--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's this way, see--when a writer first…" description: "\"“It's this way, see--when a writer first starts out, he gets a big kick from the stuff he does, and the reader doesn't get any;then, after a while, the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/ernest-hemingway-83_books_it-s-this-way-see-when-a-writer-first-st_1002776.jpg" --- # It's this way, see--when a writer first starts out, he… ![“It's this way, see--when a writer first starts out, he gets a big kick from the stuff he does, and the reader doesn't get any;then, after a while, the writer gets a little kick and the reader gets a little kick; and finally, if the writer's any good, he doesn't get any kick at all and the reader…” quote by Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/ernest-hemingway-83_books_it-s-this-way-see-when-a-writer-first-st_1002776.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/ernest-hemingway-83_books_it-s-this-way-see-when-a-writer-first-st_1002776.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/ernest-hemingway-83_books_it-s-this-way-see-when-a-writer-first-st_1002776.jpg) > ““It's this way, see--when a writer first starts out, he gets a big kick from the stuff he does, and the reader doesn't get any;then, after a while, the writer gets a little kick and the reader gets a little kick; and finally, if the writer's any good, he doesn't get any kick at all and the reader gets everything.”” [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Initially writers enjoy personal thrill, but over time the reward shifts to the audience, not the author. **In simple terms:** Writers start for themselves, end for readers. Key Takeaway Write for the reader’s experience. Themes writing audience growth Mood thoughtful instructive Type literary motivational When to use this quote - novel drafting - short story workshops - publishing - reader feedback Key Concepts Literature self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - When does audience focus dilute authenticity? - How can writers balance self‑satisfaction with reader impact? A Different Perspective Risk of losing personal voice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Kick Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kick-reader-2126800/) [Reader Gets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-gets-789822/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Gets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-gets-561128/) [Writer Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-good/) [Writer Starts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-starts-2073933/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Every reader gets something different from a book and every reader, in a sense, completes it in a different way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/every-reader-gets-something-different-from-a-book-and-every-reader-in/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“If a writer starts worring about what he or she has left out or forgotten, they might not be able to write even a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baby-halder/if-a-writer-starts-worring-about-what-he-or-she-has-left-out-or/) [Baby Halder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baby-halder/) > [My only job is to write in such a way that the reader gets a new handle on humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-steinbeck/my-only-job-is-to-write-in-such-a-way-that-the-reader-gets-a-new/) [Thomas Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-steinbeck/) > [A writer starts out, I think, wanting to be a transfiguring agent, and ends up usually just making contact, contact with other human beings.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/a-writer-starts-out-i-think-wanting-to-be-a-transfiguring-agent-and/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [There's a really nice moment in the life of a piece of writing where the writer starts to get a feeling of it outgrowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/there-s-a-really-nice-moment-in-the-life-of-a-piece-of-writing-where/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“I'm looking for a writer who doesn't know where the sentence is leading her; a writer who starts with her obsessions and whose heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sy-safransky/i-m-looking-for-a-writer-who-doesn-t-know-where-the-sentence-is/) [Sy Safransky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sy-safransky/) > [My job as the novelist is to present the whole case, then the reader gets to render her verdict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/my-job-as-the-novelist-is-to-present-the-whole-case-then-the-reader/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [“I was not giving answers. 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