I love a quote!

I thought I'd share my Monday morning frustration. I'm at the beginning of writing a new book, so I like to have my dedication and quote in place for the entire writing process. Other authors leave this task to the end, but it's one of my quirks, which I have done with each book, barring one.

Anyway, I love a good quote. I like to signpost my readers, regarding where my muse was heading, prior to them meeting the first character. But there's a criteria to choosing a quote. Firstly, I have to love it. Secondly, it has to relate to the theme of my story - subtle or not, I don't mind. Thirdly, it has to be in the public domain - meaning out of copyright! Now, that final one has been a killer for a thousand quotes I would love to use! This morning has been no different. In two hours of searching, I have rejected beautiful quotes from John Steinbeck, Virginia Woolf and Natalie Goldberg. At one point, I was tempted to write 'Quote - every quote I can't use!' on page three of my manuscript. Not the right attitude, but still, the truth!

My editors pull their hair out, because despite my best intentions, some quotes which I choose slip through the net and result in lots of discussions and searches 'to clarify'. Such as a Wordsworth quote - who has some weird and wonderful extension to his copyrights - resulting in an instant delete! One book quote caused me sooooooooooooo much work as I badly wanted to use it but had to seek permission from the powers that be. Time, effort and many messages later - I got my wish. To me it was worth it, but I'm not sure others thought so.  

Anyhow, I've now found this book's quote. It arrived via an error on a web search which quoted it as a personal comment but it turns out after further research to be a line from their book. And the best part, it is out of copyright! Yeah!!!!

Pages one, two and three of my new manuscript are now written!