I still get rejections - frequently - and my goal isn't to never fail, to never be turned down, but simply to succeed more often than I don't. And in order to do that, I have to constantly put myself out there, to judgment, critique, and rejection. V. E. Schwab More Quotes by V. E. Schwab More Quotes From V. E. Schwab It wouldn't bring her back. I know. Trust me, I do. And I would have done far worse, he says, if I'd thought there was a way to bring Regina back. I would have traded places. I would have sold souls. I would have torn this world apart. I would have done anything, broken any rule, just to bring her back. V. E. Schwab broken done soul He wanted to care, he wanted to care so badly, but there was this gap between what he felt and what he wanted to feel, a space where something important had been carved out. V. E. Schwab space important life You know so little of war. Battles may be fought from the outside in, but wars are won from the inside out. V. E. Schwab battle may war I tend to lean toward female leads who have their guard up, their spikes out. V. E. Schwab guards-up female Purity without balance is its own corruption. V. E. Schwab balance corruption purity Some people steal to stay alive, and some steal to feel alive. Simple as that. V. E. Schwab alive simple people I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still. V. E. Schwab standing-still stills adventure I tend to have a long con when it comes to romance, in part because I like the build-up as much as the payoff, and in part because I think there are a wealth of relationships out there (friend, sibling, rival, etc.), and straight-up romance interests me less than tension. V. E. Schwab sibling long thinking Fencing is a game of living chess, a match where reflexes only work in combination with intent, and mind and body must work together at every moment. V. E. Schwab moment mind together work I love being new places and hate getting there, and have been known to say on multiple occasions that I would give anything from a piece of my soul to a limb to a portion of my life savings to teleport. Especially when bad weather keeps me off planes. V. E. Schwab my-life me love life So many people think that if you're writing fantasy, it means you can just make everything up as you go. Want to add a dragon? Add a dragon! Want some magic? Throw it in. But the thing is, regardless of whether you're dealing with realism or fantasy, every world has rules. Make sure to establish a natural order. V. E. Schwab you magic people world As for advice for aspiring authors, the best I can give is to be brave. It sounds like a simple enough thing, but it's not. Rejection is such an integral part of this journey, and it never goes away. V. E. Schwab best simple journey brave I think a lot of writers are tempted to add complexity by over-complicating things, but always remember that most natural rules/laws are, at their core, simple. Start simple, and build from there, or you risk getting yourself and your readers tangled. V. E. Schwab yourself you simple remember I almost always start with setting! I have to know the world before I know how to populate it. I have a tendency to play with doors - between life and death, human and monster, mundane and magic - and with 'ADSOM,' I knew I wanted to play with the physical doors between worlds. V. E. Schwab magic life death world I'd grown up an athletic child, a competitive soccer player since age 4, with stints ranging from months to years in gymnastics, softball, volleyball. V. E. Schwab child age soccer years I like to play with tropes. V. E. Schwab like play I was fourteen, watching 'The Princess Bride' for the 254321th time, captivated by Wesley and Inigo dueling on the cliff-top. I had never held a sword in my life, but I phoned my mum and said, 'I want to learn to fence!' V. E. Schwab bride my-life time life Young people like to think they're invincible. They don't like to face any situation where they've gotten weaker instead of stronger. V. E. Schwab face think situation people I'm pagan. V. E. Schwab pagan It's not what people do that matters, it's why they do it. V. E. Schwab matters why people
