---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can write for any magazine now, in any…"
description: "\"I can write for any magazine now, in any voice. I can do it in two hours, I could do it in my sleep, it's like writing a grocery list.\" — Ann Patchett"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/ann-patchett-670_groceries_i-can-write-for-any-magazine-now-in-any_1750136.jpg"
---

#  I can write for any magazine now, in any voice. I can do…

![“I can write for any magazine now, in any voice. I can do it in two hours, I could do it in my sleep, it's like writing a grocery list.” quote by Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/ann-patchett-670_groceries_i-can-write-for-any-magazine-now-in-any_1750136.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/ann-patchett-670_groceries_i-can-write-for-any-magazine-now-in-any_1750136.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/ann-patchett-670_groceries_i-can-write-for-any-magazine-now-in-any_1750136.jpg)

> “I can write for any magazine now, in any voice. I can do it in two hours, I could do it in my sleep, it's like writing a grocery list.”

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

## About This Quote

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

Writing can become effortless and routine, like a simple daily task, when mastered.

**In simple terms:** Writing can feel as easy as a grocery list.

Key Takeaway

Practice to make writing automatic.

Themes

creativity productivity writing skill effort

Mood

thoughtful inspired

Type

creative reflective

When to use this quote

- daily journaling
- content creation
- deadline pressure
- skill development

Key Concepts

CognitiveScience Creativity SkillAcquisition

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you keep writing fresh after mastering it?
- When does routine hinder creative growth?

A Different Perspective

Even mastery can lead to complacency or loss of depth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Grocery lists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grocery-lists/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I had no plans to be an entrepreneur. I just wanted to be a journalist and write for a magazine. At 15, I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-had-no-plans-to-be-an-entrepreneur-i-just-wanted-to-be-a-journalist/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Good writing, in my opinion, is writing that looks really easy, so easy that a person who has never written more than a grocery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-miller/good-writing-in-my-opinion-is-writing-that-looks-really-easy-so-easy/)

[Mary J. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-miller/)

> [The note, which had been written on one of the pads I kept around for grocery lists, said, "My lover, I came in too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/the-note-which-had-been-written-on-one-of-the-pads-i-kept-around-for/)

[Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/)

> [But it is daily tasks, daily acts of love and worship that serve to remind us that the religion is not strictly an intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/but-it-is-daily-tasks-daily-acts-of-love-and-worship-that-serve-to/)

[Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/)

> [I have the most devoted and loyal following. I could probably type up my grocery list and they'd all want to read it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-have-the-most-devoted-and-loyal-following-i-could-probably-type-up/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [I have never written anything in one draft, not even a grocery list, although I have heard from friends that this is actually possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/i-have-never-written-anything-in-one-draft-not-even-a-grocery-list/)

[Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/)

> [All writing is an act of self-exploration. Even a grocery list says something about you; how much more does a novel say?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-saylor/all-writing-is-an-act-of-self-exploration-even-a-grocery-list-says/)

[Steven Saylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-saylor/)

> [I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/i-think-everything-in-life-is-art-what-you-do-how-you-dress-the-way/)

[Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/)

> [Do you ever go off with a long grocery list and come home from the store with a bunch of different stuff? And somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/do-you-ever-go-off-with-a-long-grocery-list-and-come-home-from-the/)

[Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/)

> [I do love to shop. But I'm a social shopper. I like to do it while hanging out with my friends. Some of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-richie/i-do-love-to-shop-but-i-m-a-social-shopper-i-like-to-do-it-while/)

[Nicole Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-richie/)

> [But down through the centuries, man has developed a mind that separates him from the world of reality, the world of natural laws. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/but-down-through-the-centuries-man-has-developed-a-mind-that/)

[Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/)

> [Amy, Dan, and Nellie were sitting at a table in a conference room, examining reproductions of Franklin documents-some so rare, the librarians told her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/amy-dan-and-nellie-were-sitting-at-a-table-in-a-conference-room/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [“Grocery lists I lost; my shit list was forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/grocery-lists-i-lost-my-shit-list-was-forever/)

[Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/)

> [“And of course, if you ever do decide to write anything else, even if you don’t want to publish it, I’d love to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-of-course-if-you-ever-do-decide-to-write-anything-else-even-if/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“if you ever do decide to write anything else, even if you don’t want to publish it, I’d love to read it. Frankly, I’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-you-ever-do-decide-to-write-anything-else-even-if-you-don-t-want/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## More by Ann Patchett

> [She sang as if she was saving the life of every person in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/she-sang-as-if-she-was-saving-the-life-of-every-person-in-the-room/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [If I had problems, I kept them to myself. I didn't make a scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/if-i-had-problems-i-kept-them-to-myself-i-didn-t-make-a-scene/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [I can't write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book I am capable of writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-can-t-write-the-book-i-want-to-write-but-i-can-and-will-write-the/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“Without worry to protect me, every thought that came into my mind received real attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/without-worry-to-protect-me-every-thought-that-came-into-my-mind/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“I wrote the last sentence of The Patron Saint of Liars in early April and stumbled out of my apartment and into the beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-wrote-the-last-sentence-of-the-patron-saint-of-liars-in-early-april/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“In the future, he will try to say her name enough, but he never can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/in-the-future-he-will-try-to-say-her-name-enough-but-he-never-can/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [My novels are very much the same, as I think many people's novels are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/my-novels-are-very-much-the-same-as-i-think-many-people-s-novels-are/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“He was in love, and never had he felt such kindness towards another person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/he-was-in-love-and-never-had-he-felt-such-kindness-towards-another/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“Gen was sleeping the sleep of the heavily drugged.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/gen-was-sleeping-the-sleep-of-the-heavily-drugged/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [If I was a waitress, I was too tired at the end of the day when I came home to try to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/if-i-was-a-waitress-i-was-too-tired-at-the-end-of-the-day-when-i-came/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“She didn't know how to hate her mother yet, but every time she left her father crying in the airport she came that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/she-didn-t-know-how-to-hate-her-mother-yet-but-every-time-she-left/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“When you think of love you think as an American. You must think like a Russian. It is a more expansive view.' 'Americans havea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/when-you-think-of-love-you-think-as-an-american-you-must-think-like-a/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“...Nebraska was white, a page as still as fallen snow. It was not crosshatched with roads, overrun with the hard lines of interstate systems.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/nebraska-was-white-a-page-as-still-as-fallen-snow-it-was-not/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“Clearly he needed a father, but some other father, any other father, would have been preferable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/clearly-he-needed-a-father-but-some-other-father-any-other-father/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“I don't have any talent for vacations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-don-t-have-any-talent-for-vacations/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

[Explore all 413 Ann Patchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

## More Groceries quotes

> [Weekend planning is a prime time to apply the Deathbed Priority Test: On your deathbed, will you wish you'd spent more prime weekend hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-borland/weekend-planning-is-a-prime-time-to-apply-the-deathbed-priority-test/)

[Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-borland/)

> [I remember being a kid and seeing the 'National Inquirer' at the grocery store checkout line. When somebody actually picked up a copy, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-remember-being-a-kid-and-seeing-the-national-inquirer-at-the/)

[Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/)

> [The Bible says that Christians are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. On the job, in the grocery store,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/the-bible-says-that-christians-are-the-salt-of-the-earth-and-the/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [I moved to New York aged 16, and worked part-time in a Korean store in South Bronx selling groceries, bread and confectionery. I earned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/i-moved-to-new-york-aged-16-and-worked-part-time-in-a-korean-store-in/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

> [Perhaps we have failed as human beings. Perhaps we have embarrassed ourselves to the natural world. We have been rigorous and willful in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/perhaps-we-have-failed-as-human-beings-perhaps-we-have-embarrassed/)

[Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/)

> [... programming requires more concentration than other activities. It's the reason programmers get upset about 'quick interruptions' - such interruptions are tantamount to asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mcconnell/programming-requires-more-concentration-than-other-activities-it-s/)

[Steve McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mcconnell/)

> [The total number of Dirichlet's publications is not large: jewels are not weighed on a grocery scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-friedrich-gauss/the-total-number-of-dirichlet-s-publications-is-not-large-jewels-are/)

[Carl Friedrich Gauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-friedrich-gauss/)

> [As part of our ongoing series of reports on the environment, 'America Goes Green,' we take on the question that can make otherwise competent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-williams/as-part-of-our-ongoing-series-of-reports-on-the-environment-america/)

[Brian Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-williams/)

> [It isn't called TV money for nothing. There was a time where I paid my rent by doing theater for years, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/it-isn-t-called-tv-money-for-nothing-there-was-a-time-where-i-paid-my/)

[Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/)

> [I moved to L.A. and really didn't dig living there until I found places like Koreatown and Little Tokyo. I really like hanging out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stump/i-moved-to-l-a-and-really-didn-t-dig-living-there-until-i-found/)

[Patrick Stump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stump/)

> [When you're out grocery shopping for your family, maybe you can put a can of cat or dog food in your cart and bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-ray/when-you-re-out-grocery-shopping-for-your-family-maybe-you-can-put-a/)

[Rachael Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-ray/)

> [All writing is an act of self-exploration. Even a grocery list says something about you; how much more does a novel say?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-saylor/all-writing-is-an-act-of-self-exploration-even-a-grocery-list-says/)

[Steven Saylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-saylor/)

> [Money is like a child—rarely unaccompanied. When it disappears, look to those who were supposed to be keeping an eye on it while you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/money-is-like-a-child-rarely-unaccompanied-when-it-disappears-look-to/)

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

> [The Lord turned water into wine. All I'm suggesting is a trip to the grocery store.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-lord-turned-water-into-wine-all-i-m-suggesting-is-a-trip-to-the/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [Odd as I am sure it will appear to some, I can think of no better form of personal involvement in the cure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/odd-as-i-am-sure-it-will-appear-to-some-i-can-think-of-no-better-form/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

Browse all 376 Groceries quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I can write for any magazine now, in any voice. I can do it in two hours, I could do it in my sleep, it's like writing a grocery list.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ann Patchett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-can-write-for-any-magazine-now-in-any-voice-i-can-do-it-in-two/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Groceries"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-can-write-for-any-magazine-now-in-any-voice-i-can-do-it-in-two/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/ann-patchett-670_groceries_i-can-write-for-any-magazine-now-in-any_1750136.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/ann-patchett-670_groceries_i-can-write-for-any-magazine-now-in-any_1750136.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/ann-patchett-670_groceries_i-can-write-for-any-magazine-now-in-any_1750136.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I can write for any magazine now, in any voice. I can do it in two hours, I could do it in my sleep, it's…” — Ann Patchett",
                "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": "Ann Patchett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I can write for any magazine...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-can-write-for-any-magazine-now-in-any-voice-i-can-do-it-in-two/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-can-write-for-any-magazine-now-in-any-voice-i-can-do-it-in-two/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
