a dreamer's wisdom - johann wolfgang von goethe

Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move
the hearts of men.

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

By Corinne Reid

from unexpected places - dioramas and miniatures

It's possible that a big story could be inspired by something small or
miniature...  These artists offer intriguing scenes born from the stews
of horror, childhood lolling, science fiction, and adventure fantasies
involving giant octopi and mutant bunnies.  Dioramas fascinate
children the world over.  They don't even have to be about something
fantastical; they just are fantastical by nature - little worlds to carry in
an old bottle or shoe box.  What inspired us then can inspire us now..
Have a look.

Never would I allow my size to define me. Instead I would define it.
- Melanie Benjamin, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb: A Novel

There's a great power of imagination about these little children, and
a creative fancy and belief that is very curious to watch.  I am
determined that Anny shall have a very extensive and instructive
store of learning in Tom Thumbs, Jack-the-Giant-Killers, etc.
- William Makepeace Thackeray

Jonah Samson

By Erin Tyner

on reading - orson scott card

I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know
are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth: the
mythic truth about human nature in general, the particular truth
about those life-communities that define our own identity, and the
most specific truth of all: our own self-story. Fiction, because it is
not about someone who lived in the real world, always has the
possibility of being about oneself.

- Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game

By Kristin Kest

on writing - why editors reject stories

David Farland's four reasons why an editor will reject a story:

1)  The idea for the story isn’t particularly fresh or interesting. You
may not realize it, but the basic concept of your story has probably
been done before. For example, let’s say that you decide to write a
story about “Zombie Sharecroppers.” Great. You might write it
beautifully, and I might get through the entire tale and enjoy it. But
ultimately I have to look at it and ask, “Is the basic tenet of the story
fresh and original? Did the author give it a surprise twist that lifted it
above similar stories?” If the answer to both of those questions is no,
then it will probably not get higher than an honorable mention.
You’ll need to come at me next time with a fresh idea.

2)  If the idea is good, then it may be that your execution is off. Very
often I’ll get stories where the idea intrigues me and the story is
written pretty well, but the author still has a few problems. Maybe
the author uses too many weak verbs, or has word repetitions. I had
one a couple of days ago that was set in Haiti, and while interesting,
nothing about the character’s voices suggested that the author had
ever listened closely to a Haitian. The accents just weren’t right.

By Giorgio Baroni

illustration - gracra

The artist of GraCra Illustration offers up some fantastical queens
and princesses, sisters and seductresses.  I immediately wonder
what these creatures have set out to accomplish, what kinds of
lives have carried them this far, and where their magic, sorrows,
and creature companions have come from.  Sets of melancholy
sisters, a world of desaturated people and saturated nature, and
others where the two merge entirely.  GraCra Illustration brings
to the table images worthy of Oz and Wonderland.

You would have to be half mad to dream me up.
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

the well written - fernando pessoa

When one of my Japanese teacups is broken, I imagine that the real
cause was not the careless hand of a maid but the anxieties of the
figures inhabiting the curves of that porcelain. Their grim decision
to commit suicide doesn't shock me: they used the maid as one of
us might use a gun.

- Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

By Mark von Minden

a dreamer's wisdom - dale carnegie

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished
by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no
hope at all.

- Dale Carnegie

By Guillem Mari