---
title: "1 Writing Happens Quotes By Karl Ove Knausgard"
description: "1 Writing Happens quotes by Karl Ove Knausgard. Plus more from Karl Ove Knausgard and more Writing Happens sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_writer_writing-is-drawing-the-essence-of-what-w_2140640.png"
---

> [“Writing is drawing the essence of what we know out of the shadows. That is what writing is about. Not what happens there, not what actions are played out there, but the there itself. There, that is writing's location and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/writing-is-drawing-the-essence-of-what-we-know-out-of-the-shadows/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_writer_writing-is-drawing-the-essence-of-what-w_2140640.png)

## More by Karl Ove Knausgard

> [When I wrote my fictional novels, they always had a starting point of something real. Those images that are not real are exactly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-wrote-my-fictional-novels-they-always-had-a-starting-point-of/)

[Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [“When I look at a beautiful painting I have tears in my eyes, but not when I look at my children. That does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-look-at-a-beautiful-painting-i-have-tears-in-my-eyes-but-not/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [“I was a wannabe who was actually unable to write because I had nothing to say, who wasn’t honest enough with himself to draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-was-a-wannabe-who-was-actually-unable-to-write-because-i-had/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [I think there are a lot of similarities between writing and music. Music is much more direct and much more emotional and that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-think-there-are-a-lot-of-similarities-between-writing-and-music/)

[Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [“Go somewhere you know nothing about and see what happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/go-somewhere-you-know-nothing-about-and-see-what-happens/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [A problem with my novels is that they, from the start, have been infantile and incredibly childish. There are childishness, stupidity, lack of wisdom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/a-problem-with-my-novels-is-that-they-from-the-start-have-been/)

[Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [In modern novels I try to not let myself get away and to be here, and that's why I write about my life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/in-modern-novels-i-try-to-not-let-myself-get-away-and-to-be-here-and/)

[Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [“Writing isn't black magic. You just have to come up with an idea...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/writing-isn-t-black-magic-you-just-have-to-come-up-with-an-idea/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [“It was a fantastic feeling, but it left me restless because the most important thing in it was the longing, for what was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/it-was-a-fantastic-feeling-but-it-left-me-restless-because-the-most/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [“the past is now barely present in my thoughts. I believe the main reason for that is our children, since life with them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/the-past-is-now-barely-present-in-my-thoughts-i-believe-the-main/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [“I loved it, I loved the feeling, it was my favorite feeling, but it never led to anything good, and the day after or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-loved-it-i-loved-the-feeling-it-was-my-favorite-feeling-but-it/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [“Actually there were only two forms of existence, I reflected: one that was tied to a place and one that wasn't. Both had always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/actually-there-were-only-two-forms-of-existence-i-reflected-one-that/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [“And art has come to be a spectator of itself, the way it reacts, what newspapers write about it; the artist is a performer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/and-art-has-come-to-be-a-spectator-of-itself-the-way-it-reacts-what/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> ['My Struggle' came from a place of questioning and feelings of inauthenticity and frustration, and almost all of that is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/my-struggle-came-from-a-place-of-questioning-and-feelings-of/)

[Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [In 'Min Kamp,' I wanted to see how far it was possible to take realism before it would be impossible to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/in-min-kamp-i-wanted-to-see-how-far-it-was-possible-to-take-realism/)

[Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

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