May I quote you on that?

If you have a great quote, please join this collaborative book.

And they say you can’t judge a book by its cover!

Send in your submissions or nominate someone else in the comments below. If you’re shy, send me a private note, or email me here.

A new writing challenge to create a real book that may be sold in the real world — or at the very least an inexpensive vanity project that will make you the envy of the other writers in your neighborhood!

Over the last four months, I have gotten a lot of joy from reading and interacting with the writers at Medium. Together, the unpaid writers here have collaborated to create the epic tale, The Grammar Games. Inspired by some amazingly funny yet profound quotes, such as the one you see on the cover above, I invite you to submit your own or someone else’s quote.

[UPDATE 6/7: We now have 44 quotes, ONLY EIGHT MORE QUOTES TO FINISH THE BOOK. One last push, people. Go explore and find another writer to join our quest!]

CREATIVE STUFF

What are your favorite quotes from Medium? They can be written by you or ones you have read. If they are funny and reveal some deeper truth, we want them. If you recommend them, I will contact the author for their permission. Just point me in the right direction.

Here is the list of the quotes and the writers who want to be part of the project:

I am the air around the donut’s hole Victoria Easterday

I am a meditation challenge dropout! Randomly Me

If it makes you feel better, I have stitches in my asshole. dudemesticated

Also, I want 7 girlfriends… oh, that’s the testosterone, not Islam, speaking SF Ali

Do I hit the panic button that will eject me to anywhere but myself
Mike Essig

When life gives you lemons… Be grateful. Scurvy is real and you don’t want any part of that shit. Zachariah Wahrer

Sometimes bullshit really is just bullshit not thesis potential alto

Lists are like toilet paper Michelle Stone

I was one fanny pack away from being a complete disaster Justin Cox 🌮

It ain’t what you think Jeffrey Field

It is what it is, but it didn’t have to be Francis Rourke

I am a mango pip in the fruit bowl of life. Michelle Stone

I am freer for my losses Gemma Kennedy

Break before you BREAK, please. Tremaine L. Loadholt

I would do the unthinkable to protect the lives of my wife and child. Then I’d get back to the dishes, laundry and cooking. Ernio Hernandez

This morning, the mirror told me that I’m off to hell in a handbasket, but the man in my bed says he’ll meet me there. so it’s okay. Lisa Renee

I love having Tinder, OKCupid and Medium apps open at the same time… so that my appearance, my personality and my thoughts can all be rejected at the same time. Notorious DCI

The difference between “living insanity” & “living in sanity” is a little space Dave Grigger

Dinner: The evening meal best served saturated in depression sauce with a side of anxiety from your favorite news anchor. DayLeeFix

You know what my real secret is? It’s a magical orb that can stop time. Lizella Prescott

Autocorrect wants me to change listicles to testicles. Even it thinks they are a load of balls. Peter A Slaughter

Sometimes I wonder if I’m going to be single forever, and I feel a little blue… Then I hear about the guy in Montana who tried to stab his wife with elk antlers because she wouldn’t drive him to the strip club and I think, “Naaa, I’m good.” Alexainie

Dammit, now I’m cursing in a story about God. Sonny Bohanan

I’ve been circulating through the stages of grief like a Maytag washer in a household with quintuplets JoJo Magno

Tweets are neither legal nor medical advice Pastry Plate

When your characters start talking back to you, you know you found your ‘write’ voice. Teraisa

Maybe I’m questioning too much by questioning too much? Or maybe
I’m not questioning enough… Okay, time for a donut. Sarah Williams

Why can’t they make a card that says “I love you, Mom, but you’re
a pain in the ass”? Jeannine Harris

When everything is awful, throw fried food and mashed potatoes at the situation. Alexainie’s friend KJ Harris

If patience is a virtue, why does attempting to practice it make me want to commit murder? Alexainie’s friend Ginny Callahan

I could tell this guy was a great DJ. It was as obvious as his lack of pants. Jennifer Brown

Not only do I want to eat all of the carbs before me, but once again I am stunned by the recognition that the world is made of carbs. Gutbloom

Girl on top? Excuse me, I signed up for sex, not CrossFit. Ellie Guzman

I need to either do do something drastic with my life or do nothing at all. Sometimes, they’re the same thing. Ryan Hussey

Whenever I see you, I don’t know how many more times I can see you. Vincent Fulco

36. I am an introvert, hiding in plain sight. Insideout

37. In the future the leading cause of death will be irony David Graham

38. I am and have nearly always been a feminist, transgender, gay, black loving white liberal. Which is really to say I was trying to approximate something close to a decent human being. Todd Hannula 🤓

39. Embracing diversity means acknowledging an innate variety in humanity that’s a whole lot more complex than a bag of Skittles. Braveen Kumar

40. Magic is the hot sauce on top of a burrito you made with your decisions and actions. Devon Henry

41. I don’t know how to send selfies… I can’t figure out how to smile like not a serial killer Jing Jing Li

42. “Yes but…” is just a nice wrapping paper for excuses. And I am a pro in wrapping gifts Emilie Remiette Nérieux

43. Stopping yourself during a fall into anxiety takes Spiderman-esque reflexes and the self-awareness of a cockroach in a room full of old brown women wearing sandals Nerissa Naidoo

44. Mum could put tissues down her top and they would stay there. What else is that, if not a special gift from God? Letterwriter

I am still trying to get permission from a few of our well known Medium writers, such as Hassan S. Ali, Greg Gueldner, Dave Pell, who have fantastic quotes.

Naturally, I call upon my original list of Grammar Games contributors (you know who you are) to heed the call.

Will write for donuts

Business Considerations:

This is a serious project. Each quote will be illustrated by yours truly and be part of a book spread with a paragraph of philosophical musings on the page opposite the quote.

Unless there is feedback to increase the book size, the book will contain 52 quotes, so it acts as a weekly laugh/meditation. Add in the required pages for copyright and whatever, and maybe it will be 112 pages.

According to Amazon’s Create Space, it would cost $8.13 per copy, plus shipping. After that, a price would be set and small royalties would be paid (splitting them by 52 will mean really small) for any books that are sold after that. Or, if I can find a cheaper alternative, do a single run where people just buy the books they want. I won’t make any money from this, but I’m not going to front the cost of publishing and then wait for people to chip in.

[UPDATE:my friend sent me to a source that will print books for less than $4.00 per copy, plus shipping.]

For the e-book, I have a friend in the business who says it costs about $300 to convert a manuscript into an ebook. Going that direction, everyone could chip in for the ebook conversion cost, get a free digital copy for themselves, and then have a real book on Amazon that their friends could see and hopefully buy.

Who knows what will happen?

I will supply updates about the process. For now, I will publish quotes and images as an ongoing serial to see if enough interest exists to go all the way.

Maybe I can bring the dream of #WillWorkForDonuts to reality.

Please use the comments below for submissions and questions.

Thanks!