--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I devoted myself to poetry - and…" description: "\"When I devoted myself to poetry - and poetry is a very serious medium - I don't think the people that knew me as an individual with that tongue-in-chee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/ana-castillo-13741_cutting_when-i-devoted-myself-to-poetry-and-poet_269894.jpg" --- # When I devoted myself to poetry - and poetry is a very… ![“When I devoted myself to poetry - and poetry is a very serious medium - I don't think the people that knew me as an individual with that tongue-in-cheek kind of humor...well, it didn't always lend itself to my poetry. When you're writing poetry, it's like working with gold, you can't waste…” quote by Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/ana-castillo-13741_cutting_when-i-devoted-myself-to-poetry-and-poet_269894.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/ana-castillo-13741_cutting_when-i-devoted-myself-to-poetry-and-poet_269894.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/ana-castillo-13741_cutting_when-i-devoted-myself-to-poetry-and-poet_269894.jpg) > “When I devoted myself to poetry - and poetry is a very serious medium - I don't think the people that knew me as an individual with that tongue-in-cheek kind of humor...well, it didn't always lend itself to my poetry. When you're writing poetry, it's like working with gold, you can't waste anything. You have to be very economical with each word you're going to select. But when you're writing fiction, you can just go on and on; you can be more playful. My editor's main task is to cut back, not ask for more.” [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author contrasts poetry's demand for precision with fiction's freedom, noting editors prioritize concision in poetry. **In simple terms:** Poetry requires careful word choice; fiction allows more freedom. Key Takeaway Edit poetry tightly; let fiction breathe. Themes precision creativity editing genre differences Mood thoughtful inspirational Type advice literary commentary When to use this quote - writing workshops - editing sessions - creative writing classes Key Concepts economy of language artistic discipline Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance economy and emotion? - When should you sacrifice brevity for impact? A Different Perspective Poetry’s strictness may limit expressive spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-fiction/) [Writing poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-poetry/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think there's any essential difference, at least for me, between writing poetry and writing prose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-essential-difference-at-least-for-me/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [What has praise and fame to do with poetry? Was not writing poetry a secret transaction, a voice answering a voice? So that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-has-praise-and-fame-to-do-with-poetry-was-not-writing-poetry-a-2/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Remember, writing poetry is like making love: one will never know whether one's own pleasure is shared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/remember-writing-poetry-is-like-making-love-one-will-never-know/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Writing poetry is like always being in love. What masochism! What luxury!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-stone/writing-poetry-is-like-always-being-in-love-what-masochism-what-luxury/) [Jennifer Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-stone/) > [“Writing poetry is like having sex with the universe and the language is just a condom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tripurari/writing-poetry-is-like-having-sex-with-the-universe-and-the-language/) [TRIPURARI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tripurari/) > [Poetry’s medium is the individual chest and throat and mouth of whoever undertakes to say the poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/poetry-s-medium-is-the-individual-chest-and-throat-and-mouth-of/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [Poetry is its own medium; it's very different than writing prose. Poetry can talk in an imagistic sense, it has particular ways of catching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/story-musgrave/poetry-is-its-own-medium-it-s-very-different-than-writing-prose/) [Story Musgrave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/story-musgrave/) > [Poetry's medium is not merely light as air, it is air: vital and deep as ordinary breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/poetry-s-medium-is-not-merely-light-as-air-it-is-air-vital-and-deep/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [When I am writing fiction, I believe I am much better organized, more methodical - one has to be when writing a novel. Writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-i-am-writing-fiction-i-believe-i-am-much-better-organized-more/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I've been writing fiction as long as I've been writing poetry. It's just that the poetry took off, and it took me a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hamby/i-ve-been-writing-fiction-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-poetry-it-s/) [Barbara Hamby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hamby/) > [I don't want to write poems that are just really clear about how I'm aware of all the traps involved in writing poetry; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-want-to-write-poems-that-are-just-really-clear-about-how-i-m/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [“This is poetry. You’re writing about Heaven’s Gate and the Caribou Herd, but what comes across is loneliness, displacement, angst, and a cynical look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/this-is-poetry-you-re-writing-about-heaven-s-gate-and-the-caribou/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“With poetry and writing, the question isn’t “do you know the right words?”. The real question is, “can you make words from the unwordable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-nordby/with-poetry-and-writing-the-question-isn-t-do-you-know-the-right/) [Jacob Nordby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-nordby/) > [I would say my life experiences are my poetry, whether I'm writing about those actual, factual experiences or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/i-would-say-my-life-experiences-are-my-poetry-whether-i-m-writing/) [Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/) > [“I think poor poetry writing skills are excused when you’re simply trying to flush out emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kiesler/i-think-poor-poetry-writing-skills-are-excused-when-you-re-simply/) [Katie Kiesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kiesler/) ## More by Ana Castillo > [There’s something insupportable about being pissed with the one person on this planet that sends your adrenaline flowing to remind you that you’re alive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/there-s-something-insupportable-about-being-pissed-with-the-one/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [When one of us dies of cancer, loses her mind, or commits suicide, we must not blame her for her inability to survive an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/when-one-of-us-dies-of-cancer-loses-her-mind-or-commits-suicide-we/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [To all the women and the men who ever loved me just a little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/to-all-the-women-and-the-men-who-ever-loved-me-just-a-little/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [Catch me, as if I have surely been out committing a violation against you, my sin of insisting on existing without you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/catch-me-as-if-i-have-surely-been-out-committing-a-violation-against/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [I'm obviously an American citizen. My parents are American citizens. But I'm not looked at as an American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/i-m-obviously-an-american-citizen-my-parents-are-american-citizens/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [A good lover will do that, see something worthwhile in you that you never knew was there. And when there's something you don't like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/a-good-lover-will-do-that-see-something-worthwhile-in-you-that-you/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [In nature, creatures never ended the lives of others except to survive. To women, abortion was self-defense and preservation of the species. Abortion was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/in-nature-creatures-never-ended-the-lives-of-others-except-to-survive/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [As time has gone on and we're at the end of the 20th century and major publishing is a big business, yes, of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/as-time-has-gone-on-and-we-re-at-the-end-of-the-20th-century-and/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [“Women endure the labor of childbirth and men send themselves to war! But I gave birth to eight children and never once did I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/women-endure-the-labor-of-childbirth-and-men-send-themselves-to-war/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [Once innocence--an all too-brief state of being, if such a one exists--encounters experience, it is transformed. If that transformation is understood, it becomes knowledge.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/once-innocence-an-all-too-brief-state-of-being-if-such-a-one-exists/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [There are things coming from me that I felt I wanted to talk about. My search for my own blend of spirituality, my acknowledgement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/there-are-things-coming-from-me-that-i-felt-i-wanted-to-talk-about-my/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [Poverty has its advantages. When you're that poor what would you have that anyone would want? Except your peace of mind. Your dignity. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/poverty-has-its-advantages-when-you-re-that-poor-what-would-you-have/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [We were doing the same thing. We will never have "a" Chicano English or Spanish because of regional differences. But I think that because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/we-were-doing-the-same-thing-we-will-never-have-a-chicano-english-or/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [According to our social pyramid, all men who feel displaced racially, culturally, and/or because of economic hardships will turn on those whom they feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/according-to-our-social-pyramid-all-men-who-feel-displaced-racially/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [You know you have that zealousness of the young person that feels like you can go out and do it all. You know you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/you-know-you-have-that-zealousness-of-the-young-person-that-feels/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) [Explore all 49 Ana Castillo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) ## More Cutting quotes > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/) [Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I didn't understand Southland Tales script at all! Is there a single word to describe it? Cacophony? It's celebrity meets pornography meets politics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-didn-t-understand-southland-tales-script-at-all-is-there-a-single/) [Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [God holds each of us by a string. When we sin, we cut the string. But God ties it up again, making a knot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/god-holds-each-of-us-by-a-string-when-we-sin-we-cut-the-string-but/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [What's the difference between obsolete and cutting edge? Obsolete works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/what-s-the-difference-between-obsolete-and-cutting-edge-obsolete-works/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) Browse all 6,010 Cutting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I devoted myself to poetry - and poetry is a very serious medium - I don't think the people that knew me as an individual with that tongue-in-cheek kind of humor...well, it didn't always lend itself to my poetry. When you're writing poetry, it's like working with gold, you can't waste anything. You have to be very economical with each word you're going to select. But when you're writing fiction, you can just go on and on; you can be more playful. 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