--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When authors write best, or at least…" description: "\"“When authors write best, or at least, when they write most fluently, an influence seems to waken in them which becomes their master, which will have i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/charlotte-bronte-144_books_when-authors-write-best-or-at-least-when_3194896.jpg" --- # When authors write best, or at least, when they write most… ![“When authors write best, or at least, when they write most fluently, an influence seems to waken in them which becomes their master, which will have its own way, putting out of view all behests but its own, dictating certain words, and insisting on their being used, whether vehement or measured in…” quote by Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/charlotte-bronte-144_books_when-authors-write-best-or-at-least-when_3194896.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/charlotte-bronte-144_books_when-authors-write-best-or-at-least-when_3194896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/charlotte-bronte-144_books_when-authors-write-best-or-at-least-when_3194896.jpg) > ““When authors write best, or at least, when they write most fluently, an influence seems to waken in them which becomes their master, which will have its own way, putting out of view all behests but its own, dictating certain words, and insisting on their being used, whether vehement or measured in their nature; new moulding characters, giving unthought-of turns to incidents, rejecting carefully elaborated old ideas, and suddenly creating and adopting new ones. Is it not so? And should we try to counteract this influence? Can we indeed counteract it? from a letter to G.H. Lewes, 12 January 1848”” [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When writers become overly fluent, a dominant influence can hijack their voice, imposing preferred words and shaping characters, often discarding earlier ideas in favor of new, sometimes forced, directions. **In simple terms:** Fluency can let a hidden force control a writer’s choices. Key Takeaway Beware of letting style dictate substance. Themes creativity control authenticity Mood reflective concerned Type literary analytical When to use this quote - novel writing - editing - creative workshops - literary criticism Key Concepts literary influence voice dominance self‑censorship Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance fluency with originality? - Can you recognize when a style becomes a constraint? A Different Perspective The influence may also spark innovation, not just restriction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authors Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authors-write-1084528/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Counteract Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counteract-influence-5907737/) [Fluently Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fluently-influence-5907739/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Influence Counteract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence-counteract-5907738/) ## Related quotes > [Some authors write nonsense in a clear style, and others sense in an obscure one; some can reason without being able to persuade, others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/some-authors-write-nonsense-in-a-clear-style-and-others-sense-in-an/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [“Do not write to impress others. Authors who write to impress people have difficulty remaining true to themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/do-not-write-to-impress-others-authors-who-write-to-impress-people/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [“If you should stick only to what you know, we should worry about the thousands of authors who write about murder. If”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-morris/if-you-should-stick-only-to-what-you-know-we-should-worry-about-the/) [Roz Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-morris/) > [There are, first of all, two kinds of authors: those who write for the subject's sake, and those who write for writing's sake. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/there-are-first-of-all-two-kinds-of-authors-those-who-write-for-the-3/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Authors have to write for their characters, for who they are, that's the strength of books. Don't worry about censors. Just write the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/authors-have-to-write-for-their-characters-for-who-they-are-that-s/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [Different authors write different ways, have different relationships with their audiences, and those are all legitimate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/different-authors-write-different-ways-have-different-relationships/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Poets write magistic and compelling words on paper. But authors, they write magistic and compelling words on souls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayla-m-f/poets-write-magistic-and-compelling-words-on-paper-but-authors-they/) [Kayla.M.f](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayla-m-f/) > [There are, first of all, two kinds of authors: those who write for the subject's sake, and those who write for writing's sake. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/there-are-first-of-all-two-kinds-of-authors-those-who-write-for-the-2/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“Artist paint images unseen, musicians create sounds that emerge from silence, and authors write from a synthetic point of view about a world that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-henegan/artist-paint-images-unseen-musicians-create-sounds-that-emerge-from/) [Carl Henegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-henegan/) > [There are, first of all, two kinds of authors: those who write for the subject's sake, and those who write for writing's sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/there-are-first-of-all-two-kinds-of-authors-those-who-write-for-the/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Professors will lecture with more inspiration if they occasionally alternate the classroom with the beach: authors will write better when, as Macaulay used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/professors-will-lecture-with-more-inspiration-if-they-occasionally/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [“Our life is a blank book and we are the authors…. Write and shape your story as much as the mind can imagine it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-calder/our-life-is-a-blank-book-and-we-are-the-authors-write-and-shape-your/) [Jason Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-calder/) > [“When authors write from personal experiences,straight from the heart,it touches the readers. Their work speaks out to all who read it,and most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-jean-slack/when-authors-write-from-personal-experiences-straight-from-the-heart/) [Nina Jean Slack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-jean-slack/) > [Let authors write for glory and reward. The truth is well paid when she is sung and heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-j-corbett/let-authors-write-for-glory-and-reward-the-truth-is-well-paid-when/) [James J. Corbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-j-corbett/) > [But authors before they write should read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-burney/but-authors-before-they-write-should-read/) [Fanny Burney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-burney/) ## More by Charlotte Brontë > [When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should - so hard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/when-we-are-struck-at-without-a-reason-we-should-strike-back-again/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [My God, whose son, as on this night, took on Him the form of man, and for man vouchsafed to suffer and bleed, controls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/my-god-whose-son-as-on-this-night-took-on-him-the-form-of-man-and-for/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“A deal of people, Miss, are for trusting all to Providence; but I say Providence will not dispense with the means, though He often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/a-deal-of-people-miss-are-for-trusting-all-to-providence-but-i-say/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“This night is not calm; the equinox still struggles in its storms. The wild rains of the day are abated; the great single cloud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/this-night-is-not-calm-the-equinox-still-struggles-in-its-storms-the/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“How dare I, Mrs Reed? How dare I? Because it is the truth. You think I have no feelings, and that I can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/how-dare-i-mrs-reed-how-dare-i-because-it-is-the-truth-you-think-i/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“If men could see us as we really are, they would be a little amazed; but the cleverest, the acutest men are often under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-men-could-see-us-as-we-really-are-they-would-be-a-little-amazed/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-all-the-world-hated-you-and-believed-you-wicked-while-your-own/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs. With this creed, revenge never worries my heart, degradation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/life-appears-to-me-too-short-to-be-spent-in-nursing-animosity-or/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Poverty, for me, is synonymous with degradation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/poverty-for-me-is-synonymous-with-degradation/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [When his first-born was put into his arms, he could see that the boy had inherited his own eyes, as they once were -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/when-his-first-born-was-put-into-his-arms-he-could-see-that-the-boy/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Talented people almost always know full well the excellence that is in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/talented-people-almost-always-know-full-well-the-excellence-that-is/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“Not one spark of spirit, not one symptom of resistance, would they have shown till the hand of the Corsican bandit had grasped that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/not-one-spark-of-spirit-not-one-symptom-of-resistance-would-they-have/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“Love can excuse anything except meanness; but meanness kills love, cripples even natural affection; without esteem true love cannot exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/love-can-excuse-anything-except-meanness-but-meanness-kills-love/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [I think you will learn to be natural with me, as I find it impossible to be conventional with you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-think-you-will-learn-to-be-natural-with-me-as-i-find-it-impossible/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“You are no ruin sir--no lighting-struck tree: you are green and vigorous. Plants will grow about your roots, whether you ask them or not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/you-are-no-ruin-sir-no-lighting-struck-tree-you-are-green-and/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) [Explore all 1,082 Charlotte Brontë quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) ## 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. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. 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": "“When authors write best, or at least, when they write most fluently, an influence seems to waken in them which becomes their master, which will have its own way, putting out of view all behests but its own, dictating certain words, and insisting on their being used, whether vehement or measured in their nature; new moulding characters, giving unthought-of turns to incidents, rejecting carefully elaborated old ideas, and suddenly creating and adopting new ones. Is it not so? And should we try to counteract this influence? Can we indeed counteract it? from a letter to G.H. Lewes, 12 January 1848”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charlotte Brontë" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/when-authors-write-best-or-at-least-when-they-write-most-fluently-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/when-authors-write-best-or-at-least-when-they-write-most-fluently-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/charlotte-bronte-144_books_when-authors-write-best-or-at-least-when_3194896.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/charlotte-bronte-144_books_when-authors-write-best-or-at-least-when_3194896.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/charlotte-bronte-144_books_when-authors-write-best-or-at-least-when_3194896.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When authors write best, or at least, when they write most fluently, an influence seems to waken in them…” — Charlotte Brontë", "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": "Charlotte Brontë", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When authors write best, or at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/when-authors-write-best-or-at-least-when-they-write-most-fluently-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/when-authors-write-best-or-at-least-when-they-write-most-fluently-an/#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 } } ] } ```