--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nice writing isn't enough. It isn't…" description: "\"Nice writing isn't enough. It isn't enough to have smooth and pretty language. You have to surprise the reader frequently, you can't just be nice all t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/anne-bernays-51412_adjectives_nice-writing-isn-t-enough-it-isn-t-enoug_1071563.jpg" --- # Nice writing isn't enough. It isn't enough to have smooth… ![“Nice writing isn't enough. It isn't enough to have smooth and pretty language. You have to surprise the reader frequently, you can't just be nice all the time. Provoke the reader. Astonish the reader. Writing that has no surprises is as bland as oatmeal. Surprise the reader with the unexpected…” quote by Anne Bernays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/anne-bernays-51412_adjectives_nice-writing-isn-t-enough-it-isn-t-enoug_1071563.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/anne-bernays-51412_adjectives_nice-writing-isn-t-enough-it-isn-t-enoug_1071563.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/anne-bernays-51412_adjectives_nice-writing-isn-t-enough-it-isn-t-enoug_1071563.jpg) > “Nice writing isn't enough. It isn't enough to have smooth and pretty language. You have to surprise the reader frequently, you can't just be nice all the time. Provoke the reader. Astonish the reader. Writing that has no surprises is as bland as oatmeal. Surprise the reader with the unexpected verb or adjective. Use one startling adjective per page.” [Anne Bernays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bernays/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective writing requires surprise; merely smooth language is insufficient to engage readers. **In simple terms:** Good writing must surprise, not just be pretty. Key Takeaway Add unexpected language choices. Themes writing creativity engagement Mood inspirational challenging Type advice instructional When to use this quote - novel writing - marketing copy - blog posts Key Concepts surprise technique stylistic devices Questions to Reflect On - What surprise will enhance your point? - When is restraint better than surprise? A Different Perspective Overusing surprises may distract from clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adjectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adjectives/) [Being nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-nice/) [Bland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bland/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Nice Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-writing-2671832/) [Oatmeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oatmeal/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Provoke Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provoke-reader-2671833/) [Provoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provoking/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reader Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-writing-1510666/) [Smooth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smooth/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Unexpected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unexpected/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Verbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verbs/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-isn/) [Writing Surprises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-surprises-1931530/) ## Related quotes > [The act of writing surprises me all the time. A miraculous thing happens when you have an idea and you want to convert it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janette-turner-hospital/the-act-of-writing-surprises-me-all-the-time-a-miraculous-thing/) [Janette Turner Hospital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janette-turner-hospital/) > [Good writing is full of surprises and novelties, moving in a direction you don't expect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/good-writing-is-full-of-surprises-and-novelties-moving-in-a-direction/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“So, reader, should you ever find yourself writing about the world, take care not to nibble at the many tempting symbols she sets squarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/so-reader-should-you-ever-find-yourself-writing-about-the-world-take/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [I try not to picture a reader when I'm writing. It's like trying to make a great table but not picturing anybody sitting at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-try-not-to-picture-a-reader-when-i-m-writing-it-s-like-trying-to/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [In the most self-protective of ways, I don't think about the reader when I'm writing - I just think about the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/in-the-most-self-protective-of-ways-i-don-t-think-about-the-reader/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I've long come to the conclusion that when people say they can't put a book down, they don't mean they're interested in what's happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-malouf/i-ve-long-come-to-the-conclusion-that-when-people-say-they-can-t-put/) [David Malouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-malouf/) > [I am an avid reader! As for writing, I might - someday. But we'll have to wait and see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zosia-mamet/i-am-an-avid-reader-as-for-writing-i-might-someday-but-we-ll-have-to/) [Zosia Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zosia-mamet/) > [It's insane to be a writer and not be a reader. When I'm writing I'm more likely to be reading four or five books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/it-s-insane-to-be-a-writer-and-not-be-a-reader-when-i-m-writing-i-m/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [Being a librarian certainly helped me with my writing because it made me even more of a reader, and I was always an enthusiastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mahy/being-a-librarian-certainly-helped-me-with-my-writing-because-it-made/) [Margaret Mahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mahy/) > [I don't think about the reader when I'm writing, but I do when I'm editing, of course. For instance, I self-consciously didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-don-t-think-about-the-reader-when-i-m-writing-but-i-do-when-i-m/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [Good writing isn’t a science. It’s an art, and the horizon is infinite. You can always get better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/good-writing-isn-t-a-science-it-s-an-art-and-the-horizon-is-infinite/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Reading and writing isn't supposed to be this exclusive club; it's just supposed to be entertaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/reading-and-writing-isn-t-supposed-to-be-this-exclusive-club-it-s/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) > [“Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end it's about enriching the lives of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/writing-isn-t-about-making-money-getting-famous-getting-dates-getting/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Writing isn't black magic. You just have to come up with an idea...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/writing-isn-t-black-magic-you-just-have-to-come-up-with-an-idea/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [My first feeling was that there was no way to continue. Writing isn't like math;in math, two plus two always equals four no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/my-first-feeling-was-that-there-was-no-way-to-continue-writing-isn-t/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) ## More by Anne Bernays > [You can teach almost anyone determined to learn them the basics required to write sentences and paragraphs that say what you want them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bernays/you-can-teach-almost-anyone-determined-to-learn-them-the-basics/) [Anne Bernays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bernays/) > [There's a sureness to good writing even when what's being written about doesn't make all that much sense. It's the sureness of the so-called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bernays/there-s-a-sureness-to-good-writing-even-when-what-s-being-written/) [Anne Bernays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bernays/) > [Tell a female she's thin and she's yours for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bernays/tell-a-female-she-s-thin-and-she-s-yours-for-life/) [Anne Bernays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bernays/) > [It sounds shameful, but on my best days I write only about three or four hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bernays/it-sounds-shameful-but-on-my-best-days-i-write-only-about-three-or/) [Anne Bernays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bernays/) > [Publishers never tell writers anything. They're all crazy and they drive me crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bernays/publishers-never-tell-writers-anything-they-re-all-crazy-and-they/) [Anne Bernays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bernays/) > [I can’t remember how many times I advised students to stop writing the sunny hours and write from where it hurts: No one wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bernays/i-can-t-remember-how-many-times-i-advised-students-to-stop-writing/) [Anne Bernays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bernays/) [Explore all 7 Anne Bernays quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bernays/) ## More Adjectives quotes > [To write or even speak English is not a science but an art. There are no reliable words… Whoever writes English is involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/to-write-or-even-speak-english-is-not-a-science-but-an-art-there-are/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Avoid the ecstatic adjectives that occupy such disproportionate space in every critic's quiver - words like "enthralling" and "luminous."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/avoid-the-ecstatic-adjectives-that-occupy-such-disproportionate-space/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [In the history of the concept of number has been adjective (three cows, three monads) and noun (three, pure and simple), and now ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mazur/in-the-history-of-the-concept-of-number-has-been-adjective-three-cows/) [Barry Mazur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mazur/) > [In my opinion, using different kinds of epithets and adjectives in connection with the word democracy is a sign of mere hypocrisy, to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/in-my-opinion-using-different-kinds-of-epithets-and-adjectives-in/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [But what is memory if not the language of feeling, a dictionary of faces and days and smells which repeat themselves like the verbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-cort-zar/but-what-is-memory-if-not-the-language-of-feeling-a-dictionary-of/) [Julio Cortazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-cort-zar/) > [Eschew all those beastly adjectives...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/eschew-all-those-beastly-adjectives/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [I will give you my definition of a nation, and you can add the adjective 'Jewish.' A Nation is, in my mind, an historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/i-will-give-you-my-definition-of-a-nation-and-you-can-add-the/) [Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/) > [The mind that thought of light, heavy, grey, yellow, still, swift, also conceived of magic that would make heavy things light and able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-mind-that-thought-of-light-heavy-grey-yellow-still-swift-also/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [Whatever you want to say, there is only one word to express it, only one verb to give it movement, only one adjective to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/whatever-you-want-to-say-there-is-only-one-word-to-express-it-only/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English―it is the modern way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-notice-that-you-use-plain-simple-language-short-words-and-brief/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Purity of action guided Janis's behavior. If she was going to be good, she was very, very good. If she was going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/purity-of-action-guided-janis-s-behavior-if-she-was-going-to-be-good/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [I have been called 'Bongshell' the day I stepped into showbiz. So, any adjective coming my way, I take it positively. Sometimes it's also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bipasha-basu/i-have-been-called-bongshell-the-day-i-stepped-into-showbiz-so-any/) [Bipasha Basu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bipasha-basu/) > [I like that 'Mad Men' is now an adjective I use to describe clothing when I'm shopping: 'I like this top. It's very 'Mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-brie/i-like-that-mad-men-is-now-an-adjective-i-use-to-describe-clothing/) [Alison Brie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-brie/) > [anything being perceived as being superior takes the noun. And everything that isn't, that's judged to be inferior, requires an adjective. So there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/anything-being-perceived-as-being-superior-takes-the-noun-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The only sort of descriptive adjective or catch phrase for my music would be 'eclectic.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/the-only-sort-of-descriptive-adjective-or-catch-phrase-for-my-music/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) [Browse all 239 Adjectives quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adjectives/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nice writing isn't enough. 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