Chelsea Quinn Yarbro Quotes

“Art goes into the world unarmed, vulnerable to every quirk of fate, and it must survive only by its power to move men not to destroy it.”

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

“When it was cooler, Trazada made a simple meal of sausage, cheese, and bread. She had schooled herself to wait dinner until hunger urged her to eat; it gave seasoning to poor food that no spice could furnish.
("The Generalissimo's Butterfly")”

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Love is not for the weak, my heart. You must have courage.

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

“Isn't that an odd philosophy for a vampire?”

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

“Providing a writer isn't put off by conventions - and some are - attending them can be a nice break from the necessary isolation of writing.”

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

I ride horseback - arthritic knees permitting - or listen to opera. Sometimes I cook. I used to do needlework, but it's hard on my hands now, so I only do it occasionally, but I like it. And, of course, I read.

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

“Common folk didn't have last names in the 8th and 9th centuries.”

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

“I'm not a good collaborator in general.”

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

“If they aren't real enough to surprise me, then they aren't real enough to go on the page.”

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

“Storylines are how characters create the plots involved in their stories.”

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

“Very few editors worry about heresy - their goals are much too commercial, thank goodness.”

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

“When you're a mid-list writer, it pays to write fast.”

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

“I outline fairly extensively because I'm usually dealing with real events. I don't need to give myself as much information as I used to, but I still like to have two pages of outline for every projected 100 pages of manuscript.”

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

“I think it is probably more important to attend specialized conventions for a journeyman writer than any other, but it's useful at all stages of a career, if for nothing else, to find out how the industry is working at any given time.”

— Chelsea Quinn Yarbro