--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The way you start writing is by writing…" description: "\"“The way you start writing is by writing. Over and over again I have proven this to myself but I always forget it the next time. I always believe that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/ellen-gilchrist-14145_books_the-way-you-start-writing-is-by-writing_2822651.png" --- # The way you start writing is by writing. Over and over… ![“The way you start writing is by writing. Over and over again I have proven this to myself but I always forget it the next time. I always believe that I will never write again. The first time I finished a book a painter was visiting me. Her name is Ginny Stanford and her wonderful paintings have…” quote by Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/ellen-gilchrist-14145_books_the-way-you-start-writing-is-by-writing_2822651.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/ellen-gilchrist-14145_books_the-way-you-start-writing-is-by-writing_2822651.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/ellen-gilchrist-14145_books_the-way-you-start-writing-is-by-writing_2822651.png) > ““The way you start writing is by writing. Over and over again I have proven this to myself but I always forget it the next time. I always believe that I will never write again. The first time I finished a book a painter was visiting me. Her name is Ginny Stanford and her wonderful paintings have been the covers for nine of my books. 'I'll never write again,' I told her ... 'That's it ... It's over. It was great while it lasted, but now it's done.' That afternoon she made me a wonderful drawing of a ship sinking in the waves of the sea. 'I'll never write again,' it said on the bottom of the picture. 'September, 1981.”” [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing requires repeated practice; fear of failure can be overcome by perseverance. **In simple terms:** Keep writing despite doubts. Key Takeaway Write regularly, ignore self‑doubt. Themes creativity perseverance self‑doubt Mood reflective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - daily writing - workshops - creative retreats Key Concepts habit formation artist’s block motivation Questions to Reflect On - What routine helps you write? - How do you handle creative blocks? A Different Perspective Perfectionism may stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Ginny Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ginny-stanford-3601389/) [Next time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-time/) [Start Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-writing/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-told-1008930/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-writing/) ## Related quotes > [The stories just keep showing up in my head - and I really hope they keep it up! I write what I'm told, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/the-stories-just-keep-showing-up-in-my-head-and-i-really-hope-they/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [She asked me could I read and write. I told her, "Of course, and I can talk too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sister-souljah/she-asked-me-could-i-read-and-write-i-told-her-of-course-and-i-can/) [Sister Souljah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sister-souljah/) > [What's in a name? That is what we ask ourselves in childhood when we write the name that we are told is ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/what-s-in-a-name-that-is-what-we-ask-ourselves-in-childhood-when-we/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [“Advice? I don’t have advice. Stop aspiring and start writing. If you’re writing, you’re a writer. Write like you’re a goddamn death row inmate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wilson-watts/advice-i-don-t-have-advice-stop-aspiring-and-start-writing-if-you-re/) [Alan Wilson Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wilson-watts/) > [I see the shape of the poem before I start writing, and the writing is just the process of arriving at the shape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-duffy/i-see-the-shape-of-the-poem-before-i-start-writing-and-the-writing-is/) [Carol Ann Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-duffy/) > [In my mind, only one inviolable precept exists in terms of being a successful writer: you have to write. 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What will come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katori-hall/most-of-the-time-when-i-m-writing-i-m-writing-for-myself-i-m-thinking/) [Katori Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katori-hall/) > [I think there are a lot of similarities between writing and music. Music is much more direct and much more emotional and that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-think-there-are-a-lot-of-similarities-between-writing-and-music/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“Writing is hard. Not as hard as not writing. Not writing is torturous, bloody, chaotic and a gruesome winless battle. A writer who writes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-weise/writing-is-hard-not-as-hard-as-not-writing-not-writing-is-torturous/) [Jamie Weise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-weise/) > [My only close-to-game-plan is to follow good writing. If the writing is in TV or if it's in theater or in film, that's it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-driver/my-only-close-to-game-plan-is-to-follow-good-writing-if-the-writing/) [Adam Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-driver/) ## More by Ellen Gilchrist > [One thing I know is that it is a bad idea to marry someone who had bad parents. If they hated their mother, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/one-thing-i-know-is-that-it-is-a-bad-idea-to-marry-someone-who-had/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [Having your work honored nationally is a great morale booster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/having-your-work-honored-nationally-is-a-great-morale-booster/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [Don't ruin the present with the ruined past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/don-t-ruin-the-present-with-the-ruined-past/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [“Cuddle up. Rain always stops. It always stops. It always does. -The Brown Cape”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/cuddle-up-rain-always-stops-it-always-stops-it-always-does-the-brown/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [We live at the level of our language. Whatever we can articulate we can imagine or understand or explore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/we-live-at-the-level-of-our-language-whatever-we-can-articulate-we/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [I love New York, but I wish they wouldn't put clothes on their dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/i-love-new-york-but-i-wish-they-wouldn-t-put-clothes-on-their-dogs/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [I never thought it was unusual to write, and I've been writing or pretending to write since before I even started school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/i-never-thought-it-was-unusual-to-write-and-i-ve-been-writing-or/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [All you have to do to educate a child is leave him alone and teach him to read. The rest is brainwashing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/all-you-have-to-do-to-educate-a-child-is-leave-him-alone-and-teach/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [The Mississippi coast is not like south Florida, but it always seems warm enough for sandals and short-sleeved shirts, except for now and then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/the-mississippi-coast-is-not-like-south-florida-but-it-always-seems/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [“By the time the class ended I was back into an optimistic mood about their work. They were learning, they were working, it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/by-the-time-the-class-ended-i-was-back-into-an-optimistic-mood-about/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [Dance in the fullness of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/dance-in-the-fullness-of-time/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [“She was always saying things like that but I let her be my best friend anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/she-was-always-saying-things-like-that-but-i-let-her-be-my-best/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [“Young women are closer to the time when they were manipulative and childish and they don't let their babies manipulate them as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/young-women-are-closer-to-the-time-when-they-were-manipulative-and/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [Work is the thing that stays. Work is the thing that sees us through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/work-is-the-thing-that-stays-work-is-the-thing-that-sees-us-through/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [At one level inspiration is the ability to see beauty and mystery in everything men and women do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/at-one-level-inspiration-is-the-ability-to-see-beauty-and-mystery-in/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) [Explore all 47 Ellen Gilchrist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“The way you start writing is by writing. Over and over again I have proven this to myself but I always forget it the next time. I always believe that I will never write again. The first time I finished a book a painter was visiting me. Her name is Ginny Stanford and her wonderful paintings have been the covers for nine of my books. 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