--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A writer has to surprise himself to be…" description: "\"A writer has to surprise himself to be worth reading.\" — Bernard Malamud" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/bernard-malamud-3871_books_a-writer-has-to-surprise-himself-to-be-w_2111860.jpg" --- # A writer has to surprise himself to be worth reading. ![“A writer has to surprise himself to be worth reading.” quote by Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/bernard-malamud-3871_books_a-writer-has-to-surprise-himself-to-be-w_2111860.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/bernard-malamud-3871_books_a-writer-has-to-surprise-himself-to-be-w_2111860.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/bernard-malamud-3871_books_a-writer-has-to-surprise-himself-to-be-w_2111860.jpg) > “A writer has to surprise himself to be worth reading.” [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer must astonish himself to produce compelling work. **In simple terms:** Surprise yourself to write worth reading. Key Takeaway Seek novelty in your own writing. Themes creativity self‑challenge literature Mood inspirational creative Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing process - authorial voice - creative blocks Key Concepts innovation self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What unexpected idea can you explore today? - How does personal surprise translate to reader engagement? A Different Perspective Self‑surprise may not guarantee audience appeal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Surprise Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise-worth-4267538/) [Worth reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-surprise-1930454/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/no-tears-in-the-writer-no-tears-in-the-reader-no-surprise-in-the/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/no-tears-in-the-writer-no-tears-in-the-reader-no-surprise-for-the/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [I think the trick of being a writer is to basically put your cards out there all the time and be willing to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-think-the-trick-of-being-a-writer-is-to-basically-put-your-cards/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/no-surprise-for-the-writer-no-surprise-for-the-reader/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“Robert Frost said, “No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-addonizio/robert-frost-said-no-surprise-for-the-writer-no-surprise-for-the/) [Kim Addonizio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-addonizio/) > [Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to free verse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/among-those-today-who-believe-that-modern-poetry-must-do-without/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [Nothing is worth reading that does not require an alert mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/nothing-is-worth-reading-that-does-not-require-an-alert-mind/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [Without a mission and a sense of whom you write for, you aren't worth reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lopez/without-a-mission-and-a-sense-of-whom-you-write-for-you-aren-t-worth/) [Steve Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lopez/) > [A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." He also said: "No book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/a-children-s-story-that-can-only-be-enjoyed-by-children-is-not-a-good/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Books are the quietest and most constant of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-william-eliot/books-are-the-quietest-and-most-constant-of-friends/) [Charles William Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-william-eliot/) > [Ultimately the first, best step in getting your work noticed is to write good work. If people don't engage in your writing, no amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/ultimately-the-first-best-step-in-getting-your-work-noticed-is-to/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [“No book worth reading ever fails to be steeped with the spirit of the person who wrote it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-leicester-ford/no-book-worth-reading-ever-fails-to-be-steeped-with-the-spirit-of-the/) [Paul Leicester Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-leicester-ford/) > [The chief knowledge that a man gets from reading books is the knowledge that very few of them are worth reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-chief-knowledge-that-a-man-gets-from-reading-books-is-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [if you want your name to be remembered after your death either do something worth writing or write some thing worth reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/if-you-want-your-name-to-be-remembered-after-your-death-either-do/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [People have pointed out evidences of personal feeling in my notices as if they were accusing me of a misdemeanor, not knowing that criticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/people-have-pointed-out-evidences-of-personal-feeling-in-my-notices/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## More by Bernard Malamud > [Writers who can't invent stories often substitute style for narrative. They remind me of the painter who couldn't paint people, so he painted chairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/writers-who-can-t-invent-stories-often-substitute-style-for-narrative/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [We have two lives... the life we learn with and the life we live after that. Suffering is what brings us towards happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/we-have-two-lives-the-life-we-learn-with-and-the-life-we-live-after/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [“Leo hurried up to bed and hid under the covers. Under the covers he thought his life through. Although he soon fell asleep he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/leo-hurried-up-to-bed-and-hid-under-the-covers-under-the-covers-he/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [You can't eat language but it eases thirst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/you-can-t-eat-language-but-it-eases-thirst/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [First drafts are for learning what your novel or story is about. Revision is working with that knowledge to enlarge and enhance an idea,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/first-drafts-are-for-learning-what-your-novel-or-story-is-about/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [“I’m an American, I’m a Jew, and I write for all men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/i-m-an-american-i-m-a-jew-and-i-write-for-all-men/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [“Her face deeply moved him. Why, he could at first not say. It gave him the impression of youth--spring flowers, yet age--a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/her-face-deeply-moved-him-why-he-could-at-first-not-say-it-gave-him/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [I am somewhat of a meliorist. That is to say, I act as an optimist because I find I cannot act at all, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/i-am-somewhat-of-a-meliorist-that-is-to-say-i-act-as-an-optimist/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [Teach yourself to work in uncertainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/teach-yourself-to-work-in-uncertainty/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [One's fantasy goes for a walk and returns with a bride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/one-s-fantasy-goes-for-a-walk-and-returns-with-a-bride/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [The great thing about writing: Stay with it ... ultimately you teach yourself something very important about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/the-great-thing-about-writing-stay-with-it-ultimately-you-teach/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [We didn't starve, but we didn't eat chicken unless we were sick, or the chicken was](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/we-didn-t-starve-but-we-didn-t-eat-chicken-unless-we-were-sick-or-the/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [As long as a man stays alive he can't tell what chances will pop up next. But a dead man signs no checks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/as-long-as-a-man-stays-alive-he-can-t-tell-what-chances-will-pop-up/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [“So sleep now, without fear for your life, and if you should ever manage to get out of prison, keep in mind that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/so-sleep-now-without-fear-for-your-life-and-if-you-should-ever-manage/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [Children were strangers you loved because you could love. If they gave back love when they were grown you were ahead of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/children-were-strangers-you-loved-because-you-could-love-if-they-gave/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) [Explore all 114 Bernard Malamud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. 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And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A writer has to surprise himself to be worth reading.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bernard Malamud" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/a-writer-has-to-surprise-himself-to-be-worth-reading/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/a-writer-has-to-surprise-himself-to-be-worth-reading/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/bernard-malamud-3871_books_a-writer-has-to-surprise-himself-to-be-w_2111860.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/bernard-malamud-3871_books_a-writer-has-to-surprise-himself-to-be-w_2111860.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f5/bernard-malamud-3871_books_a-writer-has-to-surprise-himself-to-be-w_2111860.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A writer has to surprise himself to be worth reading.” — Bernard Malamud", "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": "Bernard Malamud", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A writer has to surprise himself...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/a-writer-has-to-surprise-himself-to-be-worth-reading/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/a-writer-has-to-surprise-himself-to-be-worth-reading/#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 } } ] } ```