---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think writers really choose their…"
description: "\"I don't think writers really choose their subjects. I think the subjects, the topics, the themes, choose us, and then we make the most of what we have...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/amy-bloom-4288_apparently_i-don-t-think-writers-really-choose-thei_1885079.jpg"
---

#  I don't think writers really choose their subjects. I…

![“I don't think writers really choose their subjects. I think the subjects, the topics, the themes, choose us, and then we make the most of what we have. For Trollope, society; for Roth, Jews. For me, apparently, love. Why hide it?” quote by Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/amy-bloom-4288_apparently_i-don-t-think-writers-really-choose-thei_1885079.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/amy-bloom-4288_apparently_i-don-t-think-writers-really-choose-thei_1885079.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/amy-bloom-4288_apparently_i-don-t-think-writers-really-choose-thei_1885079.jpg)

> “I don't think writers really choose their subjects. I think the subjects, the topics, the themes, choose us, and then we make the most of what we have. For Trollope, society; for Roth, Jews. For me, apparently, love. Why hide it?”

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

## About This Quote

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

Writers are drawn to subjects that compel them, rather than selecting topics arbitrarily.

**In simple terms:** Subjects choose writers, not the reverse.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the themes that naturally gravitate toward you.

Themes

creativity influence subjectivity

Mood

reflective introspective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- personal essays
- novel planning
- thematic research

Key Concepts

psychology determinism artistic inspiration

Questions to Reflect On

- What themes feel inevitable in your work?
- How do you balance personal interest with audience expectations?

A Different Perspective

Sometimes external pressures can limit authentic subject choice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Apparently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apparently/) [Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose/) [Choose Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-subjects-467332/) [Hide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hide/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Jews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jews/) [Judaism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judaism/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Subjects Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects-think-1906748/) [Themes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/themes/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-subjects-2687894/) [Think Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-writers/) [Topics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/topics/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writers Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-really-336887/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“We can’t will what we don’t think about, and the subjects we think about enter our consciousness by entirely unconscious processes. Our brain offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-can-t-will-what-we-don-t-think-about-and-the-subjects-we-think/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I think many writers really believe that being published is a traumatic experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-think-many-writers-really-believe-that-being-published-is-a/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [Some people think that writers are innately solitary and that there's a kind of romance to that solitariness. I tend to think that what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/some-people-think-that-writers-are-innately-solitary-and-that-there-s/)

[Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/)

> [Who knows where the talent goes? Sometimes it goes where the money is. Sometimes I think writers are really interested in the glory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-weiner/who-knows-where-the-talent-goes-sometimes-it-goes-where-the-money-is/)

[Matthew Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-weiner/)

> [I think most writers can't really think about their work without a kind of revulsion. And I think that's probably why we keep going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-think-most-writers-can-t-really-think-about-their-work-without-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I have a dormant director in me. I do think about subjects and films I want to make. I get pretty excited about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arbaaz-khan/i-have-a-dormant-director-in-me-i-do-think-about-subjects-and-films-i/)

[Arbaaz Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arbaaz-khan/)

> [I've always believed that you write to discover what you think. On most subjects, if I'm asked what do I think about them, I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eyre/i-ve-always-believed-that-you-write-to-discover-what-you-think-on/)

[Richard Eyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eyre/)

> [You think you choose the subjects of your books. But sometimes, in ways you don't know, the books choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/you-think-you-choose-the-subjects-of-your-books-but-sometimes-in-ways/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [I don't pick and choose subjects or settings; they pick and choose me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/i-don-t-pick-and-choose-subjects-or-settings-they-pick-and-choose-me/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [It's not a very popular subject amongst my audience, who are by nature more internationalist, but I don't choose what to write about, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bragg/it-s-not-a-very-popular-subject-amongst-my-audience-who-are-by-nature/)

[Billy Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bragg/)

> [writers do not choose their subjects; their subjects choose them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/writers-do-not-choose-their-subjects-their-subjects-choose-them/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [Write about the things that attract you. Choose your subjects the way you used to choose your toys: out of desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/write-about-the-things-that-attract-you-choose-your-subjects-the-way/)

[Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/)

> [It's often said that I choose subjects that are sensational! I choose to film subjects that spark difficult conversations and make people uncomfortable. Change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharmeen-obaid-chinoy/it-s-often-said-that-i-choose-subjects-that-are-sensational-i-choose/)

[Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharmeen-obaid-chinoy/)

> [I think all writers are mainly writing for themselves because I believe that most writers are writing based on a need to write. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-think-all-writers-are-mainly-writing-for-themselves-because-i/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [I didn't think being a writer was a fancy thing. It was a job like any other job, except apparently you could do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-didn-t-think-being-a-writer-was-a-fancy-thing-it-was-a-job-like-any/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

## More by Amy Bloom

> [I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-fine-writer-i-ve-ever-read/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [My target audience is anyone who finds the world interesting and human behavior fascinating, terrible, inspiring, funny, and occasionally, mysterious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/my-target-audience-is-anyone-who-finds-the-world-interesting-and/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [I assume as a writer that most of the time I'm going to fall down and fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-assume-as-a-writer-that-most-of-the-time-i-m-going-to-fall-down-and/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [It is a wonderful, moving, heart-filling experience to sit with the man or woman you love and your beloved children and know that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/it-is-a-wonderful-moving-heart-filling-experience-to-sit-with-the-man/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [If you're an American reader, you can love short stories the way other Americans love baseball; this is our game, people! We have more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/if-you-re-an-american-reader-you-can-love-short-stories-the-way-other/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [My father certainly believed that one could make a living outside of an office, as he did. And that if I didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/my-father-certainly-believed-that-one-could-make-a-living-outside-of/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> ['Normal' is not clinical, it's not autobiographical, and I don't claim to be objective. It's strictly my perceptions and thoughts about the people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/normal-is-not-clinical-it-s-not-autobiographical-and-i-don-t-claim-to/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [I am all for loving relationships in which the couple at the center are a match set in terms of height, weight, color, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-am-all-for-loving-relationships-in-which-the-couple-at-the-center/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [“The German deli was run by a distant cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm and the Great Neck Jews loved the place; they flocked to Kuch's.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/the-german-deli-was-run-by-a-distant-cousin-of-kaiser-wilhelm-and-the/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [I met Jay Jonhson. I won him the way poor people occasionally win the lottery: Shameless perseverance and embarrassingly dumb luck, and every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-met-jay-jonhson-i-won-him-the-way-poor-people-occasionally-win-the/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [Actual happiness is sometimes confused with the pursuit of it; and the most mindless and crass how-tos can get jumbled in with the modestly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/actual-happiness-is-sometimes-confused-with-the-pursuit-of-it-and-the/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [Smart people often talk trash about happiness and worse than trash about books on happiness, and they have been doing so for centuries -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/smart-people-often-talk-trash-about-happiness-and-worse-than-trash/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [My father would have been spectacularly ill-suited to working for an institution of any kind, and I suspect that, to a lesser degree, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/my-father-would-have-been-spectacularly-ill-suited-to-working-for-an/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [Marriage is not a ritual or an end. Its a long, intricate, intimate dance together and nothing matters more than your own sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/marriage-is-not-a-ritual-or-an-end-its-a-long-intricate-intimate/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

> [All intimacy is rare-that's what makes it precious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/all-intimacy-is-rare-that-s-what-makes-it-precious/)

[Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

[Explore all 112 Amy Bloom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/)

## More Apparently quotes

> [Like funny men, skilled diners are apparently perceived to have an evolutionary advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/like-funny-men-skilled-diners-are-apparently-perceived-to-have-an/)

[Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/)

> [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [I'm not in the movie business anymore, and hardly any 70 year olds are. I always ask the producers: 'Are there no 70-year old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-dennehy/i-m-not-in-the-movie-business-anymore-and-hardly-any-70-year-olds-are/)

[Brian Dennehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-dennehy/)

> [James Cain was saddled with being called the father of hardboiled fiction. Apparently, he didn't like this saddle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-callahan/james-cain-was-saddled-with-being-called-the-father-of-hardboiled/)

[Bill Callahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-callahan/)

> [I see myself as life-sized, certainly not a supersized personality, and apparently after 30 years of television, that's what the audience thinks of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/i-see-myself-as-life-sized-certainly-not-a-supersized-personality-and/)

[Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/)

> [“Love is insanity, apparently.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-ann-haydu/love-is-insanity-apparently/)

[Corey Ann Haydu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-ann-haydu/)

> [Apparently texting someone all the time = dating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/apparently-texting-someone-all-the-time-dating/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [After about a month of living on my own, I began to feel it. I bought some plants. I remember I named one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristy-swanson/after-about-a-month-of-living-on-my-own-i-began-to-feel-it-i-bought/)

[Kristy Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristy-swanson/)

> [Been there... done that... then been there several more times... because apparently I never learn...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/been-there-done-that-then-been-there-several-more-times-because/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Apparently nobody really read it, it was a cheap movie, it fit their schedule in terms of things so fine, let the guy make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/apparently-nobody-really-read-it-it-was-a-cheap-movie-it-fit-their/)

[Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/)

> [My eyes are green, and in one of them there is a splash of brown - apparently it is not a colour, but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wakeman/my-eyes-are-green-and-in-one-of-them-there-is-a-splash-of-brown/)

[Rick Wakeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wakeman/)

> [Apparently, they believe they're gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-novick/apparently-they-believe-they-re-gods/)

[Steve Novick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-novick/)

> [There will always be ladies who lunch. Always. And apparently they live a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/there-will-always-be-ladies-who-lunch-always-and-apparently-they-live/)

[Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/)

> [I could draw up a list of about 30 artists who I apparently sound like. From Lady Gaga, to Katy Perry to Lana Del…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-and-the-diamonds/i-could-draw-up-a-list-of-about-30-artists-who-i-apparently-sound/)

[Marina and the Diamonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-and-the-diamonds/)

> [The human brain has evolved the capacity to impose a narrative, complete with chronology and cause-and-effect logic, on whatever it encounters, no matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-marantz-henig/the-human-brain-has-evolved-the-capacity-to-impose-a-narrative/)

[Robin Marantz Henig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-marantz-henig/)

[Browse all 173 Apparently quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apparently/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't think writers really choose their subjects. I think the subjects, the topics, the themes, choose us, and then we make the most of what we have. For Trollope, society; for Roth, Jews. For me, apparently, love. Why hide it?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Amy Bloom"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-don-t-think-writers-really-choose-their-subjects-i-think-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Apparently"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-don-t-think-writers-really-choose-their-subjects-i-think-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/amy-bloom-4288_apparently_i-don-t-think-writers-really-choose-thei_1885079.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/amy-bloom-4288_apparently_i-don-t-think-writers-really-choose-thei_1885079.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d2/amy-bloom-4288_apparently_i-don-t-think-writers-really-choose-thei_1885079.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't think writers really choose their subjects. I think the subjects, the topics, the themes, choose us…” — Amy Bloom",
                "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": "Amy Bloom",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't think writers really choose...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-don-t-think-writers-really-choose-their-subjects-i-think-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-don-t-think-writers-really-choose-their-subjects-i-think-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
