--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did not imagine anyone reading my…" description: "\"“I did not imagine anyone reading my rambling, ranting stories. I was writing for myself, trying to shape my life outside my terrors and helplessness, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a7/dorothy-allison-2041_books_i-did-not-imagine-anyone-reading-my-ramb_1271572.png" --- # I did not imagine anyone reading my rambling, ranting… ![“I did not imagine anyone reading my rambling, ranting stories. I was writing for myself, trying to shape my life outside my terrors and helplessness, to make it visible and real in a tangible way, in the way other people's seemed real -- the lives I had read about in books.” quote by Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a7/dorothy-allison-2041_books_i-did-not-imagine-anyone-reading-my-ramb_1271572.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a7/dorothy-allison-2041_books_i-did-not-imagine-anyone-reading-my-ramb_1271572.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a7/dorothy-allison-2041_books_i-did-not-imagine-anyone-reading-my-ramb_1271572.png) > ““I did not imagine anyone reading my rambling, ranting stories. I was writing for myself, trying to shape my life outside my terrors and helplessness, to make it visible and real in a tangible way, in the way other people's seemed real -- the lives I had read about in books.”” [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing personal, raw stories makes hidden pain visible and tangible. **In simple terms:** Writing reveals and validates inner turmoil. Key Takeaway Write to confront and transform trauma. Themes healing authenticity storytelling Mood introspective somber Type literary therapeutic When to use this quote - journaling - creative writing - support groups - therapy sessions Key Concepts Narrative therapy memory identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How does sharing your story affect you? - What boundaries protect you when writing? A Different Perspective Writing may reopen wounds; not everyone can process through prose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I like to tell stories in my writing but I definitely use my own life experiences to tell that story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoh-aalegra/i-like-to-tell-stories-in-my-writing-but-i-definitely-use-my-own-life/) [Snoh Aalegra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoh-aalegra/) > [My son had toyed with the idea of writing and trying to write a little bit, so that kind of gave me the bug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-strait/my-son-had-toyed-with-the-idea-of-writing-and-trying-to-write-a/) [George Strait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-strait/) > [By the sheer act of writing, we are trying to place value on the stories that we're invested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/by-the-sheer-act-of-writing-we-are-trying-to-place-value-on-the/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [When you're writing you're trying to find out something which you don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-re-writing-you-re-trying-to-find-out-something-which-you-don/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In my writing I'm trying to explore the violations people commit upon each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/in-my-writing-i-m-trying-to-explore-the-violations-people-commit-upon-2/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [The way I sometimes approach my work, when I look at a script for the first time, is to identify what the archetypes are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-gadon/the-way-i-sometimes-approach-my-work-when-i-look-at-a-script-for-the/) [Sarah Gadon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-gadon/) > [When I'm writing, it's because I'm trying to figure something out for myself. If I don't believe in what I've written, then how can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-mayberry/when-i-m-writing-it-s-because-i-m-trying-to-figure-something-out-for/) [Lauren Mayberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-mayberry/) > [Writing is a totally different brain than directing, at least for me. With writing, you're trying your best to foresee all the problems before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-zobel/writing-is-a-totally-different-brain-than-directing-at-least-for-me/) [Craig Zobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-zobel/) > [In essay writing, I'm trying to push the form of expository writing. I'm trying to remember, trying to reckon, trying to find connections with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiese-laymon/in-essay-writing-i-m-trying-to-push-the-form-of-expository-writing-i/) [Kiese Laymon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiese-laymon/) > [“The paradox of writing is that you’re trying to use words to express what words can’t express.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fischer/the-paradox-of-writing-is-that-you-re-trying-to-use-words-to-express/) Stephen Fischer > [I think if you are writing something that you are trying to design for someone else to like that is not necessarily you're demographic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/i-think-if-you-are-writing-something-that-you-are-trying-to-design/) [Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/) > [“whatever I was writing, I was always trying to write my way back to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/whatever-i-was-writing-i-was-always-trying-to-write-my-way-back-to-you/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [The only certainty about writing and trying to be a writer is that it has to be done, not dreamed of or planned and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/the-only-certainty-about-writing-and-trying-to-be-a-writer-is-that-it/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [“He wastes his time over his writing, trying to accomplish what geniuses and rare men with college educations sometimes accomplish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/he-wastes-his-time-over-his-writing-trying-to-accomplish-what/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [I would be writing and trying to write like Joan Didion. Or if I was reading Raymond Carver. You know, strong stylists. But that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-would-be-writing-and-trying-to-write-like-joan-didion-or-if-i-was/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) ## More by Dorothy Allison > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Simple answers, reductionist politics, are the most prone to compromise, to saying we’re addressing the essential issue and all that other stuff can slide.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/simple-answers-reductionist-politics-are-the-most-prone-to-compromise/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [People don't do right because of the fear of God or love of him. You do right because the world doesn't make sense if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-don-t-do-right-because-of-the-fear-of-god-or-love-of-him-you/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“I had to say to her that it isn’t just men, and it isn’t just men “like that.” I had to talk to her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-had-to-say-to-her-that-it-isn-t-just-men-and-it-isn-t-just-men-like/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Entitlement, I have told them, is a matter of feeling like we rather than they.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/entitlement-i-have-told-them-is-a-matter-of-feeling-like-we-rather/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Love was something I would not have to worry about - the whole mystery of love, heartbreak songs, and family legends. Women who pined,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/love-was-something-i-would-not-have-to-worry-about-the-whole-mystery/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Behind the story I tell is the one I don't. Behind the story you hear is the one I wish I could make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/behind-the-story-i-tell-is-the-one-i-don-t-behind-the-story-you-hear/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Hunger makes you restless. you dream about food - not just any food, but perfect food, the best food, magical meals, famous and awe-inspiring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/hunger-makes-you-restless-you-dream-about-food-not-just-any-food-but/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I think I would have died if there hadn't been the women's movement. It gave me a vision that I could do something different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-think-i-would-have-died-if-there-hadn-t-been-the-women-s-movement/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [People begin to write in order to create what they have not found and, a little bit, to give something back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-begin-to-write-in-order-to-create-what-they-have-not-found-and/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [The hardest thing to teach young writers is that it's wonderful to tell your truth. And that's what you should do. But it damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-hardest-thing-to-teach-young-writers-is-that-it-s-wonderful-to/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“The horror of class stratification, racism, and prejudice is that some people begin to believe that the security of their families and communities depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-horror-of-class-stratification-racism-and-prejudice-is-that-some/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings and worked toward craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with-strong-feelings-and-worked/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I think I would have died if there hadn't been the women's movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-think-i-would-have-died-if-there-hadn-t-been-the-women-s-movement-2/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [When I was growing up, I always read horror books, while my sister read romance novels. My sister became unmarried and pregnant during high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/when-i-was-growing-up-i-always-read-horror-books-while-my-sister-read/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) [Explore all 189 Dorothy Allison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## More Books 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/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“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/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [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/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“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 > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I did not imagine anyone reading my rambling, ranting stories. 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