--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I'm a fairly mechanical worker - I…" description: "\"But I'm a fairly mechanical worker - I tend not to think about themes so much as plot. I want to get the feeling right. If it's moving through tunnels,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/brian-selznick-9443_about_but-i-m-a-fairly-mechanical-worker-i-ten_1246224.jpg" --- # But I'm a fairly mechanical worker - I tend not to think… ![“But I'm a fairly mechanical worker - I tend not to think about themes so much as plot. I want to get the feeling right. If it's moving through tunnels, I ask myself, what is it like to move through tunnels?” quote by Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/brian-selznick-9443_about_but-i-m-a-fairly-mechanical-worker-i-ten_1246224.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/brian-selznick-9443_about_but-i-m-a-fairly-mechanical-worker-i-ten_1246224.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/brian-selznick-9443_about_but-i-m-a-fairly-mechanical-worker-i-ten_1246224.jpg) > “But I'm a fairly mechanical worker - I tend not to think about themes so much as plot. I want to get the feeling right. If it's moving through tunnels, I ask myself, what is it like to move through tunnels?” [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The creator emphasizes immersing in sensory details rather than abstract analysis to capture authentic feeling in storytelling. **In simple terms:** Focus on concrete sensations to convey mood. Key Takeaway Prioritize sensory experience in writing. Themes creativity storytelling sensory detail Mood introspective inspired Type instructional creative When to use this quote - film direction - novel writing - game design - theatre production - visual arts Key Concepts immersion empathy visualization Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance sensory detail with plot progression? - When does detail enhance versus hinder storytelling? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on detail can stall narrative momentum. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Ask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Fairly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairly/) [Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Like Tunnels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-tunnels-3910170/) [Mechanical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mechanical/) [Move](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/move/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Moving Tunnels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-tunnels-3910169/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Tend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tend/) [Theme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theme/) [Themes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/themes/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/through/) [Tunnels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tunnels/) [Tunnels Ask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tunnels-ask-3910171/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Worker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worker/) [Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workers/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes, I have themes that interest me or that touch on larger issues but, really, I'm just trying to figure out the plot, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/sometimes-i-have-themes-that-interest-me-or-that-touch-on-larger/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [You don't have to find out what someone's mechanical abilities are. All those factors are already a known commodity. I've seen teams win championships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dixon/you-don-t-have-to-find-out-what-someone-s-mechanical-abilities-are/) [Larry Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dixon/) > [I wanted to build something that was a system - that was mechanical and would propagate itself like a virus. I needed a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/i-wanted-to-build-something-that-was-a-system-that-was-mechanical-and/) [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) > [I enjoy working on anything mechanical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-martin/i-enjoy-working-on-anything-mechanical/) [Guy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-martin/) > [My dad was a mechanical engineer and a drummer. We had no money, but I never felt we had no money, and that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-air/my-dad-was-a-mechanical-engineer-and-a-drummer-we-had-no-money-but-i/) [Donna Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-air/) > [Space can vibrate, space can fluctuate, space can be quantum mechanical, but what the devil is it? And, you know, everybody has their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/space-can-vibrate-space-can-fluctuate-space-can-be-quantum-mechanical/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [Well, guys are better at mechanical stuff and women are better at emotional stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-carolla/well-guys-are-better-at-mechanical-stuff-and-women-are-better-at/) [Adam Carolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-carolla/) > [“The fewer moving parts, the better." "Exactly. No truer words were ever spoken in the context of engineering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cantrell/the-fewer-moving-parts-the-better-exactly-no-truer-words-were-ever/) [Christian Cantrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cantrell/) > [I didn't know why I couldn't sing - all I knew was that it was muscular or mechanical. Then, when I was diagnosed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-didn-t-know-why-i-couldn-t-sing-all-i-knew-was-that-it-was-muscular/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [As the son of a racing car designer and mechanical engineer, I was exposed to motorsports from day one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kimball/as-the-son-of-a-racing-car-designer-and-mechanical-engineer-i-was/) [Charlie Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kimball/) > [For me, it's a feel thing; it's a mechanical thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-harvey/for-me-it-s-a-feel-thing-it-s-a-mechanical-thing/) [Matt Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-harvey/) > [Cinema is made to film material: the body. By filming the material, the mechanical, the worker, we arrive at the spiritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-dumont/cinema-is-made-to-film-material-the-body-by-filming-the-material-the/) [Bruno Dumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-dumont/) > [Often, equipment can as easily function as a security blanket for musicians unwilling or unable to risk anything personal in the studio. Whether one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-landau/often-equipment-can-as-easily-function-as-a-security-blanket-for/) [Jon Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-landau/) > [Once upon a time we were just plain people. But that was before we began having relationships with mechanical systems. Get involved with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/once-upon-a-time-we-were-just-plain-people-but-that-was-before-we/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [Recently a study proved that working from a larger, less cluttered computer screen increases concentration. I could have told them that. And yes, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/recently-a-study-proved-that-working-from-a-larger-less-cluttered/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) ## More by Brian Selznick > [It's fun to see how other artists adapt my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/it-s-fun-to-see-how-other-artists-adapt-my-work/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [“Then you know Prometheus was rescued in the end. His chains were broken, and he was finally set free." The old man squinted one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/then-you-know-prometheus-was-rescued-in-the-end-his-chains-were/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [I've always loved children's books - it's not that I didn't like them, I just didn't think I wanted to do that. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/i-ve-always-loved-children-s-books-it-s-not-that-i-didn-t-like-them-i/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [A lot of people who don't write for kids think it's easy, because they think kids aren't as smart as they are, or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/a-lot-of-people-who-don-t-write-for-kids-think-it-s-easy-because-they/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [“That night, cold and alone, Joseph had thought he'd found a portal into the past. But he'd been wrong. It was a vision of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/that-night-cold-and-alone-joseph-had-thought-he-d-found-a-portal-into/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [Once I'm given an idea for a story I have a million ideas on how it should be illustrated, but I don't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/once-i-m-given-an-idea-for-a-story-i-have-a-million-ideas-on-how-it/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [“Time can play all sorts of tricks on you. In the blink of an eye, babies appear in carriages, coffins disappear into the ground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/time-can-play-all-sorts-of-tricks-on-you-in-the-blink-of-an-eye/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [“Did you ever notice that all machines are made for some reason? … They are built to make you laugh, like the mouse here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/did-you-ever-notice-that-all-machines-are-made-for-some-reason-they/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [I address you all tonight for who you truly are: wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, and magicians. You are the true dreamers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/i-address-you-all-tonight-for-who-you-truly-are-wizards-mermaids/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [I've been taking art lessons since I was little, and I've always drawn. I think in pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/i-ve-been-taking-art-lessons-since-i-was-little-and-i-ve-always-drawn/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [What interests me about clocks is that everything is hand-made, and yet to the person looking at the clock, something magical is happening that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/what-interests-me-about-clocks-is-that-everything-is-hand-made-and/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from when you go to sleep at night, just look around. This is where they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/if-you-ve-ever-wondered-where-your-dreams-come-from-when-you-go-to/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [“Yes, I've been trying to tell all night to tell you,' said the bat. 'But you wouldn't stop fighting me. It was very annoying.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/yes-i-ve-been-trying-to-tell-all-night-to-tell-you-said-the-bat-but/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [I think I always knew that I would do something with art because it was the one thing that I knew I was really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/i-think-i-always-knew-that-i-would-do-something-with-art-because-it/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [I think everything belongs in a certain place, for kids who feel they don't belong anywhere. A museum is an institution like a library…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/i-think-everything-belongs-in-a-certain-place-for-kids-who-feel-they/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) [Explore all 65 Brian Selznick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But I'm a fairly mechanical worker - I tend not to think about themes so much as plot. I want to get the feeling right. If it's moving through tunnels, I ask myself, what is it like to move through tunnels?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brian Selznick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/but-i-m-a-fairly-mechanical-worker-i-tend-not-to-think-about-themes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/but-i-m-a-fairly-mechanical-worker-i-tend-not-to-think-about-themes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/brian-selznick-9443_about_but-i-m-a-fairly-mechanical-worker-i-ten_1246224.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/brian-selznick-9443_about_but-i-m-a-fairly-mechanical-worker-i-ten_1246224.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/brian-selznick-9443_about_but-i-m-a-fairly-mechanical-worker-i-ten_1246224.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But I'm a fairly mechanical worker - I tend not to think about themes so much as plot. I want to get the…” — Brian Selznick", "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": "Brian Selznick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But I'm a fairly mechanical worker...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/but-i-m-a-fairly-mechanical-worker-i-tend-not-to-think-about-themes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/but-i-m-a-fairly-mechanical-worker-i-tend-not-to-think-about-themes/#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 } } ] } ```