💐 Maurice 💐 @MauriceRuffin Twitter profile

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💐 Maurice 💐

1 month

When I turned 40, I had 320 short story rejections and no books published. A few years later, I've published a short story collection and two novels with another on the way. Believe in yourself like someone who loves you.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Someone in your life told you that you could write. And every time you write, you honor them.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

A reminder that Korryn Gaines was chilling at home. The police tried to break in to "execute" a traffic ticket warrant. Instead, they executed Korryn and shot her 5-year old son. An all-woman jury awarded her family $37 million. But the racist judge overruled them.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Writing is a spiritual practice. You will write words that no one will ever see. Words between you and the infinite. An offering.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

I don't know who needs to hear this but as someone who didn't publish his first book until his 40s, you can do it.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

2 years

Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me is legitimately one of the saddest things anyone has ever made. I played it for storytelling students last semester and they were like, what're you trying to do to us 😭

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

2020 is like that Billy Joel song where he names random events for five minutes straight.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

5 years

Write the book that only you could write because no one else carries your obsessions, your point of view, or your version of love.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

This is just to say I'm 43 and just learned that I've had my first poem accepted for publication. Dreams come true. Even dreams you were afraid to admit you had.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

When I was a kid, I played string bass in a youth orchestra. (I was a big kid.) It was the most fun thing I did. Then the orchestra lost city funding and folded. When we talk about transferring money from cops to social services, this is what that means. Thread 1/x

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

Never forget the thing that drove them insane with rage is Black people voting.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

Juneteenth would be a great time to arrest the police that killed Breonna Taylor.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

People act like rappers are such thugs because of their beefs. Lest we forget that Edgar Allan Poe hated a fellow writer so much that he sued him for libel, won, and then wrote a story where Poe kills his rival by getting him drunk and burying him alive in a crypt.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

The Gen X tendency to use proper punctuation in texts.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

5 years

If we put a Toni Morrison statue in every place where there used to be a Confederate statue, I might call it even.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

When one is writing, it's okay to take a break and lie on your fainting couch in your pouting room.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

My car is stuffed with large boxes of books. I'm now driving to Oxford, Mississippi for a new adventure. A year as the John and Renee Grisham writer in residence at the University of Mississippi. Wish me luck!

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

My most successful short story was rejected 19 times before it won the Iowa Review Fiction Prize. Don't let anyone get you down. You've got what it takes.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

2 years

Writers really be like I've kept a journal written in ink made from my own tears since I was six years old but I don't think I'm a writer.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

Love in the Time of the Coronavirus, a mega thread. If you see an attractive person in a cafe, do not approach them. Instead, go home, wash your hands, and write a sad, yearning poem.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

When your favorite coffee shop makes you cry first thing in the morning.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Writing is good for writers. I've found over the years that writers who don't write are very unhappy. I should know. This was me. So put your burden down and find a way to use that gift.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Whenever you read a book, you're reading a victory. A book is proof of the power of belief over sadness. Be sad as you like. But finish your work.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Creative people have to make things. The alternative is anxiety, depression, and darkness.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

If someone tells you that you're a gifted writer, the first thing you need to do is believe them.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

What would 12-year old you say if they met 2020-you?

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

You have to write your book because no one knows your universe like you.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

The troubling part is deciding what to take and what to leave. Some things are obvious. Money and passports. But not your pretty blues guitar. You haven't played it in years. It would dominate the back seat of the car, which has newish tires but may not last out the trip. Thread

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

1 year

I did not have the Essence Festival in New Orleans using a restraining order to shut down a community event at Baldwin and Company Books on my bingo card for this weekend. This is the worst for my city.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Writers should know that writing is about trust. You have to believe that if you show up something good will happen. Guilt from not writing partly comes from not trusting the self. Learn to trust yourself.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

A reason to love your writing is because it's yours. Loving what you create is one more way to love yourself.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

5 years

The worst thing a writer can do is let life paralyze you into inaction. Yes, people are being locked up for fun and you are short on funds and anxiety is tearing you apart. But your words mean something and only you can write them.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Make 13 year old you proud. Write your stories.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

@likaluca By far...

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

Ten years ago, I was a high paid corporate lawyer with an expense account and a dozen fancy suits. But I was bored and empty. I knew that going back to school in my mid 30s for a writing degree looked nuts. I'm happy to say I'd do it again and again. Take a chance on yourself.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

2 years

This is the face of a professor who received a grant from the State of Louisiana so that I can spend a year writing and not teaching. I'll miss my students, but appreciate the opportunity. Thank you Board of Regents for the ATLAS!

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Writers avoid writing even though we always feel better after writing. Make us both feel better. Write a little today.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Writing is like praying. You show up, bow your head, and hope.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

5 years

OMG! OMG! OMG! THE NY TIMES REVIEWED MY BOOK. HOW DO I TURN THE CAPS OFF? OMG! WAIT. HOW DO I MAKE THEM BIGGER?! THANK YOU @nytimesbooks & @nytimes !

In This Ingenious Satire, a Father Goes to Extremes to Protect His Son From Racism (Published 2019)

“We Cast a Shadow,” a first novel by Maurice Carlos Ruffin, is a hilarious and profound meditation on racial bias, and how it warps our capacity for love.

www.nytimes.com

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

People often ask me what it feels like to shift careers from law to writing. Not to be dramatic, but it saved my life. Listen, creative people often have difficulty finding ourselves because the world doesn't know what to do with us. Thread (1/6)

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

2 years

Writers shouldn't panic that they aren't progressing fast enough. Your stories live inside you. It's not a matter of opening your gift. It's already there.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

How I got great at writing: I sucked I embarrassed myself I let myself down I came up short I was rejected for years. Then I got better. I still suck sometimes, but I'm an author with two critically acclaimed books, so I'm doing something right.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Writing is good for you. If it was bad for you it would be called wronging.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

2 years

I lived in John Grisham's old house for a year because he was the program sponsor. I wrote a whole book in the house and wanted to pass along a thanks. Today, I gave him a copy of the book I finished in his old dream house, but the jokes on me. He had my book. I signed his copy.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

I'm 15 years into my five year plan. That's ok. It's not like I had anything else to do.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

The power just went out in uptown New Orleans. On the hottest day of the year. I just passed a restaurant full of masked people eating in the dark if you were wondering how dystopian 2020 could get.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

A commitment to your writing is a commitment to yourself. That's why it can be hard to maintain. You might feel selfish. Don't. Your future fans will love your work.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

1 year

I'm so happy to reveal the cover of my new book, The American Daughters! It's available for pre-order from your favorite bookstore. The book is about a group of Black women and girls who form a spy ring to resist the Confederates! Save the date for a release event March 5, 2024.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

I'm in a small town and found a promising Mexican restaurant. The owner asked where I was from. I went outside to wait in my car. She brought the bag of food to me. I told her I hadn't paid yet. She said, "enjoy your lunch and tell other New Orleans people to come."

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

2 years

Hi to all of us left behind on this bird app. I have a new book on the way! It's called The American Daughters. Get ready to meet a girl leader named Ady and her sisters. They are wonderful!

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

I don't know who did this, but seems like a significant upgrade.

Jeff Davis Parkway street signs altered with name of civil rights activist

Twelve street signs along Jefferson Davis Parkway, a busy Mid-City thoroughfare, were recently altered to display the name of black political activist Angela Davis.

www.nola.com

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

Saw a woman in a caftan riding a unicycle to the hardware store, so no COVID-19 has not broken New Orleans' spirit.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

I love poetry because it's just how we talk when we're high.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

If you can't write a page, write a sentence.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

In the first draft, there are no mistakes. Just discoveries.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

Imagine killing someone in their own home and then telling them violence is not the answer.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

For those wondering why you never heard about events like the Tulsa Massacre, Black Wall Street, and the Silent Protest, just remember that people have actively worked for generations to exclude this information from American history books.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

Popeye's is better in New Orleans than in other places.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

LITERALLY JUMPED OUT OF BED AND CHEERED AFTER I READ THIS. I HOPE YOUR WEEK HITS THIS LEVEL. 💐 By Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Stories of a New Orleans That’s All but Lost

By Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Stories of a New Orleans That’s All but Lost (Gift Article)

In “The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You,” the city’s Black residents try to hold onto what the hurricanes and gentrifiers haven’t taken yet.

www.nytimes.com

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

2 years

I didn't know I could write. Over six years, I submitted stories to journals 291 times. I received 290 rejections. If I would have given up before that one acceptance, I wouldn't be here today. Never give up on your dream.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

That whiplash of America ignoring New Orleans, then attacking New Orleans, then ignoring New Orleans again is a repeat of our Katrina experience.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

You don't understand. In New Orleans, we never let go of our ancestors' hand. Why would we? For what purpose? Never.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

5 years

Today, I am a published author!

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

I scooped up Mama. We getting out of dodge. I can't have her in the heat when the power crashes. I hope this is a big non event like those pre Katrina storms. I'll be praying like the Pope. But I shall return.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

If you're a writer, you've probably already written a book's worth of words for some employer. Surely, you can at least do this for yourself.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

5 years

@neauxna Say Bruh Let Me Borrow a Dollar: the prevalence of microloans in the African-American community as an aspect of venture capitalism.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

This is the cover reveal of my new book. It's got mama's handwriting on it and is so beautiful I can't even. I never thought this was possible, but here it is. Your favorite bookstore has it for Christmas pre-order.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Misogyny is so prevalent. Months ago, a female friend told me about this guy harassing her on here. This follower was always cool to me. I saw the vicious screenshots. He would never treat me or any man that way. I'm coming after all you guys in the most nonviolent way. Get set.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

I'm happy to share that The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You is on the shortlist for The Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence!

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Remember that people will still need storytellers even after the apocalypse.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Writers support writers who support writers. That's how we have books.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

5 years

A couple months ago, I dropped my phone and smashed the whole screen. I didn't pull off the screen protector because I was worried the screen would crumble all the way. I pulled it off yesterday. The real screen is undamaged. Moral: you're not as damaged as you believe.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

9 months

Adding the list of things I never expected to happen. This happened!

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

A lot of writers have self doubt. You should know that there is a reader for every writer. If you write it, they will come.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

Literary white privilege means no one expects you to write about race.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

1 year

I wrote the cover story on the new issue of The Bitter Southerner. It's an interview of Big Freedia! She was so much fun and had some very insightful thoughts on how to be a good person in challenging times. Thanks so much to @iSmashFizzle for amazing advice and to @BitterSouth !

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

5 years

Very happy to announce I'll be teaching at LSU in the fall! I'm thrilled to be the new professor of writing in the MFA program!

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

2 years

Every writer needs to embrace their inner six year old who wants to tell the story of a day in one long, uninterrupted sentence

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Portrait of an author touching his new book for the first time.🌟

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

Virginia Woolf be like I'm going to write a sentence that is also a chapter.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

6 years

Here's my debut novel cover! It's so beautiful!

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

The true name of New Orleans is Phoenix. It always comes back because we always come back. This storm may be a baby. But that doesn't mean any of us are safe.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Sometimes all writers need is a new place to find themselves.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

2 years

It's breaks my heart when writers tell me they don't send their stories out because they don't think they're good enough. None of us are good enough. But all of us deserve to be heard. Submit your work.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

1 year

I'm incredibly happy to announce that I've been selected as the 24th recipient of the Louisiana Writer Award! Thank you to all who have supported.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

8 years

Fighting for the right to vote using Beyonce lyrics!

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

1 year

I'm excited to announce that I have been selected as an artist in residence for the prestigious Black Rock Senegal residency in Dakar! The residence was founded by Kehinde Wiley, who created the portrait of President Obama. I'm thankful for the opportunity.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

White people love reading about racism in historical fiction because it creates the illusion that things have changed.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

I lost my home and job in Hurricane Katrina. I rebuilt my house, started a new career, and published my first book. Hard times are the best times to follow your dreams. Show them who you really are.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

2 years

Most writers never make a living just writing. So the decision isn't whether to keep a day job you don't like or to become a writer. The decision is whether to keep a day AND become a writer. Life is better when you do what calls to you in the night.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

Wow. It's my birthday and I'm still adorable.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

You are what you spend most of your time thinking and talking about.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Every book that makes it into the world is a miracle.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

It's with great joy I tell you I've finished writing! There's still much work to do. But I've never felt this good about the first draft of anything. It's about 330 pages or 100000 words. Part historical with leads based on my female ancestors. You've never read anything like it.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

The orchestra was amazing because it brought kids together who would never have been in the same room. Black kids, Vietnamese American kids, Latinx kids, white kids. Some kids caught the bus to practice. Others were driven in luxury cars. 2/x

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

4 years

Unpopular controversial opinion of the week: One of the failures of literature about race is that too many books push reconciliation before recognition. People want to see happy endings, but if this year has taught us anything, there are no happy endings without reckoning first.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

I write better when I read better.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

When someone says you're amazing, the only correct response is, "tell me more." None of that down talk.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

The first thing a writer has to do is forgive themselves for all the feelings that held them back. Only then can we get on with joyous writing, which is often a healing process.

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💐 Maurice 💐

@MauriceRuffin

3 years

Say hello if you're writing in November.

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