--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every good writer or filmmaker has…" description: "\"Every good writer or filmmaker has something eating at them, right? That they can't quite get off their back . And so your job is to make your audience..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/bruce-springsteen-546_audience_every-good-writer-or-filmmaker-has-somet_2697968.jpg" --- # Every good writer or filmmaker has something eating at… ![“Every good writer or filmmaker has something eating at them, right? That they can't quite get off their back . And so your job is to make your audience care about your obsessions.” quote by Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/bruce-springsteen-546_audience_every-good-writer-or-filmmaker-has-somet_2697968.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/bruce-springsteen-546_audience_every-good-writer-or-filmmaker-has-somet_2697968.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/bruce-springsteen-546_audience_every-good-writer-or-filmmaker-has-somet_2697968.jpg) > “Every good writer or filmmaker has something eating at them, right? That they can't quite get off their back . And so your job is to make your audience care about your obsessions.” [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists must channel personal obsessions into stories that resonate with audiences. **In simple terms:** Turn personal fixations into compelling narratives. Key Takeaway Make your work reflect your inner drive. Themes creativity storytelling authenticity Mood reflective determined Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - film writing - personal projects - marketing pitches Key Concepts obsession audience engagement Questions to Reflect On - How can you make a personal obsession universal? - What aspects of your fixation can others relate to? A Different Perspective Your obsession may alienate if not relatable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating/) [Filmmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaker/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Obsession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsession/) [Obsessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessions/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Your job is to get your audience to care about your obsessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/your-job-is-to-get-your-audience-to-care-about-your-obsessions/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [The audience, that's who I care about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/the-audience-that-s-who-i-care-about/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [When you focus on delighting an audience you care about, you strip the masses of their power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/when-you-focus-on-delighting-an-audience-you-care-about-you-strip-the/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [In this age of smartphones, all one needs to do is make a good film. The audience will take care of the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghava-lawrence/in-this-age-of-smartphones-all-one-needs-to-do-is-make-a-good-film/) [Raghava Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghava-lawrence/) > [Acting is an amazing job. I'm very lucky to do it, and when you're working with terrific people, telling stories you care about, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-evans/acting-is-an-amazing-job-i-m-very-lucky-to-do-it-and-when-you-re/) [Shaun Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-evans/) > [And the most important thing - apart from telling a good, believable story, and being a true character - is to be someone the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-friel/and-the-most-important-thing-apart-from-telling-a-good-believable/) [Anna Friel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-friel/) > [I am not a director or a writer, but a filmmaker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-am-not-a-director-or-a-writer-but-a-filmmaker/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [If you want to tell stories, be a writer, not a filmmaker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/if-you-want-to-tell-stories-be-a-writer-not-a-filmmaker/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [The job of the writer and the filmmaker is not to impose his vision on the reality, but to be inspired by the reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-bahrani/the-job-of-the-writer-and-the-filmmaker-is-not-to-impose-his-vision/) [Ramin Bahrani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-bahrani/) > [I'm not a writer, although, as a filmmaker, you are an author in a certain way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-marshall/i-m-not-a-writer-although-as-a-filmmaker-you-are-an-author-in-a/) [Rob Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-marshall/) > [In this business, you're dependent on the writer, the filmmaker, the luck of beating out who knows how many people for the part. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-holbrook/in-this-business-you-re-dependent-on-the-writer-the-filmmaker-the/) [Boyd Holbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-holbrook/) > [One of the things you do as a writer and as a filmmaker is grasp for resonant symbols and imagery without necessarily fully understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/one-of-the-things-you-do-as-a-writer-and-as-a-filmmaker-is-grasp-for/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [I write and film history; I don't make it. One can be a good critic and a moral observer, but one remains professionally detached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-write-and-film-history-i-don-t-make-it-one-can-be-a-good-critic-and/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [It's like two years straight out of your life doing a film. It's very enjoyable, especially working with the guys, but I kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mcdonagh/it-s-like-two-years-straight-out-of-your-life-doing-a-film-it-s-very/) [Martin McDonagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mcdonagh/) > [As a writer, or as a filmmaker, you have to present yourself, and part of what yourself is is what you're interested in, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/as-a-writer-or-as-a-filmmaker-you-have-to-present-yourself-and-part/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) ## More by Bruce Springsteen > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [When I die throw my body in the back and drive me to the junk yard in my Cadillac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-i-die-throw-my-body-in-the-back-and-drive-me-to-the-junk-yard-in/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-you-start-talking-about-elections-being-rigged-you-re-pushing/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I got Mary pregnant and man that's all she wrote. And for my 19th birthday, I got a union card and a factory coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-got-mary-pregnant-and-man-that-s-all-she-wrote-and-for-my-19th/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [ I don't know if I know anyone, with the exception of the early inventors of rock music \[who wasn't influenced by something\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-don-t-know-if-i-know-anyone-with-the-exception-of-the-early/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [People see you onstage and, yeah, I'd want to be that guy.I want to be that guy myself very often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/people-see-you-onstage-and-yeah-i-d-want-to-be-that-guy-i-want-to-be/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [You know, my music utilizes things from the past, because that's what the past is for. It's to learn from. It's not to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/you-know-my-music-utilizes-things-from-the-past-because-that-s-what/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [From the town of Lincoln Nebraska with a sawed off .410 on my lap, through the Badlands of Wyoming I killed everything in my path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/from-the-town-of-lincoln-nebraska-with-a-sawed-off-410-on-my-lap/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I want a thousand guitars . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-want-a-thousand-guitars/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [In America everything's about who's number one today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/in-america-everything-s-about-who-s-number-one-today/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [A pop song is a condensed version of a life in three minutes, whereas, when you go to write your prose, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/a-pop-song-is-a-condensed-version-of-a-life-in-three-minutes-whereas/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-walked-a-thousand-miles-just-to-slip-this-skin/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The moment you begin to depend on audience reaction, you're doing the wrong thing. You're doin' it wrong, it's a mistake, it's not right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-moment-you-begin-to-depend-on-audience-reaction-you-re-doing-the/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The name 'Boss' started with people that worked for me... It was not meant like Boss, capital B, it was meant like 'Boss, where's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-name-boss-started-with-people-that-worked-for-me-it-was-not-meant/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The country we carry in our hearts is waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-country-we-carry-in-our-hearts-is-waiting/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) [Explore all 484 Bruce Springsteen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every good writer or filmmaker has something eating at them, right? That they can't quite get off their back . 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