--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Georgia took once a creative-writing…" description: "\"“Georgia took once a creative-writing course, and what the instructor told her was: Too many things. Too many things going on at the same time; also to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f15/alice-munro-1231_living-together_georgia-took-once-a-creative-writing-cou_2630525.jpg" --- # Georgia took once a creative-writing course, and what the… ![“Georgia took once a creative-writing course, and what the instructor told her was: Too many things. Too many things going on at the same time; also too many people. Think, he told her. What is the important thing? What do you want us to pay attention to? Think. Eventually she wrote a story that…” quote by Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f15/alice-munro-1231_living-together_georgia-took-once-a-creative-writing-cou_2630525.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f15/alice-munro-1231_living-together_georgia-took-once-a-creative-writing-cou_2630525.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f15/alice-munro-1231_living-together_georgia-took-once-a-creative-writing-cou_2630525.jpg) > ““Georgia took once a creative-writing course, and what the instructor told her was: Too many things. Too many things going on at the same time; also too many people. Think, he told her. What is the important thing? What do you want us to pay attention to? Think. Eventually she wrote a story that was about her grandfather killing chickens, and the instructor seemed to be pleased with it. Georgia herself thought that it was a fake. She made a long list of all the things that had been left out and handed it in as an appendix to the story. The instructor said that she expected too much, of herself and of the process, and that she was wearing him out. The course was not a total loss, because Georgia and the instructor ended up living together.”” [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer struggles with overwhelming details and expectations, learning to focus on core narrative. **In simple terms:** Too many details distract from the main story. Key Takeaway Prioritize the essential elements. Themes writing focus expectations Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice literary When to use this quote - writing workshops - draft revisions - story planning Key Concepts creative process overwhelm editing Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide what to omit? - What is the story’s core message? A Different Perspective Too much focus can stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Georgia Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/georgia-thought-2185105/) [Instructor Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instructor-said-2185103/) [Instructor Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instructor-told-2185104/) [Living together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-together/) [Pay attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay-attention/) [Told Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-things/) [Too many people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-many-people/) [Wrote Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-story/) ## Related quotes > [“Now we’re going to transition into the pigeon pose,” the female instructor said serenely. “I don’t know what that is!” Lacey yelled at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-kennedy/now-we-re-going-to-transition-into-the-pigeon-pose-the-female/) [Elle Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-kennedy/) > [When I was a freshman in college, I went to a broadcast class by mistake. 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Even in death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-drake/i-wrote-her-story-because-she-wanted-to-live-forever-and-i-loved-her/) [robert m drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-drake/) > [I remember where I was when I wrote that story, 'Mermaid in a Jar.' I was at a boyfriend's, and he was the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-remember-where-i-was-when-i-wrote-that-story-mermaid-in-a-jar-i-was/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [I was probably 35 when I wrote the first story. The voice is kind of a mix in that it has a young voice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-was-probably-35-when-i-wrote-the-first-story-the-voice-is-kind-of-a/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [On lady novelists: As artists they're rot, but as providers they're oil wells; they gush. 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I wasn't young, nor particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-desclos/i-wrote-the-story-of-o-alone-for-dominique-aury-to-interest-him-to/) [Anne Desclos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-desclos/) > [I wrote my first story in second grade, and was trying novel-length by sixth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-hodge/i-wrote-my-first-story-in-second-grade-and-was-trying-novel-length-by/) [Brian Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-hodge/) > [I wrote a story about a character who looks like Harry Styles. But it has nothing to do with Harry Styles at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/i-wrote-a-story-about-a-character-who-looks-like-harry-styles-but-it/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) > [Once I had all the facts in, I found I didn't have the immoral courage to pull the caper. So I wrote it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/once-i-had-all-the-facts-in-i-found-i-didn-t-have-the-immoral-courage/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I've just always written, and always considered myself a writer. I wrote my first story when I was five. There was nothing else I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-ve-just-always-written-and-always-considered-myself-a-writer-i/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [I always wrote; my first story was published in the magazine The American Girl when I was 11](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/i-always-wrote-my-first-story-was-published-in-the-magazine-the/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) ## More by Alice Munro > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/not-very-long-ago-i-was-driving-with-my-husband-on-the-back-roads-of/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“Her silent singing wrapped around the story she was telling herself, which she extended further every night on the deck. (Averill often told herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/her-silent-singing-wrapped-around-the-story-she-was-telling-herself/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“Something happened here. 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It's nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/the-thing-is-to-be-happy-no-matter-what-just-try-that-you-can-it-gets/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [What she wants to do if she can get the time to do it, is not so much to live in the past as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/what-she-wants-to-do-if-she-can-get-the-time-to-do-it-is-not-so-much/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“Children Katy's age had no problem with monotony. In fact they embraced it, diving into it and wrapping the familiar words round their tongues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/children-katy-s-age-had-no-problem-with-monotony-in-fact-they/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“This is what happens. You put it away for a little while, and now and again you look in the closet for something else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/this-is-what-happens-you-put-it-away-for-a-little-while-and-now-and/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [She sits in her usual ample armchair, with piles of books and unopened magazines around her. She sips cautiously from the mug of weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/she-sits-in-her-usual-ample-armchair-with-piles-of-books-and-unopened/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [The images, the language, of pornography, and romance are alike; monotonous and mechanically seductive, quickly leading to despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/the-images-the-language-of-pornography-and-romance-are-alike/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I was a grade B housewife, maybe a B minus. But when I got time to write, I would be unable to finish a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/i-was-a-grade-b-housewife-maybe-a-b-minus-but-when-i-got-time-to/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [She would live now, not read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/she-would-live-now-not-read/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“You would think as you get older your mind would fill up with what they call the spiritual side of things, but mine just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/you-would-think-as-you-get-older-your-mind-would-fill-up-with-what/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [Peoples lives, in Jubilee as elsewhere, were dull, simple, amazing, unfathomable-deep caves paved with kitchen linoleum. . . . What I wanted \[to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/peoples-lives-in-jubilee-as-elsewhere-were-dull-simple-amazing/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) [Explore all 261 Alice Munro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) ## More Living together quotes > [We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/we-have-learned-to-fly-the-air-like-birds-and-swim-the-sea-like-fish/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“Pivotally, what we find in Torah is not privatized religion but a social vision, not ascetic distancing from the world but a deep engagement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-held/pivotally-what-we-find-in-torah-is-not-privatized-religion-but-a/) [Shai Held](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-held/) > [In working class districts, you had several families living together in the one house, and it was very difficult to get a house, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/in-working-class-districts-you-had-several-families-living-together/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [Let us be good stewards of the Earth we inherited. All of us have to share the Earth's fragile ecosystems and precious resources, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/let-us-be-good-stewards-of-the-earth-we-inherited-all-of-us-have-to/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The public doesn't mind people living together without being married, providing they don't overdo it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/the-public-doesn-t-mind-people-living-together-without-being-married/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [I should much rather see a reasonable agreement with Arabs based upon living together than the creation of a Jewish state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-should-much-rather-see-a-reasonable-agreement-with-arabs-based-upon/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“For in marriage a little licence, a little independence there must be between people living together day in day out in the same house;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-in-marriage-a-little-licence-a-little-independence-there-must-be/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“(this is before we're living together, before we do the most faithful act of all, mix our separate books into one library)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/this-is-before-we-re-living-together-before-we-do-the-most-faithful/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [I think it is really important that people at least have some potentially difficult discussions about what their expectations are - and not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wasser/i-think-it-is-really-important-that-people-at-least-have-some/) [Laura Wasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wasser/) > [“Once you start living together and you see the same person day in and day out, you begin to wonder: was it for this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachin-kundalkar/once-you-start-living-together-and-you-see-the-same-person-day-in-and/) [Sachin Kundalkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachin-kundalkar/) > [Living together is an art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-pickens/living-together-is-an-art/) [William Pickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-pickens/) > [For eons, humans have struggled to find less destructive ways of living together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/for-eons-humans-have-struggled-to-find-less-destructive-ways-of/) [Margaret J. 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But one fine day, Krushna got up and proposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kashmira-shah/krushna-and-i-never-wanted-to-get-married-as-we-were-very-happy/) [Kashmira Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kashmira-shah/) [Browse all 196 Living together quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-together/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Georgia took once a creative-writing course, and what the instructor told her was: Too many things. Too many things going on at the same time; also too many people. Think, he told her. What is the important thing? What do you want us to pay attention to? Think. Eventually she wrote a story that was about her grandfather killing chickens, and the instructor seemed to be pleased with it. Georgia herself thought that it was a fake. She made a long list of all the things that had been left out and handed it in as an appendix to the story. 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