How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
And he was so glad I'd called. He actually said so, and he sounded like he was. I have secretly believed ever since that he had somehow stayed alive just long enough to be there for my phone call, and that after he answered my question, he hung up, smiled, and keeled over.
"Ah," he said, when I told him what I was after. "That would be the wire hood." (20.10-11)
It's easy to think you're going to be a pain in the neck if you ask people for help, especially people who aren't writers. But sometimes, people are genuinely delighted to share information and advice.
Quote #5
And even though their son will always be alive in their hearts, like Pammy and my dad will be alive in mine—and maybe this is the only way we ever really have anyone—there is still something to be said for painting portraits of the people we have loved, for trying to express those moments that seem so inexpressibly beautiful, the ones that change us and deepen us. (25.20)
Writers, of course, can get source material from a community, but writers can also give something back to that community. And in a way, by giving to the writer, the community is helping the broader community of the audience in general—so the communication is really going in all kinds of directions, and it's surprisingly reciprocal.
Quote #6
There are probably a number of ways to tell your story right, and someone else may be able to tell you whether or not you've found one of these ways. (21.3)
Just as it helps to have a teammate analyze your soccer kicks or basketball moves, it helps to run a piece of writing by somebody. Different people will react different ways, and some of those people will react in ways that are so helpful you'll want to keep showing them your work.