalism

Journalists use quotes to provide firsthand accounts, add authenticity, and present multiple perspectives within a story.

6.3. Literature and Creative Writing

In literature, quotes can be used to convey character voices, themes, and stylistic elements. They enrich narratives and provide depth to storytelling.

7. Punctuation and Formatting

Understanding the correct punctuation and formatting of quotes is essential:

Quotation Marks: Always enclose direct quotes within quotation marks.

Punctuation Placement: In American English, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks, while colons and semicolons are placed outside.

Block Quotes: For longer quotes, format them as block quotes without quotation marks, and indent the entire block.

8. Ethical Considerations

Ethical use of quotes involves accurate representation, proper attribution, and respect for intellectual property. Misuse can lead to plagiarism, which carries serious academic and professional consequences.

9. Tools for Managing Quotes

Utilize tools like citation generators and plagiarism checkers to manage quotes effectively. These tools help ensure proper formatting and originality in your writing.

Conclusion

Quotes are invaluable in enriching content, providing evidence, and conveying complex ideas succinctly. When used appropriately, they enhance the quality and credibility of your writing. Always ensure relevance, proper integration, and ethical usage to maximize their impact.

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