How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"When I read something, I like to feel I've gotten to know the writer a little bit," she continued. "For me, page after page of this kind of sarcasm gets annoying." She put her hand up. "Don't get me wrong. You write very well. Very well. It's funny and it's strong, and actually, I'm pretty impressed. If I wasn't, I'd just shut up about it." (6.48)
Look at Marisol's advice to John: It's about his writing, sure, but it's also about how he should use his writing to connect to others. More importantly, he needs to learn to connect with his own feelings, which he normally runs away from.
Quote #8
My mom's a therapist, so, you know, she believes in them. She got me started with Claire around the time I came out, although what we usually end up talking about is being adopted. Anyway, writing the letters has helped me figure out who my mother is. Or, at least, who she isn't. (9.30)
Even Marisol uses writing as a tool. She might not ever meet her birth mother, but that doesn't stop her from working out issues with her on the page. The letters she writes to her mom are heartfelt and brutally honest—she does not sugar coat her true feelings.
Quote #9
"You asked me why I don't let things get me down. I think it's because I've always tried to find my own magic words ever since I was young. That's really what writing is, isn't it? Searching for the magic words. So I guess I'd have to say, this is what keeps me going, figuring out what I have to say and putting it down on paper, word by word." (10.24)
Diana's outlook on life is so refreshingly positive after John's down in the dumps nature. One thing they share? A love for writing, and a desire for the right words to express themselves—or, as they put it, magic words. These are special to them because they have the ability to convey meaning in a way they can't in speaking to one another.