--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had no idea, when I was writing early…" description: "\"I had no idea, when I was writing early on, that my poems would be published or read by anyone, never mind people I knew or would meet. I just wrote ur..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/denise-duhamel-18337_ideas_i-had-no-idea-when-i-was-writing-early-o_3142602.jpg" --- # I had no idea, when I was writing early on, that my poems… ![“I had no idea, when I was writing early on, that my poems would be published or read by anyone, never mind people I knew or would meet. I just wrote urgently - naïvely, I suppose, looking back.” quote by Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/denise-duhamel-18337_ideas_i-had-no-idea-when-i-was-writing-early-o_3142602.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/denise-duhamel-18337_ideas_i-had-no-idea-when-i-was-writing-early-o_3142602.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cb/denise-duhamel-18337_ideas_i-had-no-idea-when-i-was-writing-early-o_3142602.jpg) > “I had no idea, when I was writing early on, that my poems would be published or read by anyone, never mind people I knew or would meet. I just wrote urgently - naïvely, I suppose, looking back.” [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early in her career she wrote poems without expecting any audience, driven by urgency rather than fame. **In simple terms:** She wrote out of need, not for recognition. Key Takeaway Write for the act, not the applause. Themes creativity humility artistic process Mood reflective introspective Type personal confessional When to use this quote - first manuscript - personal journaling - workshop submissions Key Concepts naïveté urgency self‑discovery Questions to Reflect On - Do you write for yourself or for others? - How does urgency shape your voice? A Different Perspective Assumes all writers seek fame, which isn’t universal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Early Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-poems-3083820/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-back/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [No idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-idea/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poems Published](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems-published-723037/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Urgently Naïvely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urgently-na-vely-5606928/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-early-378059/) [Wrote Urgently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-urgently-5606927/) ## Related quotes > [Early poems are a thing it takes years to live down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-thirkell/early-poems-are-a-thing-it-takes-years-to-live-down/) [Angela Thirkell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-thirkell/) > [I can't actually explain why my lines got shorter, but they did. Just as I can't explain why my early poems were 'all image'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-orr/i-can-t-actually-explain-why-my-lines-got-shorter-but-they-did-just/) [Gregory Orr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-orr/) > [The Black Mountain poet I like most is the early Creeley. Those early poems seem very lyrical and very traditional, with a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/the-black-mountain-poet-i-like-most-is-the-early-creeley-those-early/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [I've been trying to write for as long as I can remember. But those first fifteen years didn't produce much of great interest. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/i-ve-been-trying-to-write-for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-but-those/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [I think that my early poems were probably more concerned with time passing because of unfulfilled desires or yearnings. Now, I feel younger than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-w-galassi/i-think-that-my-early-poems-were-probably-more-concerned-with-time/) [Jonathan W. Galassi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-w-galassi/) > [However, I began to submit poems to British magazines, and some were accepted. It was a great moment to see my first poems published.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/however-i-began-to-submit-poems-to-british-magazines-and-some-were/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [When Emily Dickinson's poems were published in the 1890s, they were a best-seller; the first book of her poems went through eleven editions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/when-emily-dickinson-s-poems-were-published-in-the-1890s-they-were-a/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [My first book of poems was published privately in 1949. That was my mother. The book was '25 Poems.' It cost 200 dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/my-first-book-of-poems-was-published-privately-in-1949-that-was-my/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [Maybe lurking in my unconscious was the idea that when someone's collected poems are published it means that the poet is dead. I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-padgett/maybe-lurking-in-my-unconscious-was-the-idea-that-when-someone-s/) [Ron Padgett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-padgett/) > [“They're not. That's partly what's so awful. I mean they're not real poets. They're just people that write poems that get published and anthologized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/they-re-not-that-s-partly-what-s-so-awful-i-mean-they-re-not-real/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [Macmillan's rejection had left him very downcast... Patrick Swift was invited to peruse the contents and decided that the poems should be published.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-kavanagh/macmillan-s-rejection-had-left-him-very-downcast-patrick-swift-was/) [Patrick Kavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-kavanagh/) > [I think it's true to say that in 1973 I could read every book of poems that was published in a year, and I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-think-it-s-true-to-say-that-in-1973-i-could-read-every-book-of/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [My first collection of poems was published by Bloodaxe Books, which was then a very new imprint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/my-first-collection-of-poems-was-published-by-bloodaxe-books-which/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“They're just people that write poems that get published and anthologized all over the place but they're not poets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/they-re-just-people-that-write-poems-that-get-published-and/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [I began writing early - very, very early... I was already writing short stories for the radio and selling poems to poetry and art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-began-writing-early-very-very-early-i-was-already-writing-short/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) ## More by Denise Duhamel > [I have no idea, actually, where I fit in, in terms of poetry camps. At AWP conferences, I have been on panels about humor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-have-no-idea-actually-where-i-fit-in-in-terms-of-poetry-camps-at/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [I am interested in the confines of the page and busting through/off the page as well. A writer must let go of the line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-am-interested-in-the-confines-of-the-page-and-busting-through-off/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [As a teenager, I loved acting, painting, photography, and making films with my friend's Super 8 camera. But I always loved writing the best.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/as-a-teenager-i-loved-acting-painting-photography-and-making-films/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [Though it does seem like I have written an immense amount of work, over the years I have pushed the pause button. 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I am very lucky that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-know-writers-for-whom-the-act-of-writing-is-a-necessary-chore-they/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [“I will be gone, but I will miss you if I’m still able to miss anything, that is, if some particle of me remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-will-be-gone-but-i-will-miss-you-if-i-m-still-able-to-miss-anything/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [While poetry was less professionalized than it is now, I still had this urge to win prizes and see my work in magazines, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/while-poetry-was-less-professionalized-than-it-is-now-i-still-had/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [What has stayed true in my life as a writer is my dedication to writing - I try to write every day, no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/what-has-stayed-true-in-my-life-as-a-writer-is-my-dedication-to/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [I am open to squeezing in whatever I can in this wonderful life. Instead of asking, "Is that all there is?" I seem, lately,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-am-open-to-squeezing-in-whatever-i-can-in-this-wonderful-life/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [In almost every book I've written, there is a reference to a movie - legendary films, actors and actresses, and forgotten made-for-TV movies. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/in-almost-every-book-i-ve-written-there-is-a-reference-to-a-movie/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [The "biggest" poems I ever made are based on the psychological principal of the "Johari Window:" what the self freely shares with others; what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/the-biggest-poems-i-ever-made-are-based-on-the-psychological/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [I started wanting desperately to say something, to make a point, to be heard - and I still feel that way. Free verse served…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-started-wanting-desperately-to-say-something-to-make-a-point-to-be/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [After my marriage ended, I had an urge to skip that part of my life completely in terms of poetry, not publish anything at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/after-my-marriage-ended-i-had-an-urge-to-skip-that-part-of-my-life/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [If you are my friend and say to me, "Please don't write about this," I won't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/if-you-are-my-friend-and-say-to-me-please-don-t-write-about-this-i/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) [Explore all 35 Denise Duhamel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) ## More Ideas quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. 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It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 24,908 Ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had no idea, when I was writing early on, that my poems would be published or read by anyone, never mind people I knew or would meet. 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