---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never write in a linear way. And I tell…"
description: "\"I never write in a linear way. And I tell students not to. You can only know so much about a book when you first start.\" — Carol Anshaw"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/carol-anshaw-26256_book_i-never-write-in-a-linear-way-and-i-tell_2336638.jpg"
---

#  I never write in a linear way. And I tell students not to…

![“I never write in a linear way. And I tell students not to. You can only know so much about a book when you first start.” quote by Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/carol-anshaw-26256_book_i-never-write-in-a-linear-way-and-i-tell_2336638.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/carol-anshaw-26256_book_i-never-write-in-a-linear-way-and-i-tell_2336638.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/carol-anshaw-26256_book_i-never-write-in-a-linear-way-and-i-tell_2336638.jpg)

> “I never write in a linear way. And I tell students not to. You can only know so much about a book when you first start.”

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Non‑linear writing encourages discovery, rejecting rigid structure for deeper engagement.

**In simple terms:** Write non‑linearly to explore ideas.

Key Takeaway

Embrace flexible writing.

Themes

creativity writing learning

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

literary educational

When to use this quote

- creative writing workshops
- literary analysis
- personal journaling

Key Concepts

non‑linear narrative exploratory learning

Questions to Reflect On

- How does non‑linear writing affect comprehension?
- What benefits arise from avoiding strict structure?

A Different Perspective

Linear methods may limit insight.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Linear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/linear/) [Linear Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/linear-way-3550210/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Tell Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-students/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Linear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-linear-2157190/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [There are those who make music and movies in a linear way: They plan them, they have a script. Of course, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ry-cooder/there-are-those-who-make-music-and-movies-in-a-linear-way-they-plan/)

[Ry Cooder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ry-cooder/)

> [I had a lot of great lakes of ignorance that I was up against, I would write what I knew in almost like islands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-miller/i-had-a-lot-of-great-lakes-of-ignorance-that-i-was-up-against-i-would/)

[Rebecca Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-miller/)

> [Learning to write is not a linear process. There is no logical A-to-B-to-C way to become a good writer. One neat truth about writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/learning-to-write-is-not-a-linear-process-there-is-no-logical-a-to-b/)

[Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/)

> [ “I think it's an indulgence to \[write\] the other \[non-linear\] way. I think it's a kind of cowardice. There are places in anyone's books… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-think-it-s-an-indulgence-to-write-the-other-non-linear-way-i-think/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

> [I tell my students to think of poems as language plus, language with value added beyond its everyday use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-youn/i-tell-my-students-to-think-of-poems-as-language-plus-language-with/)

[Monica Youn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-youn/)

> [I tell my students, if you are going to spend days and months and years with someone, you had better like that person!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-nagel/i-tell-my-students-if-you-are-going-to-spend-days-and-months-and/)

[Susan Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-nagel/)

> [When I'm teaching, I tell my students: It's all process. Don't even think of product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-hong-kingston/when-i-m-teaching-i-tell-my-students-it-s-all-process-don-t-even/)

[Maxine Hong Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-hong-kingston/)

> [I try not to tell students where to shoot, when to shoot, or what to shoot. I feel finding the picture is the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-maisel/i-try-not-to-tell-students-where-to-shoot-when-to-shoot-or-what-to/)

[Jay Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-maisel/)

> [I tell my students, it's got to be warm, dry, and noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-mockbee/i-tell-my-students-it-s-got-to-be-warm-dry-and-noble/)

[Samuel Mockbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-mockbee/)

> [I always tell my students to go back after a hundred pages and rewrite from the beginning. It's really harder if you've already finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-always-tell-my-students-to-go-back-after-a-hundred-pages-and/)

[Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/)

> [The message I hope to have sent is just the example of being yourself. I tell this to my students: It's not about copying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/the-message-i-hope-to-have-sent-is-just-the-example-of-being-yourself-2/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [I always tell my students, go where your body and soul want to go. When you have the feeling, then stay with it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-always-tell-my-students-go-where-your-body-and-soul-want-to-go-when/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [When I used to teach creative writing, I would tell the students to make their characters want something right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/when-i-used-to-teach-creative-writing-i-would-tell-the-students-to/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [Give more than you receive. That is the principle I tell all my students.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/give-more-than-you-receive-that-is-the-principle-i-tell-all-my/)

[B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/)

> [I tell my students one of the most important things they need to know is when they are at their best, creatively. They need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/i-tell-my-students-one-of-the-most-important-things-they-need-to-know/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

## More by Carol Anshaw

> [Aimee Parkison offers a distinct new voice to contemporary fiction. Her seductive stories explore childhood as a realm of sorrows, and reveal the afflictions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/aimee-parkison-offers-a-distinct-new-voice-to-contemporary-fiction/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [I'm never sure who I'm writing for, or who's reading me, but I definitely see myself in conspiracy with my readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/i-m-never-sure-who-i-m-writing-for-or-who-s-reading-me-but-i/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [It's easy now, now that it's a story. When you were going through it, it was life. Always much harder to get the plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/it-s-easy-now-now-that-it-s-a-story-when-you-were-going-through-it-it/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [“...religions all have the same timeline...First the people feel the need to worship something. The sun or the giant corn of ear. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/religions-all-have-the-same-timeline-first-the-people-feel-the-need/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [“She shared the curse of many artists—that praise beaded up and rolled off her while criticism stuck like glue, glue embedded with ground glass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/she-shared-the-curse-of-many-artists-that-praise-beaded-up-and-rolled/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [“Storming was one of her main modes of transportation." In reference to teenager Heather in "Carry The One”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/storming-was-one-of-her-main-modes-of-transportation-in-reference-to/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [“But they were not friends. They were here to keep each other from spinning off alone into the dark matter of the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/but-they-were-not-friends-they-were-here-to-keep-each-other-from/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [Some moments supersaturate, take on almost more than one tiny fragment of time can hold. How...can you hold this sort of memory of someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/some-moments-supersaturate-take-on-almost-more-than-one-tiny-fragment/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [I have never been on the receiving end of a hate crime, or even a disparaging remark to my face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/i-have-never-been-on-the-receiving-end-of-a-hate-crime-or-even-a/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [When I started, there was more of a cultural assumption that many readers would find gay characters irrelevant or repugnant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/when-i-started-there-was-more-of-a-cultural-assumption-that-many/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [“She pitied everyone who didn't have a sister.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/she-pitied-everyone-who-didn-t-have-a-sister/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [“She looked around the table and saw each of them as they looked that night...All of them in their last hours of making mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/she-looked-around-the-table-and-saw-each-of-them-as-they-looked-that/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [“But for the most part, she was the Maude who Alice would have said she wanted all along. But instead of seeming more reasonable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/but-for-the-most-part-she-was-the-maude-who-alice-would-have-said-she/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [“He swam against the hard current of the class bores - there were three - who could relate every incident in the book to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/he-swam-against-the-hard-current-of-the-class-bores-there-were-three/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [Taking on a pet is a contract with sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/taking-on-a-pet-is-a-contract-with-sorrow/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

[Explore all 22 Carol Anshaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

## More Book 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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I never write in a linear way. And I tell students not to. You can only know so much about a book when you first start.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Carol Anshaw"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/i-never-write-in-a-linear-way-and-i-tell-students-not-to-you-can-only/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/i-never-write-in-a-linear-way-and-i-tell-students-not-to-you-can-only/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/carol-anshaw-26256_book_i-never-write-in-a-linear-way-and-i-tell_2336638.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/carol-anshaw-26256_book_i-never-write-in-a-linear-way-and-i-tell_2336638.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/carol-anshaw-26256_book_i-never-write-in-a-linear-way-and-i-tell_2336638.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I never write in a linear way. And I tell students not to. You can only know so much about a book when you…” — Carol Anshaw",
                "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": "Carol Anshaw",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I never write in a linear...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/i-never-write-in-a-linear-way-and-i-tell-students-not-to-you-can-only/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/i-never-write-in-a-linear-way-and-i-tell-students-not-to-you-can-only/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
