---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I get ill when I'm writing because I'm so…"
description: "\"I get ill when I'm writing because I'm so focused on it, and it can take a year or two. Often, I knock out the first draft very quickly. I can do it in..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/eran-creevy-56139_can-do_i-get-ill-when-i-m-writing-because-i-m-s_2882325.jpg"
---

#  I get ill when I'm writing because I'm so focused on it…

![“I get ill when I'm writing because I'm so focused on it, and it can take a year or two. Often, I knock out the first draft very quickly. I can do it in five to six weeks. Then, it takes a year of rewriting it and rewriting it.” quote by Eran Creevy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/eran-creevy-56139_can-do_i-get-ill-when-i-m-writing-because-i-m-s_2882325.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/eran-creevy-56139_can-do_i-get-ill-when-i-m-writing-because-i-m-s_2882325.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/eran-creevy-56139_can-do_i-get-ill-when-i-m-writing-because-i-m-s_2882325.jpg)

> “I get ill when I'm writing because I'm so focused on it, and it can take a year or two. Often, I knock out the first draft very quickly. I can do it in five to six weeks. Then, it takes a year of rewriting it and rewriting it.”

[Eran Creevy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eran-creevy/)

## About This Quote

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

Creative work demands intense focus, causing health strain; drafting is fast, revision is slow.

**In simple terms:** Writing is intense, health suffers; fast draft, slow edit.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize health and schedule revisions.

Themes

creativity health process

Mood

reflective practical

Type

creative professional

When to use this quote

- novel writing
- academic paper
- screenplay

Key Concepts

writing discipline project management

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you protect health while writing?
- What revision methods improve efficiency?

A Different Perspective

Fast drafting may compromise quality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Draft Quickly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draft-quickly-4002023/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Focused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focused/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [I can do it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can-do-it/) [Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/) [Ill Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill-writing-4002022/) [Rewriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewriting/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Weeks Takes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weeks-takes-4002025/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Focused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-focused-3730287/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [I draft quickly and then revise, a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-draft-quickly-and-then-revise-a-lot/)

[Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/)

> [This isn't a business that you can pick up in a few weeks. This takes years of commitment, dedication, passion, and hard work. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-phoenix/this-isn-t-a-business-that-you-can-pick-up-in-a-few-weeks-this-takes/)

[Beth Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-phoenix/)

> [Most of the time I'm not really attracted to writing that's focused on filling and fighting it out within a well-defined container. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/most-of-the-time-i-m-not-really-attracted-to-writing-that-s-focused/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [Writing is a very focused form of meditation. Just as good as sitting in a lotus position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/writing-is-a-very-focused-form-of-meditation-just-as-good-as-sitting/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [The rewriting is always crucial to what I do; whenever I do a scene, I always tell myself that this isn't final and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/the-rewriting-is-always-crucial-to-what-i-do-whenever-i-do-a-scene-i/)

[Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/)

> [“The beauty of your mind depends on the "make-ups" you use to feed it. A "can-do-spirit" is the best cosmetic. It never fades your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-beauty-of-your-mind-depends-on-the-make-ups-you-use-to-feed-it-a/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [I found that I could find the energy ... that I could find the determination to keep on going. I learned that your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-david-erickson/i-found-that-i-could-find-the-energy-that-i-could-find-the/)

[Jon David Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-david-erickson/)

> [“I can foreseen the fulfillment of my the visions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/i-can-foreseen-the-fulfillment-of-my-the-visions/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“A single day in my own shoe that is comfortable for me is better than 365 days in someone else's shoes that does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/a-single-day-in-my-own-shoe-that-is-comfortable-for-me-is-better-than/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [The most magical key for success is this simple sentence: I can do it! Repeat this in your mind! I can do it! I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-most-magical-key-for-success-is-this-simple-sentence-i-can-do-it/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Last but not least my family. My brother Tony, I love you. Thank you for beating me up when I was a kid. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-durant/last-but-not-least-my-family-my-brother-tony-i-love-you-thank-you-for/)

[Kevin Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-durant/)

> [Even though, physically, I can't do it, the mind says, 'Yeah, I can still do it,' and I still think I can do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/even-though-physically-i-can-t-do-it-the-mind-says-yeah-i-can-still/)

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

> [I did a thing called 24 Hour Plays, a thing they do every year on Broadway. A bunch of playwrights and actors get together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-raab/i-did-a-thing-called-24-hour-plays-a-thing-they-do-every-year-on/)

[Scott Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-raab/)

> [In order to expand the gaming population, it is taken for granted that we need to offer games to satisfy veteran gamers. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satoru-iwata/in-order-to-expand-the-gaming-population-it-is-taken-for-granted-that/)

[Satoru Iwata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satoru-iwata/)

> [I do not have to be high to be great. I do not have to be drunk to have a good idea. I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/i-do-not-have-to-be-high-to-be-great-i-do-not-have-to-be-drunk-to/)

[Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/)

## More by Eran Creevy

> [Any film that you make, it's a very high end game of musical chairs ... but that's just the nature of filmmaking. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eran-creevy/any-film-that-you-make-it-s-a-very-high-end-game-of-musical-chairs/)

[Eran Creevy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eran-creevy/)

> [I think writing is one of the toughest things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eran-creevy/i-think-writing-is-one-of-the-toughest-things/)

[Eran Creevy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eran-creevy/)

> [Directing is for pussies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eran-creevy/directing-is-for-pussies/)

[Eran Creevy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eran-creevy/)

> [I think when you write a script, you can't help but pick up on what is happening in the press at that time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eran-creevy/i-think-when-you-write-a-script-you-can-t-help-but-pick-up-on-what-is/)

[Eran Creevy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eran-creevy/)

> [You can't make a sculpture until you've got a lump of rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eran-creevy/you-can-t-make-a-sculpture-until-you-ve-got-a-lump-of-rock/)

[Eran Creevy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eran-creevy/)

[Explore all 6 Eran Creevy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eran-creevy/)

## More Can do quotes

> [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/)

[Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/)

> [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/)

[Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/)

> [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/)

[Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/)

> [Anybody can be Prince Charming one day a year, with the dinner and the flowers and all that. But you know what impresses me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-howard/anybody-can-be-prince-charming-one-day-a-year-with-the-dinner-and-the/)

[Ryan Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-howard/)

> [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/)

[Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/)

> [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [If people don't have their own vision, all they can do is 'sign-up' for someone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/if-people-don-t-have-their-own-vision-all-they-can-do-is-sign-up-for/)

[Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/)

> [The one thing that flies in the face of all human history and experience, is that the government can do a superior job than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/the-one-thing-that-flies-in-the-face-of-all-human-history-and/)

[James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/)

> [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/)

[Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/)

> [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

> [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/)

[James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/)

> [The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-lord-gives-and-the-lord-takes-away-as-it-pleases-him-for-he-can/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [I'm not an educated man. I only know what I'm told, and I'm not told that much; I have no frame of reference for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-m-not-an-educated-man-i-only-know-what-i-m-told-and-i-m-not-told/)

[Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/)

[Browse all 5,673 Can do quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I get ill when I'm writing because I'm so focused on it, and it can take a year or two. Often, I knock out the first draft very quickly. I can do it in five to six weeks. Then, it takes a year of rewriting it and rewriting it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eran Creevy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eran-creevy/i-get-ill-when-i-m-writing-because-i-m-so-focused-on-it-and-it-can/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Can do"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eran-creevy/i-get-ill-when-i-m-writing-because-i-m-so-focused-on-it-and-it-can/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/eran-creevy-56139_can-do_i-get-ill-when-i-m-writing-because-i-m-s_2882325.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/eran-creevy-56139_can-do_i-get-ill-when-i-m-writing-because-i-m-s_2882325.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0db/eran-creevy-56139_can-do_i-get-ill-when-i-m-writing-because-i-m-s_2882325.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I get ill when I'm writing because I'm so focused on it, and it can take a year or two. Often, I knock out…” — Eran Creevy",
                "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": "Eran Creevy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eran-creevy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I get ill when I'm writing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eran-creevy/i-get-ill-when-i-m-writing-because-i-m-so-focused-on-it-and-it-can/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eran-creevy/i-get-ill-when-i-m-writing-because-i-m-so-focused-on-it-and-it-can/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
