---
title: "1 Like Composer Quotes By Said Sayrafiezadeh"
description: "1 Like Composer quotes by Said Sayrafiezadeh. Plus more from Said Sayrafiezadeh and more Like Composer sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/said-sayrafiezadeh-16091_arcs_i-don-t-work-with-an-outline-except-a-va_913151.jpg"
---

> [I don't work with an outline, except a vague one in my head, a general idea of character, place, arc... I'm like a composer with a symphony in their head: I can hear the music, I just have to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/i-don-t-work-with-an-outline-except-a-vague-one-in-my-head-a-general/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/said-sayrafiezadeh-16091_arcs_i-don-t-work-with-an-outline-except-a-va_913151.jpg)

## More by Said Sayrafiezadeh

> [The benefit of writing a collection - as opposed to a novel - is that I'm able to have some version of the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/the-benefit-of-writing-a-collection-as-opposed-to-a-novel-is-that-i-m/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [I was trying to hold up a mirror to this country, to reflect the past years or so, and the varying degrees in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/i-was-trying-to-hold-up-a-mirror-to-this-country-to-reflect-the-past/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [We were poor, my mother and I, living in a world of doom and gloom, pessimism and bitterness, where storms raged and wolves scratched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/we-were-poor-my-mother-and-i-living-in-a-world-of-doom-and-gloom/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [The difference between our family and other poor families was that my mother actively chose to be poor. She was highly literate, and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/the-difference-between-our-family-and-other-poor-families-was-that-my/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [My sister married an American and took his name, and my brother has shortened Sayrafiezadeh to Sayraf. So now he's Jacob Sayraf, or sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/my-sister-married-an-american-and-took-his-name-and-my-brother-has/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [I sometimes have to write for a while before I figure it out, pretend that I know what I'm doing, sort of like ad-libbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/i-sometimes-have-to-write-for-a-while-before-i-figure-it-out-pretend/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [I suppose my Iranian identity is one of the driving forces for being a writer: I want to set the record straight about who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/i-suppose-my-iranian-identity-is-one-of-the-driving-forces-for-being/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [ \[Ending\] is partly drawn from a desire to shock the audience, to brutally de-romanticize what many Americans think is happening overseas. And partly drawn… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/ending-is-partly-drawn-from-a-desire-to-shock-the-audience-to/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [My childhood was defined by my father's absence. His presence looms so large. Up until the age of 18, he was a superstar for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/my-childhood-was-defined-by-my-father-s-absence-his-presence-looms-so/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [I don't work with an outline, except a vague one in my head, a general idea of character, place, arc... I'm like a composer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/i-don-t-work-with-an-outline-except-a-vague-one-in-my-head-a-general/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [There's always been something a little pathetic for me at the work parties I've attended, especially thinking back to the restaurants I worked in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/there-s-always-been-something-a-little-pathetic-for-me-at-the-work/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [My characters are not underachievers; they aspire to great things, but they are limited by the world around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/my-characters-are-not-underachievers-they-aspire-to-great-things-but/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [I need to feel as if everything is clean and in its proper place before I can even attempt to write one word. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/i-need-to-feel-as-if-everything-is-clean-and-in-its-proper-place/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [But it's hard for me to pinpoint where all my characters and dialogue come from - imagination or real life. My memoir, of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/but-it-s-hard-for-me-to-pinpoint-where-all-my-characters-and-dialogue/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [I don't feel any ethical dilemma when I write. In my memoir, I was able to write with candor about the two most difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/i-don-t-feel-any-ethical-dilemma-when-i-write-in-my-memoir-i-was-able/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

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