--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have so little control over the act of…" description: "\"“I have so little control over the act of writing that it's all I can do to remain conscious. Actual formal considerations are almost beyond my capacit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/david-rakoff-3308_writer_i-have-so-little-control-over-the-act-of_3033151.jpg" --- # I have so little control over the act of writing that it's… ![“I have so little control over the act of writing that it's all I can do to remain conscious. Actual formal considerations are almost beyond my capacity. Before I sat down and became a writer, before I began to do it habitually and for my living, there was a decades-long stretch when I was…” quote by David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/david-rakoff-3308_writer_i-have-so-little-control-over-the-act-of_3033151.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/david-rakoff-3308_writer_i-have-so-little-control-over-the-act-of_3033151.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/david-rakoff-3308_writer_i-have-so-little-control-over-the-act-of_3033151.jpg) > ““I have so little control over the act of writing that it's all I can do to remain conscious. Actual formal considerations are almost beyond my capacity. Before I sat down and became a writer, before I began to do it habitually and for my living, there was a decades-long stretch when I was terrified that it would suck, so I didn't write. I think that marks a lot of people, a real terror at being bad at something, and unfortunately you are always bad before you can get a little better.”” [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing feels uncontrollable; fear of being bad stops many before they start, yet practice improves skill. **In simple terms:** Fear of failure blocks writing; practice helps. Key Takeaway Embrace writing despite fear. Themes fear creativity growth self‑doubt Mood anxious determined Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - starting a blog - writing daily - overcoming writer’s block - learning a new craft Key Concepts psychology skill development process Questions to Reflect On - What fear keeps you from starting? - How can you reframe early mistakes as learning? A Different Perspective Progress requires confronting discomfort and persisting through early poor results. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Before I sat down and became a writer, before I began to do it habitually and for my living, there was a decades-long stretch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/before-i-sat-down-and-became-a-writer-before-i-began-to-do-it/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [I have so little control over the act of writing that it's all I can do to remain conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/i-have-so-little-control-over-the-act-of-writing-that-it-s-all-i-can-2/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [My very identities as a reader and a writer began at the Walt Whitman branch library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-spencer/my-very-identities-as-a-reader-and-a-writer-began-at-the-walt-whitman/) Paula Spencer > [I think once I began to trust myself as a writer, I began to be seen as a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-rothwell/i-think-once-i-began-to-trust-myself-as-a-writer-i-began-to-be-seen/) [Natasha Rothwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-rothwell/) > [“Where is the writer,” he began, “who is unstained by any habits of the human, who is the ideal of everything alien to living,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/where-is-the-writer-he-began-who-is-unstained-by-any-habits-of-the/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [I'm a practised writer now. 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And since there is no answer as to why me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/unfortunately-there-s-no-greater-rhyme-or-reason-as-to-why-it-would/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) [Explore all 134 David Rakoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) ## More Writer quotes > [“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/) > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. 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I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“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 > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. 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