--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a while, when I got out of college, I…" description: "\"For a while, when I got out of college, I tried to write fiction. I'd grown up more around novelists, and my initial attraction was to write fiction. B..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/david-grann-2569_always_for-a-while-when-i-got-out-of-college-i_336725.jpg" --- # For a while, when I got out of college, I tried to write… ![“For a while, when I got out of college, I tried to write fiction. I'd grown up more around novelists, and my initial attraction was to write fiction. But I was much less suited for it. I always struggled to figure out what people were saying or doing in a particular moment.” quote by David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/david-grann-2569_always_for-a-while-when-i-got-out-of-college-i_336725.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/david-grann-2569_always_for-a-while-when-i-got-out-of-college-i_336725.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/david-grann-2569_always_for-a-while-when-i-got-out-of-college-i_336725.jpg) > “For a while, when I got out of college, I tried to write fiction. I'd grown up more around novelists, and my initial attraction was to write fiction. But I was much less suited for it. I always struggled to figure out what people were saying or doing in a particular moment.” [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author realized his talent lay elsewhere after attempting fiction, recognizing difficulty in capturing dialogue and action. **In simple terms:** He discovered his strengths were not in writing fiction. Key Takeaway Identify your true strengths early. Themes self‑awareness career creative limits Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice career‑development When to use this quote - career planning - writing workshops - team collaborations - self‑assessment - mentorship Key Concepts talent identification skill matching creative process Questions to Reflect On - What activities feel natural versus forced? - How can you leverage your strengths in other fields? A Different Perspective Creative work often requires specific innate abilities that may not be developable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Novelists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelists/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I was a schoolteacher; I taught seventh and eighth grade, and I tried to write fiction on the side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/i-was-a-schoolteacher-i-taught-seventh-and-eighth-grade-and-i-tried/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [“I tried to write a coming of age novel, but I wasn't deep enough to get past the third chapter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-robinson/i-tried-to-write-a-coming-of-age-novel-but-i-wasn-t-deep-enough-to/) Rick Robinson > [“I have tried so to write the first chapter that those who can't bear such a story will see at once what they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/i-have-tried-so-to-write-the-first-chapter-that-those-who-can-t-bear/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [When I got older I decided I wanted to be a real writer. I tried to write about real things. I wanted to describe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/when-i-got-older-i-decided-i-wanted-to-be-a-real-writer-i-tried-to/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I have tried to write soundtracks, and the main problem with those was that the directors often had in their minds a much stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-condon/i-have-tried-to-write-soundtracks-and-the-main-problem-with-those-was/) [Zach Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-condon/) > [Well, when I was a young writer the people we read were Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Sartre, Camus, Celine, Malraux. And to begin with, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordecai-richler/well-when-i-was-a-young-writer-the-people-we-read-were-hemingway/) [Mordecai Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordecai-richler/) > [I tried to write things, but they were so ridiculous and stupid and impossible and I had not a clue what they were, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hampton-fancher/i-tried-to-write-things-but-they-were-so-ridiculous-and-stupid-and/) [Hampton Fancher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hampton-fancher/) > [Ive tried to write deep and serious. I spent years working to write a story that would make my writing group cry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-c-hines/ive-tried-to-write-deep-and-serious-i-spent-years-working-to-write-a/) [Jim C. 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I liked people who had problems I might have, because we all have insecurities, regrets. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/i-never-tried-to-write-for-other-people-i-liked-people-who-had/) [Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/) > [I have a background writing screenplays and teleplays. I've tried to write prose and fiction but never really completed anything I thought worthy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-imperioli/i-have-a-background-writing-screenplays-and-teleplays-i-ve-tried-to/) [Michael Imperioli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-imperioli/) > [I tried to write poems in rhyme. I tried writing songs. Sometimes I jotted down a thought. I would keep a log of spontaneous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chath-piersath/i-tried-to-write-poems-in-rhyme-i-tried-writing-songs-sometimes-i/) [Chath Piersath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chath-piersath/) ## More by David Grann > [“To believe that the Osages survived intact from their ordeal is a delusion of the mind. What has been possible to salvage has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/to-believe-that-the-osages-survived-intact-from-their-ordeal-is-a/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [“Over the next two decades, the Osage were forced to cede nearly a hundred million acres of their ancestral land, ultimately finding refuge in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/over-the-next-two-decades-the-osage-were-forced-to-cede-nearly-a/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [“Only in the mid-nineteenth century, after the growth of industrial cities and a rash of urban riots—after dread of the so-called dangerous classes surpassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/only-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-after-the-growth-of-industrial/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [I look for stories everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/i-look-for-stories-everywhere/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [“Emmett White became a firm, even unyielding, sheriff. 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Our lives are messy and chaotic and bewildering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-way-we-live-history-is-not-the-way-historians-tell-history-our/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [“Fawcett, who had always found refuge in the natural world, no longer recognized the wilderness of bombed-out villages, denuded trees, craters, and sunbaked skeletons.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/fawcett-who-had-always-found-refuge-in-the-natural-world-no-longer/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [“Does God think that, because it is raining, I am not going to destroy the world? - Lope de Aguirre after going mad in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/does-god-think-that-because-it-is-raining-i-am-not-going-to-destroy/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [“In 1804, a delegation of Osage chiefs met with Jefferson at the White House. He told the navy secretary that the Osage, whose warriors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/in-1804-a-delegation-of-osage-chiefs-met-with-jefferson-at-the-white/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [A lot of the stuff I tweet is out of childlike curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/a-lot-of-the-stuff-i-tweet-is-out-of-childlike-curiosity/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [“Instead, the terrain looked like Nebraska—perpetual plains that faded into the horizon. When I asked Taukane where the forest was, he said, simply, “Gone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/instead-the-terrain-looked-like-nebraska-perpetual-plains-that-faded/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [I covered Congress, and everyone always wanted me to be a political reporter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/i-covered-congress-and-everyone-always-wanted-me-to-be-a-political/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [One of the nice things about 'The New Yorker' is they let you write stories that sometimes end up almost half a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/one-of-the-nice-things-about-the-new-yorker-is-they-let-you-write/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [“the amount of oil money had surpassed the total value of all the Old West gold rushes combined, and this fortune had drawn every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-amount-of-oil-money-had-surpassed-the-total-value-of-all-the-old/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) [Explore all 160 David Grann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For a while, when I got out of college, I tried to write fiction. 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