--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Q: What's the biggest myth about writing?…" description: "\"“Q: What's the biggest myth about writing? A: That there's any wildness attached to it. Writing tends to be very deliberate.\" [ Colm Tóibín, novelist –..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/colm-toibin-3377_creative-process_q-what-s-the-biggest-myth-about-writing_2216712.jpg" --- # Q: What's the biggest myth about writing? A: That there's… ![“Q: What's the biggest myth about writing? A: That there's any wildness attached to it. Writing tends to be very deliberate." [ Colm Tóibín, novelist – portrait of the artist ( The Guardian , 19 February 2013)” quote by Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/colm-toibin-3377_creative-process_q-what-s-the-biggest-myth-about-writing_2216712.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/colm-toibin-3377_creative-process_q-what-s-the-biggest-myth-about-writing_2216712.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/colm-toibin-3377_creative-process_q-what-s-the-biggest-myth-about-writing_2216712.jpg) > ““Q: What's the biggest myth about writing? A: That there's any wildness attached to it. Writing tends to be very deliberate." \[ Colm Tóibín, novelist – portrait of the artist ( The Guardian , 19 February 2013)”” [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing is often seen as spontaneous, but it is actually a careful, intentional process. **In simple terms:** Writing is deliberate, not wild. Key Takeaway Embrace planning in your writing. Themes creativity discipline writing Mood reflective analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - author workshops - first drafts - editing sessions - creative blocks Key Concepts intentionality mythbusting Questions to Reflect On - How does planning affect your creative flow? - Can structure coexist with inspiration? A Different Perspective The myth may discourage spontaneous experimentation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/) [Deliberate-creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deliberate-creation-44574/) [Deliberation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deliberation/) [Myth Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth-writing-4929924/) [Myths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myths/) [Precision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precision/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Wildness Attached](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wildness-attached-4929925/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Tends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-tends-544390/) [Writing Wildness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-wildness-4929923/) ## Related quotes > [“It can be a blast when good people and good laughs teleport you back to the way it once was. But you poison yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-tyrone-jones/it-can-be-a-blast-when-good-people-and-good-laughs-teleport-you-back/) [Curtis Tyrone Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-tyrone-jones/) > [“Sounds like you're trying to say that creation of new alternate worlds is a conscious decision.' 'I'm not trying to say it - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman-michael-reaves/sounds-like-you-re-trying-to-say-that-creation-of-new-alternate/) [Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman-michael-reaves/) > [As you get drawn more and more into other activities, like political activities, very demanding, you have to find different rhythms of writing; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/as-you-get-drawn-more-and-more-into-other-activities-like-political/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [Generally, I think most of my writing tends to have some kind of magical element to it. That's the way I can access the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/generally-i-think-most-of-my-writing-tends-to-have-some-kind-of/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [I think that a classic style in writing tends to remove the reader one level from the immediacy of the experience. For any normal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jones/i-think-that-a-classic-style-in-writing-tends-to-remove-the-reader/) [James Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-jones/) > [My writing tends to become very dense, so I have to keep some cushion. Sometimes, words that seem superfluous are actually essential for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/my-writing-tends-to-become-very-dense-so-i-have-to-keep-some-cushion/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Writing tends to cheer me; it always soothes my spirit and blesses me with the gift of an innocent, tender, childlike day. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriela-mistral/writing-tends-to-cheer-me-it-always-soothes-my-spirit-and-blesses-me/) [Gabriela Mistral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriela-mistral/) > [Writing tends to be very deliberate. A novelist could probably run a military campaign with some success. They could certainly run a country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/writing-tends-to-be-very-deliberate-a-novelist-could-probably-run-a/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [English writing tends to fall into two categories - the big, baggy epic novel or the fairly controlled, tidy novel. For a long time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/english-writing-tends-to-fall-into-two-categories-the-big-baggy-epic/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [I suppose it's useful in designating writing that tends to come from personal experience, work that delineates an "I," but it's a loose lasso,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-suppose-it-s-useful-in-designating-writing-that-tends-to-come-from/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [Deliberation and debate is the way you stir the soul of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/deliberation-and-debate-is-the-way-you-stir-the-soul-of-our-democracy/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [I should esteem it the extreme of imprudence to prolong the precarious state of our national affairs, and to expose the Union to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/i-should-esteem-it-the-extreme-of-imprudence-to-prolong-the/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [The great constitutional corrective in the hands of the people against usurpation of power, or corruption by their agents is the right of suffrage;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-jackson/the-great-constitutional-corrective-in-the-hands-of-the-people/) [Andrew Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-jackson/) > [Life is not long, and too much of it must not pass in idle deliberation how it shall be spent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/life-is-not-long-and-too-much-of-it-must-not-pass-in-idle/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Meaning coming from feeling, feeling coming from within, you absorb a massive amount of information, it goes through your whole body, a little bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-henson/meaning-coming-from-feeling-feeling-coming-from-within-you-absorb-a/) [Bill Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-henson/) ## More by Colm Tóibín > [I first went to Barcelona in 1975 after university, and I stayed for three years. I learnt Catalan because that's what everyone speaks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-first-went-to-barcelona-in-1975-after-university-and-i-stayed-for/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“What is hard to understand is that our dreams matter”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/what-is-hard-to-understand-is-that-our-dreams-matter/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Suffering is too strong a word, but writing is serious work. I pull the stuff up from me - it's not as if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/suffering-is-too-strong-a-word-but-writing-is-serious-work-i-pull-the/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Three of my novels and a good number of my short stories are told from the point of view of men. I was brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/three-of-my-novels-and-a-good-number-of-my-short-stories-are-told/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [It may be enough to study history in all its nuance and ambiguity for its own sake. But there is no country free of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/it-may-be-enough-to-study-history-in-all-its-nuance-and-ambiguity-for/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [The only routine I have is that I finish everything I start. I wake up early every day - about 6.30 A.M. - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-only-routine-i-have-is-that-i-finish-everything-i-start-i-wake-up/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [While historians may go on attempting grand, sweeping and defining narratives, they work in a time when readers know that another narrative always lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/while-historians-may-go-on-attempting-grand-sweeping-and-defining/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [John McGovern taught me that it's OK to write repeatedly about the same things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/john-mcgovern-taught-me-that-it-s-ok-to-write-repeatedly-about-the/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Some of our loves and attachments are elemental and beyond our choosing, and for that very reason they come spiced with pain and regret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/some-of-our-loves-and-attachments-are-elemental-and-beyond-our/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Solitude is good in the evening. Dublin is a quiet city when you get to a certain age, when your friends settle down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/solitude-is-good-in-the-evening-dublin-is-a-quiet-city-when-you-get/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“The details of what I told him were with me all the years in the same way as my hands or my arms were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-details-of-what-i-told-him-were-with-me-all-the-years-in-the-same/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [I did think of becoming a priest quite late on, when other boys were thinking of knocking over fences and going out with girls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-did-think-of-becoming-a-priest-quite-late-on-when-other-boys-were/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“Here in this cemetery, which they began to stroll around once more, the state of not-knowing and not-feeling which belonged to the dead seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/here-in-this-cemetery-which-they-began-to-stroll-around-once-more-the/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“I don’t go in for change. It is not one of my subjects. I have always taken the view that noticing change is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-don-t-go-in-for-change-it-is-not-one-of-my-subjects-i-have-always/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“There will always be reservations, things one must leave out, events one can’t explain without handing over a full map of one’s life, unfolding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/there-will-always-be-reservations-things-one-must-leave-out-events/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) [Explore all 132 Colm Tóibín quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) ## More Creative process quotes > [Teasing out the way the world might look through another's eyes is what makes the creative process so fascinating and enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/teasing-out-the-way-the-world-might-look-through-another-s-eyes-is/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [“Other worshipful objects were content with worship; men, women, God, all let one kneel prostrate; but this form, were it only the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/other-worshipful-objects-were-content-with-worship-men-women-god-all/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Any creative process is about being in a territory which isn't secure, isn't necessarily familiar, and isn't convenient in any sort of way. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-bier/any-creative-process-is-about-being-in-a-territory-which-isn-t-secure/) [Susanne Bier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-bier/) > [ “\[A\]lways get to the dialogue as soon as possible. I always feel the thing to go for is speed. Nothing puts the reader off… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/a-lways-get-to-the-dialogue-as-soon-as-possible-i-always-feel-the/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [Use the creative process - singing, writing, art, dance, whatever - to get to know yourself better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catie-curtis/use-the-creative-process-singing-writing-art-dance-whatever-to-get-to/) [Catie Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catie-curtis/) > [Fear is a killer, when it comes to the creative process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-baldwin/fear-is-a-killer-when-it-comes-to-the-creative-process/) [Adam Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-baldwin/) > [The impresario function is about intervening with the company's more administrative management structure. It is about trying to establish a sense of boundaries and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kao/the-impresario-function-is-about-intervening-with-the-company-s-more/) [John Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kao/) > [“I’m a big believer in cooking your own meals. It makes it much easier not only to ensure that you eat fresh foods but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ori-hofmekler/i-m-a-big-believer-in-cooking-your-own-meals-it-makes-it-much-easier/) [Ori Hofmekler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ori-hofmekler/) > [I think what holds people up in creative processes is the expectation of what it is they're doing. It's also the sense of judgement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-hegarty/i-think-what-holds-people-up-in-creative-processes-is-the-expectation/) [Antony Hegarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-hegarty/) > [There just is exponentially more money in the movie business than in the music business. As a result there are more people involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-duritz/there-just-is-exponentially-more-money-in-the-movie-business-than-in/) [Adam Duritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-duritz/) > [“The sooner you finish procrastinating, the sooner you can get back to your art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lennox/the-sooner-you-finish-procrastinating-the-sooner-you-can-get-back-to/) [Stephanie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lennox/) > [Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a harsh critic because I know what I'm capable of. I have hit those occasional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-stevens/well-i-do-expect-a-lot-of-myself-i-m-a-harsh-critic-because-i-know/) [Dave Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-stevens/) > [With music I get to feel real ownership with what I do. I write it, I perform it and even if it is crap,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/with-music-i-get-to-feel-real-ownership-with-what-i-do-i-write-it-i/) [John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/) > [The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/the-creative-act-is-not-performed-by-the-artist-alone-the-spectator/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [It is not enough to have a talented designer; the management must be inspired too. The creative process is very disorganised; the production process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-arnault/it-is-not-enough-to-have-a-talented-designer-the-management-must-be/) [Bernard Arnault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-arnault/) [Browse all 691 Creative process quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Q: What's the biggest myth about writing? A: That there's any wildness attached to it. Writing tends to be very deliberate.\" [ Colm Tóibín, novelist – portrait of the artist ( The Guardian , 19 February 2013)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Colm Tóibín" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/q-what-s-the-biggest-myth-about-writing-a-that-there-s-any-wildness/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creative process" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/q-what-s-the-biggest-myth-about-writing-a-that-there-s-any-wildness/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/colm-toibin-3377_creative-process_q-what-s-the-biggest-myth-about-writing_2216712.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/colm-toibin-3377_creative-process_q-what-s-the-biggest-myth-about-writing_2216712.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/colm-toibin-3377_creative-process_q-what-s-the-biggest-myth-about-writing_2216712.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Q: What's the biggest myth about writing? A: That there's any wildness attached to it. Writing tends to be…” — Colm Tóibín", "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": "Colm Tóibín", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Q: What's the biggest myth about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/q-what-s-the-biggest-myth-about-writing-a-that-there-s-any-wildness/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/q-what-s-the-biggest-myth-about-writing-a-that-there-s-any-wildness/#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 } } ] } ```