Literary Birthday – 25 March – Melina Marchetta
Happy Birthday, Melina Marchetta, born on 25 March 1965.
Melina Marchetta Quotes
- Because without our language, we have lost ourselves. Who are we without our words?
- It begins with the character. When I write, I know how the story starts and how it ends, but I need to figure out how to get there. My first draft is generally awful. Before I share it with anyone else, I’ll rewrite it several times. I am obsessed with getting the words right.
- I think that we vote, not to get the best party in, but to keep the worst party out.
- Writers need to use dialogue to move the plot forward, to reinforce a relationship, or to tell more about the character.
- The key is that I let the characters live in my head for a really long time and I listen to their voices before I commit them to paper.
- Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the English syllabus was made up of books that students love?
- I’ve never had feedback on a novel where I was told, “It’s a complete rewrite.” With a script, there are often structural issues that need to be addressed. A script is a thousand times worse than a novel.
- It’s against the rules of humanity to believe there is nothing we can do.
- I will not read a book that is part of a trilogy, or part of a series, until it is finished. There is no way I will read something that has a cliffhanger.
Melina Marchetta is an award-winning Australian writer and teacher. She is the author of the novels, Looking for Alibrandi, Saving Francesca, and On the Jellicoe Road. Marchetta wrote the screenplay for the film Looking for Alibrandi. She has twice been awarded the CBCA Children’s Book of the Year Award: Older Readers, in 1993 and 2004. Her first fantasy novel, Finnikin of the Rock, was published in 2008. Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil was published in 2016. She is the author of the What Zola Did books, starting with What Zola Did On Monday. Click here to see all of her novels.
Source for quotes / Source for image: https://melinamarchetta.com.au/
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