---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most writers tend to get worse rather…"
description: "\"Most writers tend to get worse rather than better. I'm determined to be one that gets better.\" — Edmund White"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/edmund-white-2376_better_most-writers-tend-to-get-worse-rather-th_330752.png"
---

#  Most writers tend to get worse rather than better. I'm…

![“Most writers tend to get worse rather than better. I'm determined to be one that gets better.” quote by Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/edmund-white-2376_better_most-writers-tend-to-get-worse-rather-th_330752.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/edmund-white-2376_better_most-writers-tend-to-get-worse-rather-th_330752.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/edmund-white-2376_better_most-writers-tend-to-get-worse-rather-th_330752.png)

> “Most writers tend to get worse rather than better. I'm determined to be one that gets better.”

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

## About This Quote

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

He resolves to improve his writing, contrary to the trend of decline.

**In simple terms:** Commit to continual improvement.

Key Takeaway

Pursue growth despite odds.

Themes

self-improvement writing determination

Mood

reflective determined

Type

personal professional

When to use this quote

- authorial practice
- workshops
- self-editing

Key Concepts

creative development skill mastery

Questions to Reflect On

- What habits foster better writing?
- How to measure progress?

A Different Perspective

Improvement requires discipline and feedback.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Determined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determined/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“But alas, things can always get worse. And, for the record, I've noticed that they tend to get worse just when you start to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-alas-things-can-always-get-worse-and-for-the-record-i-ve-noticed/)

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

> [Writers tend to feel like outsiders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-armstrong/writers-tend-to-feel-like-outsiders/)

[Jesse Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-armstrong/)

> [The writers we tend to universally admire, like Beckett, or Kafka, or TS Eliot, are not very prolific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-writers-we-tend-to-universally-admire-like-beckett-or-kafka-or-ts/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [I think everyone's a little afraid of being part of a trend, because you get compared to each other. Writers tend to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-think-everyone-s-a-little-afraid-of-being-part-of-a-trend-because/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [Largely this is a class thing - writers tend to be cosseted little middle-class kiddies who think that the world owes them a royalty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-parsons/largely-this-is-a-class-thing-writers-tend-to-be-cosseted-little/)

[Tony Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-parsons/)

> [Many writers tend to write summing-up books at the end of their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/many-writers-tend-to-write-summing-up-books-at-the-end-of-their-lives/)

[V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/)

> [Neophyte writers tend to believe that there is something magical about ideas and that if they can just get a hold of a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-abbey/neophyte-writers-tend-to-believe-that-there-is-something-magical/)

[Lynn Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-abbey/)

> [But a lot of writers - and I'm one of them - do tend to feel dissatisfied. It makes you a little hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/but-a-lot-of-writers-and-i-m-one-of-them-do-tend-to-feel-dissatisfied/)

[Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/)

> [Maybe half a dozen think they are a community, but, in general terms, I think English writers tend to face outwards, away from each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/maybe-half-a-dozen-think-they-are-a-community-but-in-general-terms-i/)

[William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/)

> [Writers tend to consider distinction and originality as virtues, but they are anathema to publishers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-disch/writers-tend-to-consider-distinction-and-originality-as-virtues-but/)

[Thomas M. Disch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-disch/)

> [Somebody said that writers are like otters... Otters, if they do a trick and you give them a fish, the next time they'll do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/somebody-said-that-writers-are-like-otters-otters-if-they-do-a-trick/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [Writers tend to think they occupy a much more relevant place in society than we actually do. But we really are closer to buffoons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-luiselli/writers-tend-to-think-they-occupy-a-much-more-relevant-place-in/)

[Valeria Luiselli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-luiselli/)

> [Writers tend to work early in the morning, or late at night, when brains are naturally able to focus deeply on one thought. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/writers-tend-to-work-early-in-the-morning-or-late-at-night-when/)

[Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/)

> [I think a writer is not an ideal husband... Writers tend to get off into their own heads and not notice the people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/i-think-a-writer-is-not-an-ideal-husband-writers-tend-to-get-off-into/)

[Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/)

> [I think writers tend to be experience junkies, and I think they also tend to want to be on the outside looking in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-think-writers-tend-to-be-experience-junkies-and-i-think-they-also/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

## More by Edmund White

> [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. In France, it is different; writers are called upon to comment on everything. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [Just like Barack Obama, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and now I am a reluctant groom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/just-like-barack-obama-my-views-on-gay-marriage-have-evolved-and-now/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [In 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'Jack Holmes and His Friend,' my idea was to take someone totally different from my real self and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-boy-s-own-story-and-jack-holmes-and-his-friend-my-idea-was-to/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [Everyone seems agreed that writing about sex is perilous, partly because it threatens to swamp highly individualised characters in a generic, featureless activity (much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/everyone-seems-agreed-that-writing-about-sex-is-perilous-partly/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> ['The Sound of Things Falling' may be a page turner, but it's also a deep meditation on fate and death. Even in translation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-sound-of-things-falling-may-be-a-page-turner-but-it-s-also-a-deep/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [If you're a beach person or a golfer, Key West is not for you. Most of the sand has been imported, and the water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/if-you-re-a-beach-person-or-a-golfer-key-west-is-not-for-you-most-of/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [First, I was opposed to gay marriage because it seemed like one more way that gays were wanting to assimilate. When I realized the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/first-i-was-opposed-to-gay-marriage-because-it-seemed-like-one-more/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [From my mother I learned just how violent and unquenchable a woman's loneliness can be. She had been sheltered excessively by her husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-my-mother-i-learned-just-how-violent-and-unquenchable-a-woman-s/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [From an early age, I had the idea that writing was truth-telling. It's on the record. Everybody can see it. Maybe it goes back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-an-early-age-i-had-the-idea-that-writing-was-truth-telling-it-s/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [Since, in the best Southern tradition, I was named Edmund Valentine White III, sometimes when people look up my books on Amazon they find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/since-in-the-best-southern-tradition-i-was-named-edmund-valentine/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [When I was young, I despised old people. I was provincial and narrow-minded. It's the reason I stayed stupid so long. If you only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-i-was-young-i-despised-old-people-i-was-provincial-and-narrow/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [Key West is the place where your sickly house plant back in New York grows to 10 ft. It's also the place where an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/key-west-is-the-place-where-your-sickly-house-plant-back-in-new-york/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [“In the past, when gays were very flamboyant as drag queens or as leather queens or whatever, that just amused people. And most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-the-past-when-gays-were-very-flamboyant-as-drag-queens-or-as/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [When a woman falls in love with me, I feel guilty. I am convinced that it's pure obstinacy that keeps me from reciprocating her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-a-woman-falls-in-love-with-me-i-feel-guilty-i-am-convinced-that/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [While writing 'City Boy,' I relied mainly on my own memories. In particular, I was able to describe the effect of gay liberation on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/while-writing-city-boy-i-relied-mainly-on-my-own-memories-in/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

[Explore all 166 Edmund White quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

## More Better quotes

> [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/)

> [Everybody has their cliques, and I was very shy. I'm still very shy. Music opened up doors. I would get to my choir class,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fonsi/everybody-has-their-cliques-and-i-was-very-shy-i-m-still-very-shy/)

[Luis Fonsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fonsi/)

> [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. I feel everything has its way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidharth-malhotra/you-can-t-force-people-to-feel-in-a-certain-way-and-the-sooner-you/)

[Sidharth Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidharth-malhotra/)

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [The Little you Give !! The Better it Gets !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-stanyer/the-little-you-give-the-better-it-gets/)

[Mario Stanyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-stanyer/)

> [A strong, durable Puerto Rican economy will leave the island better prepared to handle future natural disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/a-strong-durable-puerto-rican-economy-will-leave-the-island-better/)

[Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/)

> [In my first 100 days as Ontario's Minister of Transportation, I found a willing municipal partner in the City of Toronto that shares our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-mulroney/in-my-first-100-days-as-ontario-s-minister-of-transportation-i-found/)

[Caroline Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-mulroney/)

> [It hasn't been a conscious thing, like, 'I don't want to listen to a bunch of dudes,' but I genuinely like music by women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soccer-mommy/it-hasn-t-been-a-conscious-thing-like-i-don-t-want-to-listen-to-a/)

[Soccer Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soccer-mommy/)

> [Life is going to hit you some line drives, and sometimes you'll have to think fast. However, it's better to think first than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/life-is-going-to-hit-you-some-line-drives-and-sometimes-you-ll-have/)

[John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/)

> [I like to collaborate with other people for studio recordings because I believe collaboration, in any form, makes music better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-like-to-collaborate-with-other-people-for-studio-recordings-because/)

[Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/)

> [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/)

[Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/)

> [Not having drops and not taking plays off, if I do that it will make everyone around me better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demaryius-thomas/not-having-drops-and-not-taking-plays-off-if-i-do-that-it-will-make/)

[Demaryius Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demaryius-thomas/)

> [Cara Delevingne and I took an eyebrow selfie. We both have prominent eyebrows, but hers are much better than mine. Maybe we should do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-poulter/cara-delevingne-and-i-took-an-eyebrow-selfie-we-both-have-prominent/)

[Will Poulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-poulter/)

> [I never really look at it past one year. I look at last year and my whole goal is to be a better player…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-williams/i-never-really-look-at-it-past-one-year-i-look-at-last-year-and-my/)

[Trent Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-williams/)

Browse all 17,085 Better quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Most writers tend to get worse rather than better. I'm determined to be one that gets better.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edmund White"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/most-writers-tend-to-get-worse-rather-than-better-i-m-determined-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Better"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/most-writers-tend-to-get-worse-rather-than-better-i-m-determined-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/edmund-white-2376_better_most-writers-tend-to-get-worse-rather-th_330752.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/edmund-white-2376_better_most-writers-tend-to-get-worse-rather-th_330752.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/edmund-white-2376_better_most-writers-tend-to-get-worse-rather-th_330752.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Most writers tend to get worse rather than better. I'm determined to be one that gets better.” — Edmund White",
                "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": "Edmund White",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Most writers tend to get worse...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/most-writers-tend-to-get-worse-rather-than-better-i-m-determined-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/most-writers-tend-to-get-worse-rather-than-better-i-m-determined-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
