All the writing elements are the same. You need to tell a good story... You've got good characters... People think there's some dramatic difference between writing 'Little Bear' and the 'Hunger Games,' and as a writer, for me, there isn't.
Interpretation
Storytelling relies on fundamental elements regardless of the genre or audience.
In this quote, Suzanne Collins emphasizes that the core components of storytelling—such as character development and plot structure—are consistent across different works, regardless of their commercial success or literary classification. She suggests that the art of writing remains fundamentally the same, whether crafting stories for children or writing a thrilling dystopian saga like 'The Hunger Games,' underscoring the universality of good storytelling.
In practice
During a workshop, a speaker could use this quote to illustrate the importance of universal storytelling elements.
But Mockingjays were never a weapon," said Madge. "They’re just songbirds. Right?" "Yeah, I guess so,” I said, But it’s not true. A mockingbird is just a songbird. A mockingjay is a creature the capitol never intended to exist. They hadn’t counted on the highly controlled jabberjay having the brains to adapt to the wild, to thrive in a new form. They hadn’t anticipated its will to live.
Okay, listen to me, you're stronger than they are. You are. They just want a good show, that's all they want. You know how to hunt. Show them how good you are.
You're still trying to protect me. Real or not real," he whispers. "Real," I answer. "Because that's what you and I do, protect each other.
The ones I loved fly as birds in the open sky above me. Soaring, weaving, calling to me to join them. I want so badly to follow them, but the seawater saturates my wings, making it impossible to lift them. The ones I hated have taken to the water, horrible scaled things that tear my salty flesh with needle teeth. Biting again and again. Dragging me beneath the surface.
My time in the arena made me realize how I needed to stop punishing [my mother] for something she couldn't help, specifically the crushing depression she fell into after my father's death. Because sometimes things happen to people and they're not equipped to deal with them.
Fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!
Perhaps no person can be a poet, or can even enjoy poetry, without a certain unsoundness of mind.
Don't play what's there, play what's not there.
When I'm writing a song, I try to be the character.
I'd like to think I've left something in the world. Without in any way trying to be morbid, but life is very short, and I'd like to think I'd leave some body of work that would inspire other musicians long after I've gone.
I was in a queer mood, thinking myself very old: but now I am a woman again - as I always am when I write.
The painting rises from the brushstrokes as a poem rises from the words. The meaning comes later.
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