---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everything you've ever read of mine is…"
description: "\"Everything you've ever read of mine is first-draft. This is one of the peculiarities of the comics field. By the time you're working on chapter three o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-moore-583_books_everything-you-ve-ever-read-of-mine-is-f_2332314.jpg"
---

#  Everything you've ever read of mine is first-draft. This…

![“Everything you've ever read of mine is first-draft. This is one of the peculiarities of the comics field. By the time you're working on chapter three of your masterwork, chapter one is already in print. You can't go back and suddenly decide to make this character a woman, or have this one fall out…” quote by Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-moore-583_books_everything-you-ve-ever-read-of-mine-is-f_2332314.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-moore-583_books_everything-you-ve-ever-read-of-mine-is-f_2332314.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-moore-583_books_everything-you-ve-ever-read-of-mine-is-f_2332314.jpg)

> “Everything you've ever read of mine is first-draft. This is one of the peculiarities of the comics field. By the time you're working on chapter three of your masterwork, chapter one is already in print. You can't go back and suddenly decide to make this character a woman, or have this one fall out of a window.”

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Moore explains that comics are constantly evolving, with early drafts already published before later work is finished, limiting retroactive changes.

**In simple terms:** Comics are always in progress; early work can't be altered later.

Key Takeaway

Accept the iterative nature of creative work.

Themes

creativity publishing iteration constraints

Mood

reflective critical

Type

creative industry

When to use this quote

- comic releases
- editorial meetings
- fan expectations

Key Concepts

serial production authorial control

Questions to Reflect On

- How do creators balance new ideas with existing canon?
- What strategies help manage ongoing series?

A Different Perspective

Changing earlier work may alienate existing fans and disrupt continuity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Chapter Masterwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chapter-masterwork-5613803/) [Chapters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chapters/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Comics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics/) [Comics Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics-field-5613804/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Masterwork Chapter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masterwork-chapter-5613802/) [Print](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/print/) [Read Draft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-draft-1957173/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Window](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/window/) [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/)

## Related quotes

> [The good news is that the comics field is small enough and informal enough that once you have made a comic, you have achieved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-pak/the-good-news-is-that-the-comics-field-is-small-enough-and-informal/)

[Greg Pak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-pak/)

> [“The key to revising is to let the writing get 'cold' between revisions; a time lapse between readings enables you to read the draft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-b-may-and-gordon-s-may/the-key-to-revising-is-to-let-the-writing-get-cold-between-revisions/)

[Claire B. May and Gordon S. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-b-may-and-gordon-s-may/)

> [I read every script from beginning to end, and I read every draft that I can. I like the show, I like the character,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-pratt/i-read-every-script-from-beginning-to-end-and-i-read-every-draft-that/)

[Victoria Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-pratt/)

> [I read every draft of every episode of every series produced at FX.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landgraf/i-read-every-draft-of-every-episode-of-every-series-produced-at-fx/)

[John Landgraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landgraf/)

> [When my husband first read a draft, he said, "You spend too much time describing the characters' outfits." He was right. I removed much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-julavits/when-my-husband-first-read-a-draft-he-said-you-spend-too-much-time/)

[Heidi Julavits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-julavits/)

> [In comics the reader is in complete control of the experience. They can read it at their own pace, and if there's a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/in-comics-the-reader-is-in-complete-control-of-the-experience-they/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [I'm very distanced from the comics industry. I love the comics medium, but I have no time for the industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-m-very-distanced-from-the-comics-industry-i-love-the-comics-medium/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [There's nothing that could get me interested in Hollywood again. And, increasingly, there's nothing that could get me interested in the American comics industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/there-s-nothing-that-could-get-me-interested-in-hollywood-again-and/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [John Lane has long been recognized as one of the South's finest poets and memoirists. This debut establishes him as one of our finest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/john-lane-has-long-been-recognized-as-one-of-the-south-s-finest-poets/)

[Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/)

> [I'm as much my own master as anyone can be, without being the master of others. I can write anywhere - all I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-woods/i-m-as-much-my-own-master-as-anyone-can-be-without-being-the-master/)

[Stuart Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-woods/)

> [The issue of civil rights was too much for the establishment to handle. One of the chapters of history that's least studied by historians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/the-issue-of-civil-rights-was-too-much-for-the-establishment-to/)

[Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/)

> [There are something like 300 anti-genocide chapters on college campuses around the country. It's bigger than the anti-apartheid movement. There are something like 500…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/there-are-something-like-300-anti-genocide-chapters-on-college/)

[Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/)

> [If you're feeling pain, express that to the Lord. If you're feeling worried, express those worries. One passage that gives me comfort is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/if-you-re-feeling-pain-express-that-to-the-lord-if-you-re-feeling/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [I learned that you can't write a book in the margins of your life. I'd forgotten how much uninterrupted time it takes to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/i-learned-that-you-can-t-write-a-book-in-the-margins-of-your-life-i-d/)

[Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/)

> [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

## More by Alan Moore

> [I think that storytelling and creation are very close to what the center of what magic is about. I think not just for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-think-that-storytelling-and-creation-are-very-close-to-what-the/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [To some degree Satanism is purely a kind of disease of Christianity. You've got to really be Christian to believe in Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/to-some-degree-satanism-is-purely-a-kind-of-disease-of-christianity/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [There has been a rather unpleasant sensibility apparent in Frank Miller's work for quite a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/there-has-been-a-rather-unpleasant-sensibility-apparent-in-frank/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [I felt, if I'm going to react I might as well over react.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-felt-if-i-m-going-to-react-i-might-as-well-over-react/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [“Come, dry your eyes, for you are LIFE, rarer than a quark and unpredictable beyond the dreams of Heisenberg; the clay in which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/come-dry-your-eyes-for-you-are-life-rarer-than-a-quark-and/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [Now everything is wonderful and hazardous and nothing's hypothetical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/now-everything-is-wonderful-and-hazardous-and-nothing-s-hypothetical/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [In many ways, my entire graphic novel career was a long diversion. Originally, all I wanted to do was to be an underground cartoonist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/in-many-ways-my-entire-graphic-novel-career-was-a-long-diversion/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [I was kind of a selfish child, who always wanted things his way, and I've kind of taken that over into my relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-was-kind-of-a-selfish-child-who-always-wanted-things-his-way-and-i/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [Magic is a state of mind. It is often portrayed as very black and gothic, and that is because certain practitioners played that up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/magic-is-a-state-of-mind-it-is-often-portrayed-as-very-black-and/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [“Above, great constellations wheeled to which our bonfire sparks ascended in their tiny mimicry”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/above-great-constellations-wheeled-to-which-our-bonfire-sparks/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [“You're my only remaining link to the world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/you-re-my-only-remaining-link-to-the-world/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/nothing-ends-adrian-nothing-ever-ends/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [On the one occasion where I did try writing a screenplay, I found the rewriting just unendurable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/on-the-one-occasion-where-i-did-try-writing-a-screenplay-i-found-the/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [“The clothes you're wearing, the room, the house, the city that you're in. Everything in it started out in the human imagination. Your lives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/the-clothes-you-re-wearing-the-room-the-house-the-city-that-you-re-in/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

[Explore all 460 Alan Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Everything you've ever read of mine is first-draft. This is one of the peculiarities of the comics field. By the time you're working on chapter three of your masterwork, chapter one is already in print. You can't go back and suddenly decide to make this character a woman, or have this one fall out of a window.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alan Moore"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/everything-you-ve-ever-read-of-mine-is-first-draft-this-is-one-of-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/everything-you-ve-ever-read-of-mine-is-first-draft-this-is-one-of-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-moore-583_books_everything-you-ve-ever-read-of-mine-is-f_2332314.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-moore-583_books_everything-you-ve-ever-read-of-mine-is-f_2332314.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0f/alan-moore-583_books_everything-you-ve-ever-read-of-mine-is-f_2332314.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Everything you've ever read of mine is first-draft. This is one of the peculiarities of the comics field. By…” — Alan Moore",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alan Moore",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Everything you've ever read of mine...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/everything-you-ve-ever-read-of-mine-is-first-draft-this-is-one-of-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/everything-you-ve-ever-read-of-mine-is-first-draft-this-is-one-of-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
