--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a writer, I challenge myself not to…" description: "\"As a writer, I challenge myself not to tell the same story - to tackle different characters with different issues.\" — Eric Jerome Dickey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_challenges_as-a-writer-i-challenge-myself-not-to-te_1781465.png" --- # As a writer, I challenge myself not to tell the same story… ![“As a writer, I challenge myself not to tell the same story - to tackle different characters with different issues.” quote by Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_challenges_as-a-writer-i-challenge-myself-not-to-te_1781465.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_challenges_as-a-writer-i-challenge-myself-not-to-te_1781465.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_challenges_as-a-writer-i-challenge-myself-not-to-te_1781465.png) > “As a writer, I challenge myself not to tell the same story - to tackle different characters with different issues.” [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author commits to creative variety, avoiding repetition by exploring new characters and issues. **In simple terms:** Avoid repeating stories; seek fresh characters and problems. Key Takeaway Pursue diverse storytelling. Themes creativity growth writing Mood inspirational thoughtful Type professional creative When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - workshop exercises Key Concepts narrative innovation character development Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure genuine novelty? - What risks arise from constant change? A Different Perspective New characters may still echo old themes, limiting true novelty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Challenge Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge-tell-1864861/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-different-436046/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-characters/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story Tackle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-tackle-1864860/) [Writer Challenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-challenge-1864859/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [For me, any story I tackle begins with the human relationships and not the plot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/for-me-any-story-i-tackle-begins-with-the-human-relationships-and-not/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [It's always good I think in general to have different energies on screen, like it's nice to have different characters go at different speeds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/it-s-always-good-i-think-in-general-to-have-different-energies-on/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [Something that I really enjoy doing is creating and being a part of very different characters and very different projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fisher/something-that-i-really-enjoy-doing-is-creating-and-being-a-part-of/) [Noel Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-fisher/) > [Every director is different. 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They identify with me and remember the nuances of my characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kartik-aaryan/people-relate-to-my-characters-and-see-me-in-a-different-way-they/) [Kartik Aaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kartik-aaryan/) > [I try to do other characters that are different from Monk, obviously, because I'd like to be remembered for more than just that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-shalhoub/i-try-to-do-other-characters-that-are-different-from-monk-obviously/) [Tony Shalhoub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-shalhoub/) > [I'd love to play characters that are so similar to me that it would be crossing limits, and then at the same time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-kenney/i-d-love-to-play-characters-that-are-so-similar-to-me-that-it-would/) [Emma Kenney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-kenney/) > [It's really wonderful to play characters as different from each other as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-bledel/it-s-really-wonderful-to-play-characters-as-different-from-each-other/) [Alexis Bledel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-bledel/) > [History isn't just what happened, but what happened to whom and why and what would have been different if the cast of characters had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/history-isn-t-just-what-happened-but-what-happened-to-whom-and-why/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) ## More by Eric Jerome Dickey > [“Inside every pause lived a contemplation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/inside-every-pause-lived-a-contemplation/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [“We'd had sex like we were whores to each other, and when it was done, we each moved to our side of the bed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/we-d-had-sex-like-we-were-whores-to-each-other-and-when-it-was-done/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [love is a mental illness, an obsessive-compulsive disorder romanticized!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/love-is-a-mental-illness-an-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-romanticized/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [“. . . Your hair--it's kind of wavy. Indian in your blood, or are you a hypocrite and texturize your hair?" He hesitated, appeared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/your-hair-it-s-kind-of-wavy-indian-in-your-blood-or-are-you-a/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [“Rainwater diluted redness, created a pink death, his matter mixing through mud and grass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/rainwater-diluted-redness-created-a-pink-death-his-matter-mixing/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [“. . . I had on . . . black jeggings under a fitted, sleeveless, flowered dress, so he could see my true shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/i-had-on-black-jeggings-under-a-fitted-sleeveless-flowered-dress-so/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [“We disconnected. And I wondered if we had ever truly connected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/we-disconnected-and-i-wondered-if-we-had-ever-truly-connected/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [For a lot of people, becoming an author is a change in occupation... they are coming from something that totally has nothing to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/for-a-lot-of-people-becoming-an-author-is-a-change-in-occupation-they/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [We see what we want to see. We idealize each other with our own fantasies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/we-see-what-we-want-to-see-we-idealize-each-other-with-our-own/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [It’s scary telling someone you care about, someone you love who you really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/it-s-scary-telling-someone-you-care-about-someone-you-love-who-you/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [“Ownership, even in love, is an illusion. No woman owned any man and no man owned any woman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/ownership-even-in-love-is-an-illusion-no-woman-owned-any-man-and-no/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [hate isn't healthy, it damages the hater more than the one who's hated!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/hate-isn-t-healthy-it-damages-the-hater-more-than-the-one-who-s-hated/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [“Losing your job is like having your identity stolen, like having what defined you run through a paper shredder. After a while the despair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/losing-your-job-is-like-having-your-identity-stolen-like-having-what/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [“you had to have happiness to miss happiness!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/you-had-to-have-happiness-to-miss-happiness/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [“It is silent, an anagram for listen. That is what I do. Listen while she remains silent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/it-is-silent-an-anagram-for-listen-that-is-what-i-do-listen-while-she/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) [Explore all 142 Eric Jerome Dickey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) ## More Challenges quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/) [Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/) > [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/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) [Whitney Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-gaskell/) > [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/) [Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/) > [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) [Browse all 8,851 Challenges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a writer, I challenge myself not to tell the same story - to tackle different characters with different issues.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Jerome Dickey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/as-a-writer-i-challenge-myself-not-to-tell-the-same-story-to-tackle/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Challenges" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/as-a-writer-i-challenge-myself-not-to-tell-the-same-story-to-tackle/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_challenges_as-a-writer-i-challenge-myself-not-to-te_1781465.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_challenges_as-a-writer-i-challenge-myself-not-to-te_1781465.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_challenges_as-a-writer-i-challenge-myself-not-to-te_1781465.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a writer, I challenge myself not to tell the same story - to tackle different characters with different…” — Eric Jerome Dickey", "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": "Eric Jerome Dickey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As a writer, I challenge myself...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/as-a-writer-i-challenge-myself-not-to-tell-the-same-story-to-tackle/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/as-a-writer-i-challenge-myself-not-to-tell-the-same-story-to-tackle/#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 } } ] } ```