---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The flow of writing is always a surprise…"
description: "\"The flow of writing is always a surprise and a challenge. Click the computer on and I am 17 again, wanting to write and not knowing if I can.\" — Don Mu..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/don-murray-60897_challenges_the-flow-of-writing-is-always-a-surprise_1186066.jpg"
---

#  The flow of writing is always a surprise and a challenge…

![“The flow of writing is always a surprise and a challenge. Click the computer on and I am 17 again, wanting to write and not knowing if I can.” quote by Don Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/don-murray-60897_challenges_the-flow-of-writing-is-always-a-surprise_1186066.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/don-murray-60897_challenges_the-flow-of-writing-is-always-a-surprise_1186066.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/don-murray-60897_challenges_the-flow-of-writing-is-always-a-surprise_1186066.jpg)

> “The flow of writing is always a surprise and a challenge. Click the computer on and I am 17 again, wanting to write and not knowing if I can.”

[Don Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-murray/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writing is unpredictable; the excitement of starting anew can feel like being 17 again, despite uncertainty about ability.

**In simple terms:** Writing is a thrilling, uncertain adventure.

Key Takeaway

Start writing despite doubts.

Themes

creativity uncertainty growth

Mood

hopeful curious

Type

inspirational reflective

When to use this quote

- starting a novel
- learning a skill
- personal journaling
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

writing process self‑discovery confidence building

Questions to Reflect On

- What scares you about starting?
- How can you nurture confidence?

A Different Perspective

Self‑doubt can stall progress if not addressed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Of course, like all organic processes, there is an ebb and a flow to writing. One does not exist without the other. The writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-unger/of-course-like-all-organic-processes-there-is-an-ebb-and-a-flow-to/)

[Lisa Unger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-unger/)

> [ I remember wanting to write a book with someone, the someone being Kate \[DiCamillo\], and we decided to write about two friends. We had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-remember-wanting-to-write-a-book-with-someone-the-someone-being/)

[Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/)

> [There are just certain times I sense the Lord is wanting me to write, and so I write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/there-are-just-certain-times-i-sense-the-lord-is-wanting-me-to-write/)

[Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/)

> [“I need more retweets, I need the favs, am I alive, etc., and I know people are like, shut up already, what are you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-need-more-retweets-i-need-the-favs-am-i-alive-etc-and-i-know-people/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't know that I ever wanted greatness, on its own. It seems rather like wanting to be an engineer, rather than wanting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-don-t-know-that-i-ever-wanted-greatness-on-its-own-it-seems-rather/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [Rock stars wanting to write is even worse than wanting to act in movies, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-dando/rock-stars-wanting-to-write-is-even-worse-than-wanting-to-act-in/)

[Evan Dando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-dando/)

> [My wanting to write books annihilates the original root impulse that would have me bravely and blunderingly working on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/my-wanting-to-write-books-annihilates-the-original-root-impulse-that/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

> [I never wanted to write really cheesy pop lyrics - like, 'baby, baby, the sun is shining' - that's not something that interests me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-mayberry/i-never-wanted-to-write-really-cheesy-pop-lyrics-like-baby-baby-the/)

[Lauren Mayberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-mayberry/)

> [Having room to run and having just the space to use your imagination and create stories out of everyday life, I think that had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/having-room-to-run-and-having-just-the-space-to-use-your-imagination/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [“The difference between wanting to write and having written is one year of hard, relentless labour. It's a bridge you have to build all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shatrujeet-nath/the-difference-between-wanting-to-write-and-having-written-is-one/)

Shatrujeet Nath

> [I booked my first studio at like 12 or 13. Somewhere in that season of my life, singing along with the radio became me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-ocean/i-booked-my-first-studio-at-like-12-or-13-somewhere-in-that-season-of/)

[Frank Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-ocean/)

> [When I was starting out, I did not do short fiction well, because I kept wanting to write books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-moon/when-i-was-starting-out-i-did-not-do-short-fiction-well-because-i/)

[Elizabeth Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-moon/)

> [There's always a tension between wanting to write a really concise, instant gratification type song that gets under your skin the first time you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/there-s-always-a-tension-between-wanting-to-write-a-really-concise/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [I was allowed to write about race using an elevator metaphor because of Toni Morrison and David Bradley and Ralph Ellison. Hopefully, me being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-was-allowed-to-write-about-race-using-an-elevator-metaphor-because/)

[Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/)

> [Of all the reasons for wanting to write, the only one that nurtures us through time is love of the work itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/of-all-the-reasons-for-wanting-to-write-the-only-one-that-nurtures-us/)

[Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/)

## More by Don Murray

> [People understand contests. You take a bunch of kids throwing rocks at random and people look askance, but if you go and hold a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-murray/people-understand-contests-you-take-a-bunch-of-kids-throwing-rocks-at/)

[Don Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-murray/)

> [Process can not be inferred from product any more than a pig can be inferred from a sausage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-murray/process-can-not-be-inferred-from-product-any-more-than-a-pig-can-be/)

[Don Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-murray/)

> [I write every day for two hours. But it's what I do for the other twenty-two hours that allows me to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-murray/i-write-every-day-for-two-hours-but-it-s-what-i-do-for-the-other/)

[Don Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-murray/)

> [My ignorance is essential. I do not write what I know but what I need to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-murray/my-ignorance-is-essential-i-do-not-write-what-i-know-but-what-i-need/)

[Don Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-murray/)

[Explore all 5 Don Murray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-murray/)

## More Challenges quotes

> [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/)

[Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/)

> [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/)

[Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/)

[Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/)

> [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/)

[Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/)

> [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/)

[Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/)

> [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/)

[Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/)

> [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/)

[Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/)

> [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/)

Whitney Gaskell

> [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/)

[Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/)

> [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/)

[Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/)

> [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/)

[Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/)

[Browse all 8,851 Challenges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The flow of writing is always a surprise and a challenge. Click the computer on and I am 17 again, wanting to write and not knowing if I can.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Don Murray"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-murray/the-flow-of-writing-is-always-a-surprise-and-a-challenge-click-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Challenges"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-murray/the-flow-of-writing-is-always-a-surprise-and-a-challenge-click-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/don-murray-60897_challenges_the-flow-of-writing-is-always-a-surprise_1186066.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/don-murray-60897_challenges_the-flow-of-writing-is-always-a-surprise_1186066.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/don-murray-60897_challenges_the-flow-of-writing-is-always-a-surprise_1186066.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The flow of writing is always a surprise and a challenge. Click the computer on and I am 17 again, wanting…” — Don Murray",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Don Murray",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-murray/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The flow of writing is always...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-murray/the-flow-of-writing-is-always-a-surprise-and-a-challenge-click-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-murray/the-flow-of-writing-is-always-a-surprise-and-a-challenge-click-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
