--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like to joke that I started writing…" description: "\"I like to joke that I started writing long poems out the anxiety over ending and starting poems. It just seemed easier to keep going.\" — Alison Hawthor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/657/alison-hawthorne-deming-11586_anxiety_i-like-to-joke-that-i-started-writing-lo_346445.png" --- # I like to joke that I started writing long poems out the… ![“I like to joke that I started writing long poems out the anxiety over ending and starting poems. It just seemed easier to keep going.” quote by Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/657/alison-hawthorne-deming-11586_anxiety_i-like-to-joke-that-i-started-writing-lo_346445.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/657/alison-hawthorne-deming-11586_anxiety_i-like-to-joke-that-i-started-writing-lo_346445.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/657/alison-hawthorne-deming-11586_anxiety_i-like-to-joke-that-i-started-writing-lo_346445.png) > “I like to joke that I started writing long poems out the anxiety over ending and starting poems. It just seemed easier to keep going.” [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anxiety about beginnings and endings fuels continuous creative output. **In simple terms:** Fear of starting or ending drives ongoing writing. Key Takeaway Embrace anxiety as creative fuel. Themes creativity anxiety productivity Mood introspective hopeful Type personal motivational When to use this quote - writing sessions - art projects - personal journals - therapy exercises Key Concepts flow state self‑discipline Questions to Reflect On - What routines sustain long‑term creation? - How does anxiety shape your work? A Different Perspective Anxiety may also cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Keep going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keep-going/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-poems-2278541/) [Poems Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems-anxiety-3208799/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Started Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-writing/) [Starting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting/) [Starting Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-poems-3208800/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-long/) ## Related quotes > [“(W)hy is poetry wholly an elderly taste? When I was twenty I could not for the life of me read Shakespeare for pleasure; now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/w-hy-is-poetry-wholly-an-elderly-taste-when-i-was-twenty-i-could-not/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [There are definitely connections between poems, but I wanted each to stand on its own. I guess it goes back to the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/there-are-definitely-connections-between-poems-but-i-wanted-each-to/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [I love to read long books. I enjoy experiencing that extension. But it's not something I feel comfortable with and not something I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-mccrae/i-love-to-read-long-books-i-enjoy-experiencing-that-extension-but-it/) [Shane McCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-mccrae/) > [I would not say I chose to write long poems on a conscious level. The long poem has been a relative constant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-not-say-i-chose-to-write-long-poems-on-a-conscious-level-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Diode: A couple of long poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/diode-a-couple-of-long-poems/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I think I started writing as a young person because I felt a lot of psychic confusion and emotional confusion, and writing was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/i-think-i-started-writing-as-a-young-person-because-i-felt-a-lot-of/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [I've been writing for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/i-ve-been-writing-for-a-long-time/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Writing long hand is the last refuge. One needs the time it takes to put pencil to paper and let it run along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/writing-long-hand-is-the-last-refuge-one-needs-the-time-it-takes-to/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [To me, writing is fun. It doesn't matter what you're writing, as long as you can tell a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/to-me-writing-is-fun-it-doesn-t-matter-what-you-re-writing-as-long-as/) [Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/) > [“When my sons asked the reason for my trip, I said that I needed to conduct research for my book. What is it about?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/when-my-sons-asked-the-reason-for-my-trip-i-said-that-i-needed-to/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Is that how it goes with writing? That as long as you are writing, no time is ever completely in the past? Is this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyung-sook-shin/is-that-how-it-goes-with-writing-that-as-long-as-you-are-writing-no/) [Kyung-Sook Shin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyung-sook-shin/) > [I am strangely addicted to the writing of long letters, which, I am afraid, tire you; and for the future, I believe, I must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-collyer/i-am-strangely-addicted-to-the-writing-of-long-letters-which-i-am/) [Mary Collyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-collyer/) > [Writing a long and substantial book is like having a friend and companion at your side, to whom you can always turn for comfort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/writing-a-long-and-substantial-book-is-like-having-a-friend-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Writing a long essay is probably the most complex constructive act that most human beings areever expected to perform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bereiter/writing-a-long-essay-is-probably-the-most-complex-constructive-act/) [Carl Bereiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bereiter/) > [I'll probably be writing as long as I'm breathing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/i-ll-probably-be-writing-as-long-as-i-m-breathing/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) ## More by Alison Hawthorne Deming > [Once you realize that human actions affect every bit of earth and sky, you realize that the environment isn't just what surrounds us -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/once-you-realize-that-human-actions-affect-every-bit-of-earth-and-sky/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [It's extremely important that, as writers, we give a voice to those who don't have voices, including the other animals that we share the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/it-s-extremely-important-that-as-writers-we-give-a-voice-to-those-who/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [I've been accused of darkness by my inner light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/i-ve-been-accused-of-darkness-by-my-inner-light/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [What keeps me level is the refusal to let the best of human aspirations die in the face of the challenges. I make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/what-keeps-me-level-is-the-refusal-to-let-the-best-of-human/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [I'm extremely interested in science as the mythos within which I live. Science tells me what kind of animal I am, what kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/i-m-extremely-interested-in-science-as-the-mythos-within-which-i-live/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [I like the dance between sustained focus and digression that the long poem invites. A controlling metaphor helps to sustain the long poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/i-like-the-dance-between-sustained-focus-and-digression-that-the-long/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [The countries that are the least responsible for causing climate change are paying the heaviest price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/the-countries-that-are-the-least-responsible-for-causing-climate/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [As deaths have accumulated I have begun to think of life and death as a set of balance scales. When one is young, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/as-deaths-have-accumulated-i-have-begun-to-think-of-life-and-death-as/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [Bringing science into poetry is one way of acknowledging some of the richest stuff that is in my cultural moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/bringing-science-into-poetry-is-one-way-of-acknowledging-some-of-the/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [I'm always writing towards a discovery. When I'm writing poems in particular, I'm often writing because a few images coalesced in my mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/i-m-always-writing-towards-a-discovery-when-i-m-writing-poems-in/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [I'm really interested in culture because it is such a powerful human force, particularly in America where we think it's all about the individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/i-m-really-interested-in-culture-because-it-is-such-a-powerful-human/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [Climate change is a moral challenge, not simply an economic or technological problem. It is linked to social justice, because it is the poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/climate-change-is-a-moral-challenge-not-simply-an-economic-or/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [I'm trying to learn something about making a balance between the inner life and the outer life. I wouldn't write if I didn't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/i-m-trying-to-learn-something-about-making-a-balance-between-the/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [I'm always trying to bring as many poetic properties as possible to the essay without making it too overburdened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/i-m-always-trying-to-bring-as-many-poetic-properties-as-possible-to/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [When we're writing anything, we're bearing witness to the time we live in and how it's different from any other time in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/when-we-re-writing-anything-we-re-bearing-witness-to-the-time-we-live/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) [Explore all 59 Alison Hawthorne Deming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) ## More Anxiety quotes > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) [Nagisa Tatsumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagisa-tatsumi/) > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. Fear of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/fear-of-seeing-a-police-car-pull-into-the-drive-fear-of-falling/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/i-get-nervous-when-i-don-t-get-nervous-if-i-m-nervous-i-know-i-m/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [“Every invention comes through anxiousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-wadhwani/every-invention-comes-through-anxiousness/) [Rakesh Wadhwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-wadhwani/) > [“Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you,  f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-anxious-25-e-therefore-i-tell-you-f-do-not-be-anxious-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing happens on its own, you have to make things happen. If you really want to come out of your stressful situation than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subodh-gupta/nothing-happens-on-its-own-you-have-to-make-things-happen-if-you/) [Subodh Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subodh-gupta/) > [“I guess if we're talking about my anxiety, the even truthier truth is it started way before that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-winfrey/i-guess-if-we-re-talking-about-my-anxiety-the-even-truthier-truth-is/) [Kerry Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-winfrey/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/as-you-know-i-have-been-very-open-about-my-struggle-with-social/) [Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/) > [Anxiety is not to be managed it is a sin that needs to be repented of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/anxiety-is-not-to-be-managed-it-is-a-sin-that-needs-to-be-repented-of/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) [Browse all 4,944 Anxiety quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I like to joke that I started writing long poems out the anxiety over ending and starting poems. 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