20 Jerry Spinelli Quotes for You to Enjoy

Jerry Spinelli

American Author

Born: Feb 1, 1941

First Me Myself Think Writing You

Related authors: F. Scott Fitzgerald Frederick Douglass Helen Keller Henry David Thoreau Joyce Meyer Mark Twain Og Mandino Zig Ziglar

I never became a cowboy or baseball player, and now I'm beginning to wonder if I ever really became a writer. I find that I hesitate to put that label on myself, to define myself by what I do for a living. Jerry Spinelli

Myself Beginning Living Hesitate Define Find Writer Never Put Became Label Cowboy Wonder Really Baseball Baseball Player Now Ever Player

I'm remembering one book that I wrote, 'Fourth Grade Rats,' that took a month to write, but most of them, full-length novels, I would say about a year. Jerry Spinelli

Book Year Took Month Say One Book Would About About A Year Rats Write Remembering Most Wrote Grade Them Novels Fourth

I was very naive, and I thought it was just a matter of writing my first book and sending it in, and for the rest of my life I would be writing books and collecting royalties. Nobody told me how hard it was going to be to get published. Jerry Spinelli

Life Me Book Writing Matter Thought Rest My Life First Books Collecting Would Would-Be Naive Nobody How Very Get Sending Going Just Hard Published Royalties

Once, I was out of the house 93 days in a year. I was missing grandparents' days at schools and kids' birthdays and Valentine's Day, not to mention the fact that when you're on the road, you can't get anything done. I had to learn to say 'No,' cut back on travel. Jerry Spinelli

Day You Travel Valentines Day Year Valentine Back Birthdays Once Say Kids Out Fact Mention Had Road Days Missing House Schools Learn Get Done Anything Cut Grandparents

When people hear I have six kids and 16 grandkids, they think, 'Oh, boy, you must get a lot of stories from them.' I don't. It's not like I'm behind the sofa in the living room taking notes while the grandkids carry on. Jerry Spinelli

You People Living Think Kids Carry Must Taking Like Boy Hear Lot Get Six Behind Oh Stories While Room Them Notes Grandkids Living Room Sofa

I think I have a pretty goofy profile for a writer. It seems to me most writers were reading 'Little Women' when they were 6 months old. At the age of a lot of my readers, I wanted to be a major league baseball player. I didn't read much. Jerry Spinelli

Me Age Women Old Reading Think Months Pretty Seems Writer Writers League Major Major League Major League Baseball Most Goofy Read Readers Were Lot Wanted Little Much Baseball Baseball Player Profile Player

I became a children's author by accident. As far as I'm concerned, I write for everybody. Jerry Spinelli

Accident Everybody Write Concerned Became Author Children As Far As Far

Ideas come from ordinary, everyday life. And from imagination. And from feelings. And from memories. Memories of dust in my sneakers and humming whitewalls down a hill called Monkey. Jerry Spinelli

Life Memories Everyday Life Feelings Dust Down Monkey Imagination Humming Everyday Come Ideas Hill Sneakers Ordinary

Peer pressure is just that: pressure. Jerry Spinelli

Pressure Peer Peer Pressure Just

I became a children's author by accident. Jerry Spinelli

Accident Became Author Children

I would say if you want to write, write what you care about. I think that's the most important thing. I think if you write what you care about, you stand a better chance of having the reader care about your story. Jerry Spinelli

I have a curious background for someone who turns out to be a writer. Jerry Spinelli

Background Out Someone Writer Curious Turns Who

Kids still can be said to live in their own little world. Even if their parents are helicoptering around them, assigning play dates and so forth, I think they're still living in some sense of their own little perceptual worlds. Jerry Spinelli

I seem to have a natural tendency to want to share my own observations and feelings with other people, and writing seems to be the way I'm best equipped to do that. Jerry Spinelli

Best Natural People Writing Feelings Own Other Way Seem Seems My Own Tendency Share Observations Equipped Want Natural Tendency

Usually it takes me about nine to 12 months to write a book. Jerry Spinelli

Me Book Nine Months About Write Takes

I've been writing since I was sixteen. At first, I wrote mostly short stories and poetry. The first thing I ever had published was a poem about a football game. It was printed in my local newspaper. Jerry Spinelli

Game Writing First Local About Poem Poetry Had Football Football Game Since Wrote Mostly First Thing Printed Been Short The First Thing Sixteen Stories Short Stories Newspaper Ever Published Thing

Actually, between books is precisely when I do give myself vacations. Jerry Spinelli

Myself Books Give Between Precisely Actually Vacations

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