--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is hard work. Generating stories…" description: "\"Writing is hard work. Generating stories that catch people's attention and holding it are very difficult.\" — David Ogden Stiers" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/david-ogden-stiers-17741_attention_writing-is-hard-work-generating-stories_2962485.jpg" --- # Writing is hard work. Generating stories that catch… ![“Writing is hard work. Generating stories that catch people's attention and holding it are very difficult.” quote by David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/david-ogden-stiers-17741_attention_writing-is-hard-work-generating-stories_2962485.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/david-ogden-stiers-17741_attention_writing-is-hard-work-generating-stories_2962485.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/david-ogden-stiers-17741_attention_writing-is-hard-work-generating-stories_2962485.jpg) > “Writing is hard work. Generating stories that catch people's attention and holding it are very difficult.” [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing demands effort; crafting engaging, sustained narratives is especially challenging. **In simple terms:** Writing is hard and requires keeping attention. Key Takeaway Practice consistently to improve storytelling. Themes writing creativity attention Mood inspired determined Type creative educational When to use this quote - author workshops - content creation - marketing - education Key Concepts narrative structure audience engagement Questions to Reflect On - What strategies keep readers engaged? - How can you overcome writer’s block? A Different Perspective Not all writers face same hurdles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [What will carry us into living freedom is not the holding of attention so much as the holding of appreciation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/what-will-carry-us-into-living-freedom-is-not-the-holding-of/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [Pamela Palmer's stories catch you, captivate you, and never let you go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-dodd/pamela-palmer-s-stories-catch-you-captivate-you-and-never-let-you-go/) [Christina Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-dodd/) > [“We all have stories, and it's a wonderful thing when our stories catch up with just the right person. It's the beauty of God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newport/we-all-have-stories-and-it-s-a-wonderful-thing-when-our-stories-catch/) [Olivia Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newport/) > [Writing is hard work, not magic. It begins with deciding why you are writing and whom you are writing for. What is your intent?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/writing-is-hard-work-not-magic-it-begins-with-deciding-why-you-are/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [Writing is hard work; it's also the best job I've ever had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-e-feist/writing-is-hard-work-it-s-also-the-best-job-i-ve-ever-had/) [Raymond E. Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-e-feist/) > [Song writing is very serious; it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/song-writing-is-very-serious-it-is-hard/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [Most of my writer friends are women, and they're all extremely talented, so of course I think the state of contemporary fiction for women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/most-of-my-writer-friends-are-women-and-they-re-all-extremely/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [“Writing is hard. Not as hard as not writing. Not writing is torturous, bloody, chaotic and a gruesome winless battle. A writer who writes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-weise/writing-is-hard-not-as-hard-as-not-writing-not-writing-is-torturous/) [Jamie Weise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-weise/) > [For me, the hardest part is getting up and writing, that's the hard part. I always felt like I could teach someone to direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-younger/for-me-the-hardest-part-is-getting-up-and-writing-that-s-the-hard/) Ben Younger > [ Don't you think that's the main reason people find \[writing\] so difficult? If they can write complete sentences and can use a dictionary, isn't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/don-t-you-think-that-s-the-main-reason-people-find-writing-so/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [With directing, you have to wake up early, which stinks, but you get to hang out with the crew, you're laughing, you're active, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sherman-palladino/with-directing-you-have-to-wake-up-early-which-stinks-but-you-get-to/) [Amy Sherman-Palladino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sherman-palladino/) > [I do have a little bit more confidence in - or at least familiarity with - my process. For example, when it feels like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/i-do-have-a-little-bit-more-confidence-in-or-at-least-familiarity/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [Everything about writing is hard for me except for that - the names pop into my head. That's one of the reasons why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/everything-about-writing-is-hard-for-me-except-for-that-the-names-pop/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [The writing is hard, and the drawing is fun. It's very satisfying to see a drawing start to come together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/the-writing-is-hard-and-the-drawing-is-fun-it-s-very-satisfying-to/) [Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/) > [The most radical, audacious thing to think is that there might be some point to working hard and thinking hard and reading hard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-radical-audacious-thing-to-think-is-that-there-might-be-some/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by David Ogden Stiers > [Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/family-means-no-one-gets-left-behind-or-forgotten/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [A lot of my income has been derived from voicing Disney and family programming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/a-lot-of-my-income-has-been-derived-from-voicing-disney-and-family/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [If it's right and true, it's listened to and accommodated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/if-it-s-right-and-true-it-s-listened-to-and-accommodated/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [It's really important to stay engaged and involved in the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/it-s-really-important-to-stay-engaged-and-involved-in-the-character/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [I've played Lear three times, I would love to do it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/i-ve-played-lear-three-times-i-would-love-to-do-it-again/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [Kids now are so used to surround sound and the power in theater speakers, that the concert hall is a disappointment to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/kids-now-are-so-used-to-surround-sound-and-the-power-in-theater/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [When something really extreme happens, you have to find a way to embrace that and include it in how you think about the character.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/when-something-really-extreme-happens-you-have-to-find-a-way-to/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [I am not a long-run actor. I admire actors who can do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/i-am-not-a-long-run-actor-i-admire-actors-who-can-do-that/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [Very often, I don't make it through moments of recording because it is genuinely funny and absolutely ridiculous that a 60-year-old grown man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/very-often-i-don-t-make-it-through-moments-of-recording-because-it-is/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [Every time I hear, Cut. Print, something cold and electrical goes off in my head, because I'm never going to change that film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/every-time-i-hear-cut-print-something-cold-and-electrical-goes-off-in/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [It's rare to be treated like a friend you haven't met in a Hollywood meeting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/it-s-rare-to-be-treated-like-a-friend-you-haven-t-met-in-a-hollywood/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [Fun can happen on the interior. Nobody knows about it, but there are fireworks going on inside your spirit when you hear a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/fun-can-happen-on-the-interior-nobody-knows-about-it-but-there-are/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [Something happens to us all when we experience something as a unit that doesn't occur when we're on our couches or holding our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/something-happens-to-us-all-when-we-experience-something-as-a-unit/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [People are nice enough, but you can hear the giant tick of the second hand. People are so harried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/people-are-nice-enough-but-you-can-hear-the-giant-tick-of-the-second/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) > [I had a meeting in LA in which they took a really overstuffed hour and a half. It was as close to old Hollywood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogden-stiers/i-had-a-meeting-in-la-in-which-they-took-a-really-overstuffed-hour/) [David Ogden Stiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) [Explore all 36 David Ogden Stiers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogden-stiers/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing is hard work. 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