--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is a deep-sea dive. You need…" description: "\"Writing is a deep-sea dive. You need hours just to get into it: down, down, down. If you're called back to the surface every couple of minutes by an em..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b70/dave-eggers-638_couple_writing-is-a-deep-sea-dive-you-need-hour_2896802.png" --- # Writing is a deep-sea dive. You need hours just to get… ![“Writing is a deep-sea dive. You need hours just to get into it: down, down, down. If you're called back to the surface every couple of minutes by an email, you can't ever get back down. I have a great friend who became a Twitterer and he says he hasn't written anything for a year.” quote by Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b70/dave-eggers-638_couple_writing-is-a-deep-sea-dive-you-need-hour_2896802.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b70/dave-eggers-638_couple_writing-is-a-deep-sea-dive-you-need-hour_2896802.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b70/dave-eggers-638_couple_writing-is-a-deep-sea-dive-you-need-hour_2896802.png) > “Writing is a deep-sea dive. You need hours just to get into it: down, down, down. If you're called back to the surface every couple of minutes by an email, you can't ever get back down. I have a great friend who became a Twitterer and he says he hasn't written anything for a year.” [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing requires deep focus; constant interruptions prevent reaching the necessary depth for creative work. **In simple terms:** Distractions stop deep writing. Key Takeaway Minimize interruptions for creative depth. Themes creativity focus technology distraction Mood determined thoughtful Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - writing sessions - research projects - coding marathons - academic study Key Concepts attention economy deep work creative process Questions to Reflect On - What interruptions have helped you? - How can you protect deep work time? A Different Perspective Not all interruptions are harmful; some spark ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [Deep sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-sea/) [Email](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/email/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Get back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-back/) [Great friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-friend/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Need Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-hours-717398/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Deep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-deep-1853737/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) [Written Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-year-3662722/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“The difference between wanting to write and having written is one year of hard, relentless labour. 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I had one of those yesterday: seven hours of self-loathing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/i-need-eight-hours-to-get-maybe-20-minutes-of-work-done-i-had-one-of/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“When you start thinking that you need more hours in a day you either have too much on your plate, you need to revise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-marques/when-you-start-thinking-that-you-need-more-hours-in-a-day-you-either/) [Joan Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-marques/) > [I really need 5 hours of Facebook to balance out my 5 minutes of studying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-really-need-5-hours-of-facebook-to-balance-out-my-5-minutes-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Normally I need about two hours for hair and makeup, because that's when professionals do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-missick/normally-i-need-about-two-hours-for-hair-and-makeup-because-that-s/) [Simone Missick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-missick/) > [I'm not very prolific. I'm not good at sitting down as an artist and saying 'Okay, I need to put in my four hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-wainwright/i-m-not-very-prolific-i-m-not-good-at-sitting-down-as-an-artist-and/) [Martha Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-wainwright/) > [I'm someone who needs more sleep than average, and I'm quite jealous of people who need only five or six hours and they're good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessa-gamble/i-m-someone-who-needs-more-sleep-than-average-and-i-m-quite-jealous/) [Jessa Gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessa-gamble/) > [I'm lucky, I guess. I only really need five or so hours of sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-sloan/i-m-lucky-i-guess-i-only-really-need-five-or-so-hours-of-sleep/) [Cliff Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-sloan/) > [You need to agree with your boss about what you need to get done that week, what are the metrics of success. Sometimes you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pozen/you-need-to-agree-with-your-boss-about-what-you-need-to-get-done-that/) [Robert Pozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pozen/) > [“Suppose that we allot ourselves a generous eight hours a day for sleep (and few need more than that), three hours for meals and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders-2/suppose-that-we-allot-ourselves-a-generous-eight-hours-a-day-for/) [J Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders-2/) > [I'm always in bed by 11 or 12 and people laugh all the time - they want me to hang out until two in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-m-always-in-bed-by-11-or-12-and-people-laugh-all-the-time-they-want/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [I need eight hours of z's a night to be at my best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-romijn/i-need-eight-hours-of-z-s-a-night-to-be-at-my-best/) [Rebecca Romijn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-romijn/) > [I need nine hours of sleep because of all the activity I do. It doesn't always happen, but I really try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-ivanovic/i-need-nine-hours-of-sleep-because-of-all-the-activity-i-do-it-doesn/) [Ana Ivanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-ivanovic/) ## More by Dave Eggers > [“4. THE CRUMBLING WALL (Hamburger, prepared medium well, with bacon and barbecue sauce. Courtesy of that place on Solano, where, it should be mentioned,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/4-the-crumbling-wall-hamburger-prepared-medium-well-with-bacon-and/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“LOW-FLYING, QUICK-MOVING CLOUDS: I haven't long to live. TREETOPS, ROUNDED AND ROUGH: That's probably true. LOW-FLYING, QUICK-MOVING CLOUDS: I won't even make it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/low-flying-quick-moving-clouds-i-haven-t-long-to-live-treetops/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [But the grind has begun. 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The trolls, who had more or less overtaken the internet, were driven back into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/overnight-all-comment-boards-became-civil-all-posters-held/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“Have we wasted precious space dust on you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/have-we-wasted-precious-space-dust-on-you/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“What can one do with one's hands when the camera is interested in other things?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/what-can-one-do-with-one-s-hands-when-the-camera-is-interested-in/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“The money that could have saved the Shuttle, and the money we send to random countries, that we use to remake unchangeable countries ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-money-that-could-have-saved-the-shuttle-and-the-money-we-send-to/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [Write your goddamned book now. The world awaits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/write-your-goddamned-book-now-the-world-awaits/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [The only infallible truth of our lives is that everything we love in life will be taken from us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-only-infallible-truth-of-our-lives-is-that-everything-we-love-in/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“First of all: I am tired. I am true of heart! And Also: You are tired. You are true of heart!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/first-of-all-i-am-tired-i-am-true-of-heart-and-also-you-are-tired-you/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [And what we were trying to offer every day was one-on-one attention. 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So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) [Browse all 5,003 Couple quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing is a deep-sea dive. You need hours just to get into it: down, down, down. If you're called back to the surface every couple of minutes by an email, you can't ever get back down. 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