--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before I studied story, I was trying to…" description: "\"Before I studied story, I was trying to write a novel, and it was terrible. It wasn't going anywhere, and I couldn't figure out what I was trying to do..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/donald-miller-607_approach_before-i-studied-story-i-was-trying-to-w_3223275.jpg" --- # Before I studied story, I was trying to write a novel, and… ![“Before I studied story, I was trying to write a novel, and it was terrible. It wasn't going anywhere, and I couldn't figure out what I was trying to do. It was really hard; much harder than I thought it was going to be. Now that I've studied story, I think I'd have a different approach and maybe I…” quote by Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/donald-miller-607_approach_before-i-studied-story-i-was-trying-to-w_3223275.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/donald-miller-607_approach_before-i-studied-story-i-was-trying-to-w_3223275.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e3/donald-miller-607_approach_before-i-studied-story-i-was-trying-to-w_3223275.jpg) > “Before I studied story, I was trying to write a novel, and it was terrible. It wasn't going anywhere, and I couldn't figure out what I was trying to do. It was really hard; much harder than I thought it was going to be. Now that I've studied story, I think I'd have a different approach and maybe I could actually get it done.” [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Studying story structure improves writing, turning chaotic attempts into purposeful work. **In simple terms:** Learning story helps write better. Key Takeaway Study story fundamentals before drafting. Themes writing learning creativity Mood reflective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - blog posts - marketing copy Key Concepts narrative theory process improvement Questions to Reflect On - What story element do you struggle with most? - How can you apply story arcs to your current project? A Different Perspective Studying story alone doesn't guarantee success without practice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Get it done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-it-done/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The audience is expecting good work from me. They want me to do roles that are unique and important in the story. So, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamannaah/the-audience-is-expecting-good-work-from-me-they-want-me-to-do-roles/) [Tamannaah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamannaah/) > [We start out talking about the story, trying to figure out who is who and what should happen, taking notes the whole time. 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