I prefer to bring these to the service of story rather than to let them replace narrative.
quote by James Gunn

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Related quotes
The narrative constructs the identity of the character, what can be called his or her narrative identity, in constructing that of the story told. It is the identity of the story that makes the identity of the character.
quote by Paul Ricoeur

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It's probably why I'm a short story writer. I tend to remember things in the past in narrative form, in story form, and I grew up around people who told stories all the time.
quote by Tobias Wolff

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Possibilities
I prefer movies.
I prefer cats.
I prefer the oaks along the Warta.
I prefer Dickens to Dostoyevsky.
I prefer myself liking people
to myself loving mankind.
I prefer keeping a needle and thread on hand, just in case.
I prefer the color green.
I prefer not to maintain
that reason is to blame for everything.
I prefer exceptions.
I prefer to leave early.
I prefer talking to doctors about something else.
I prefer the old fine-lined illustrations.
I prefer the absurdity of writing poems
to the absurdity of not writing poems.
I prefer, where love's concerned, nonspecific anniversaries
that can be celebrated every day.
I prefer moralists
who promise me nothing.
I prefer cunning kindness to the over-trustful kind.
I prefer the earth in civvies.
I prefer conquered to conquering countries.
I prefer having some reservations.
I prefer the hell of chaos to the hell of order.
I prefer Grimms' fairy tales to the newspapers' front pages.
I prefer leaves without flowers to flowers without leaves.
I prefer dogs with uncropped tails.
I prefer light eyes, since mine are dark.
I prefer desk drawers.
I prefer many things that I haven't mentioned here
to many things I've also left unsaid.
I prefer zeroes on the loose
to those lined up behind a cipher.
I prefer the time of insects to the time of stars.
I prefer to knock on wood.
I prefer not to ask how much longer and when.
I prefer keeping in mind even the possibility
that existence has its own reason for being.
poem by Wislawa Szymborska

Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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The Way I Am
Sometimes i don't wanna say thanks
Sometimes i don't wanna say sorry
What i'm not is what i can't pretend
I prefer to live life with no worries
I have a heart to teach me the good and the bad
And a mind of my own to guide me
I can't learn from you what you've learned
I prefer to die with no one beside me
I can't let my hurt reach anothers heart
I can't let other take shower in my pain
I love to say goodbye and hide my scar
I prefer to walk alone in rain
Making me say thanks or sorry
Isn't gonna prove who i am
God knows my whole story
I am as the way i am
poem by Menime Soul

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The Stories
The stories
Night bed its mats
And also we are
Wait and see
The narrative begins with the story
The stories of long time ago
Between fact and fiction
The stories from the ends of the earth
And depth of the ocean
We draw the characters and imagine
Live roles
And sail far and far
And overwhelmed with happiness
And the longing pulls us
And eyebrows painted terms on our faces
The story behind the story
Delight our nights
The stories of my grandmother.
poem by Mohammed AlBalushi

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I don't think I prefer writing for one age group above another. I am just as pleased with a story which I feel works well for very small children as I do with a story for young adults.
quote by Margaret Mahy

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Without sounding too pretentious, I was sort of a slave to the narrative. When the narrative cracks in, I have to go where it takes me. I had to go to the Bohemian Grove. It was the obvious end to the book.
quote by Jon Ronson

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Narrative identity takes part in the story's movement, in the dialectic between order and disorder.
quote by Paul Ricoeur

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Of the individual poems, some are more lyric and some are more descriptive or narrative. Each poem is fixed in a moment. All those moments written or read together take on the movement and architecture of a narrative.
quote by Marilyn Hacker

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A narrative is like a room on whose walls a number of false doors have been painted; while within the narrative, we have many apparent choices of exit, but when the author leads us to one particular door, we know it is the right one because it opens.
quote by John Updike

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Choices
i prefer smooth peanut butter
to crunchy
mind you
crunchy is all right
but i prefer smooth.
i prefer strawberry jam
to raspberry
mind you
raspberry is tasty
but it's got all those seeds
and i prefer strawberry.
i prefer mustard
to mayonaisse
mind you mayonaisse has it's place
amongst condiments
but is likely to go bad
if left out to long
and poison everyone
so on the whole i prefer mustard.
i prefer cooked meat
to raw meat
for much the same reason
as i prefer mustard to mayonaisse
although it also has to do
with the fact that i don't
like my meat to bleat
or moo or make chicken noises (BAGOCK!)
when i eat
so i tend to avoid the raw
though mind you
the meat that i prefer
may at some time have been raw.
i prefer not to say
why i think so
but i do
and i suppose it's all
just a matter of taste
so if you'd prefer to think so
then crunchy is better
than smooth
even if it does interfere
with the texture of the
peanut butter
and jelly (strawberry) sandwich
which ought to be somewhat
devoid of substance
merely a sticky sweet something
to fill your stomach
put mayonaisse on it
if you like
i'd prefer not to think about it.
poem by Laura Sewell

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No Memo From You Did I Receive
What would 'you' prefer?
That I pretend I am not a writer,
With an interest that is expressed.
Or would you prefer I stay within boundaries,
Your mind has restricted to your limitedness?
Or would you prefer,
I reflect more of what you suspect I should be?
And would your suspicions have their development,
Centered from your perceptions?
Either way,
No memo from you did I receive.
And I admit,
Guessing is not what I do best.
And the only tests I 'prefer' to pass,
Are my own.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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Bring me to my knees
Depression and shit memories.
You can always bring to my knees.
You find my weakness.
And you bring me down.
Oh how I long to break free.
But its like Im stuck in a tree.
I just want to flee.
Depression you bring me to my knees.
Your grip is like a vice.
You hate me.
And I am paying the price.
Your a parasite like lice.
Like a blood sucking leach.
You drain my happiness.
Replace it with sadness and hoplessness.
You give me griefe.
Depression you bring me to my knees.
You are my enemy.
I hate you.
You hate me.
And bring me to my knees
poem by Amy Louise Kerswell

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Bring em All In
Bring em all in, bringem all in, bring em all in,
Bring em all in, bring em all into my heart
Bring em all in, bring em all in, bring em all in
Bring em all in, bring em all into my heart
Bring the little fishes
Bring the sharks
Bring em from the brightness
Bring em from the dark
Bring em from the caverns
Bring em from the heights
Bring em from the shadows
Stand em in the light
Bring em out of purdah
Bring em out of store
Bring em out of hiding
Lay them at my door
Bring the unforgiven
song performed by by Waterboys

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Bring Back The Memories
Baby you were in my
Dream
We were walking down
The street
Baby I heard in a melody
Its like a blast from the
Past
Let our story take us back
To the way that it used to
Be
Back to bobbys house and
Then my house
The asking whats your name
Pledging my love over soda pops
And loving you more and more
Everyday
Let the dj play that special
Song again
Lets bring back the memories
Hey there lonely girl
Ill be your duke of earl
Cause thats how it used to
Be
I keep thinking how it must
Have been
It wasnt so long ago
Everything was so simple then
When I loved you with all me
Heart and soul
In the book of love
Were a million to one
Lets bring back the memories
My earth angel
Leave a story to tell
Lets bring back these used to bes
I can make up each and every scence
Ill do-wop and then laugh at me
And Id like to rewrite my whole
Story
With you by my side
In the still of the night
I want to know that youre mine
So bring back those memories
Bring back those memories
Were a thousand miles away
Bring back the memories
Earth angel
Earth angel
Will you be mine
Bring back the memories
Bring back the memories
(fade till end)
song performed by by New Edition

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Conventional forms of narrative allow for different points of view, but for this book I wanted a structure whereby each of the main characters contributed a distinctive version of the story.
quote by Penelope Lively

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Replace You
I know you are afraid that I may one day find someone who could give me more than you.
But be not afraid my love there is nothing anyone could offer me that would replace you.
Someone could offer me the hope diamond but its’ sparkle could never replace the sparkle that you put in my eyes.
Some could even offer all the gold in Fort Knox but its’ value could never replace the value you put in me.
Now, someone could perhaps offer me the world and my answer to them would be no thanks because I have the world already because I have you.
So rest your mind my love from worry because there is nothing or no one that could ever replace you.
History!
Two the hard-way!
Three the broad-way,
But your recorded story is much needed for us;
History!
Of 'his-story' and 'her-story' to tell;
But on will always lead the way for others to follow,
And like the muse of love!
But the bullets of war will never bring us peace on this earth.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis

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The service of the fruit is precious, the service of the flower is sweet, but let my service be the service of the leaves in its shade of humble devotion.
aphorism by Rabindranath Tagore from Stray Birds (1916), translated by Rabindranath Tagore

Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Kid Fears
Pain from pearls -hey little girl
How much have you grown
Pain from pearls - hey little girl
Flower for the ones youve known
Are you on fire
From the years
What would you give
For your kid fears
Secret staircase, running high
You had a hiding place
Secret staircase, running low
But they all know, now youre inside
Are you on fire
From the years
What would you give
For your kid fears
Your kid fears
Skipping stones, we know the price now
And any sin will do
How much further, if you can spin
How much further, if you are smooth
Are you on fire
[are you on fire]
From the years
[from the years? ]
What would you give
For your kid fears
[what would you give]
[what would replace the rent with the stars above]
(replace the rent with the stars above)
[replace the need with love]
(replace the need with love)
[replace the anger with the tide]
(replace the anger with the tide)
[replace the ones, the ones, the ones, that you love]
(replace the ones, the ones, the ones, that you love)
Ah the ones that you love
Are you on fire
(replace the rent with the stars above)
[are you on fire]
From all the years
(replace the need with love)
[from the years]
What would you give
(replace the anger with the tide)
[what would you give]
For your kid fears
(for the ones that you love)
(the ones that you love)
Hold on now
Are you on fire
(replace the rent with the stars above)
[are you on fire]
From all the years
(replace the need with love)
[from the years]
And what would you give
(replace the anger with the tide)
For your kid fears
[what would you give]
(for the ones that you love)
What would you give
(the ones that you love)
For you kid fears?
[what would you give]
What would you give for your kid fears
Your kid fears
Hey kids
Hold on
song performed by by Indigo Girls

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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