--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you think reading a book is hard, you…" description: "\"If you think reading a book is hard, you should try writing one. Because it's even harder. It's still not as hard as writing a game, though. If you dis..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/erik-wolpaw-80140_book_if-you-think-reading-a-book-is-hard-you_1009774.jpg" --- # If you think reading a book is hard, you should try… ![“If you think reading a book is hard, you should try writing one. Because it's even harder. It's still not as hard as writing a game, though. If you discount the purely visual pop-up parts, a book is made almost entirely of words. As a novelist, you just need to think of a few decent strings of…” quote by Erik Wolpaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/erik-wolpaw-80140_book_if-you-think-reading-a-book-is-hard-you_1009774.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/erik-wolpaw-80140_book_if-you-think-reading-a-book-is-hard-you_1009774.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/erik-wolpaw-80140_book_if-you-think-reading-a-book-is-hard-you_1009774.jpg) > “If you think reading a book is hard, you should try writing one. Because it's even harder. It's still not as hard as writing a game, though. If you discount the purely visual pop-up parts, a book is made almost entirely of words. As a novelist, you just need to think of a few decent strings of words and then fill the other 98% of the book with more or less random descriptions of things and exclamation points.” Erik Wolpaw ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing a book is challenging, but creating a game adds layers of complexity beyond text. **In simple terms:** Writing books is hard; games are harder. Key Takeaway Expect greater difficulty in game design. Themes creativity writing game development challenge Mood inspirational realistic Type advice industry insight When to use this quote - Novel writing - game design - creative projects - skill development Key Concepts Narrative design interdisciplinary skill complexity management Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of game creation feel most daunting? - How can writers transition to interactive storytelling? A Different Perspective Writing games requires more than prose; technical and interactive elements add difficulty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Exclamation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exclamation/) [Exclamation points](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exclamation-points/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Novelists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelists/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading A Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-a-book/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The artist deals with what cannot be said in words. The novelist says in words what cannot be said in words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-artist-deals-with-what-cannot-be-said-in-words-the-novelist-says/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [The artist deals in what cannot be said in words. The artist whose medium is fiction does this in words. The novelist says in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-artist-deals-in-what-cannot-be-said-in-words-the-artist-whose/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“The awful part of the writing game is that you can never be sure the stuff is any good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/the-awful-part-of-the-writing-game-is-that-you-can-never-be-sure-the/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [Learn how to program and play lots of games. If you find yourself capable of writing a game, someday you'll be capable of writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-haslam/learn-how-to-program-and-play-lots-of-games-if-you-find-yourself/) Fred Haslam > [When I was a kid, we used to play this thing called 'the writing game' with our father. 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We all have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/rewriting-is-the-essence-of-writing-well-it-s-where-the-game-is-won/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Rewriting is the essence of writing well - where the game is won or lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/rewriting-is-the-essence-of-writing-well-where-the-game-is-won-or-lost/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [I start out to write five days a week, and then it runs to six days and finally seven. Then, eventually, that wave of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-start-out-to-write-five-days-a-week-and-then-it-runs-to-six-days/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Sometimes the better the writing, the harder it is to play because you really want to service it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/sometimes-the-better-the-writing-the-harder-it-is-to-play-because-you/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Writing is harder than anything else; at least starting to write is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hunter/writing-is-harder-than-anything-else-at-least-starting-to-write-is/) [Kristin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hunter/) > [I'm not sure why writing for others became harder. Probably a reluctance to give away anything you might conceivably use yourself caused a block.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-m-not-sure-why-writing-for-others-became-harder-probably-a/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [I used to love reading, but since I've started writing, it's harder for me to immerse, because I spend so much time looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/i-used-to-love-reading-but-since-i-ve-started-writing-it-s-harder-for/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [I think at the start of writing it was less intense topics, and then once I broke the seal I was more comfortable writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-hemmings/i-think-at-the-start-of-writing-it-was-less-intense-topics-and-then/) [Luke Hemmings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-hemmings/) ## More by Erik Wolpaw > [After Psychonauts went on to be very, very popular in Europe, I got busy with my next big project: being unemployed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-wolpaw/after-psychonauts-went-on-to-be-very-very-popular-in-europe-i-got/) Erik Wolpaw > [In defense of games, I want to point out that the writing in plays, including everything by August Strindberg and The Lion King, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-wolpaw/in-defense-of-games-i-want-to-point-out-that-the-writing-in-plays/) Erik Wolpaw Explore all 3 Erik Wolpaw quotes ## More Book 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you think reading a book is hard, you should try writing one. 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