Actor Quote by Annie Baker
“I feel like the reason I ended up becoming a playwright is because I never choose the right word. As a kid, my fantasy profession was to be a novelist. But the thing about writing prose - and maybe great prose writers don't feel this way - but I always felt it was about choosing words. I was always like, "I have to choose the perfect word." And then it would kill me, and I would choose the wrong word or I would choose too many perfect words - I wrote really purple prose.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Playwright's Journey, The New York Times, 2015
The playwright feels trapped by the pursuit of perfect wording, leading to over‑editing and “purple prose,” illustrating creative paralysis.
In simple terms: Seeking perfect words can stall writing.
Key Takeaway
Embrace imperfect drafts; edit later.
Themes
creativity
writing
perfectionism
self‑critique
artistic process
Mood
frustrated
introspective
Type
creative
motivational
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- drafting novels
- screenwriting
- blogging
- academic literature
Key Concepts
Word choice
self‑doubt
editing
creative flow
artist’s block
Questions to Reflect On
- What would happen if you wrote without editing?
- How can you balance precision and spontaneity?
A Different Perspective
Perfectionism may stifle originality.
![“At some point, sitting in the school library, during reading period, I looked up from my leopard print hardcover composition notebook where I was scribbling a derivative [John Ronald Reuel ] Tolkien epic full of purple prose in tiny handwriting and thought to myself, "Damn! I am a writer! How did…” quote by Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e91/vera-nazarian-1671_composition_at-some-point-sitting-in-the-school-libr_2693043.jpg)
