--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What discoveries I made in the course of…" description: "\"“What discoveries I made in the course of writing stories all begin with the particular, never the general. They are mostly hindsight: arrows that I no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/eudora-welty-1564_avail_what-discoveries-i-made-in-the-course-of_3178536.jpg" --- # What discoveries I made in the course of writing stories… ![“What discoveries I made in the course of writing stories all begin with the particular, never the general. They are mostly hindsight: arrows that I now find I myself have left behind me, which have shown me some right, or wrong, way I have come. What one story may have pointed out to me is of no…” quote by Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/eudora-welty-1564_avail_what-discoveries-i-made-in-the-course-of_3178536.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/eudora-welty-1564_avail_what-discoveries-i-made-in-the-course-of_3178536.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/eudora-welty-1564_avail_what-discoveries-i-made-in-the-course-of_3178536.jpg) > ““What discoveries I made in the course of writing stories all begin with the particular, never the general. They are mostly hindsight: arrows that I now find I myself have left behind me, which have shown me some right, or wrong, way I have come. What one story may have pointed out to me is of no avail in the writing of another. But 'avail' is not what I want; freedom ahead is what each story promises - beginning anew. And all the while, as further hindsight has told me, certain patterns in my work repeat themselves without my realizing. There would be no way of knowing this, for during the writing of any single story, there is no other existing. Each writer must find out for himself, I imagine, on what basis he lives with his own stories.”” [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing reveals specific details first; general insights emerge later, and each story offers fresh freedom despite recurring patterns. **In simple terms:** Stories start with details, then expand to broader truths. Key Takeaway Embrace each story as a new, independent journey. Themes creativity process freedom reflection pattern Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - novel writing - personal journaling - teaching writing - creative workshops Key Concepts narrative theory self‑discovery literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - How do you break free from recurring habits? - What does each new story teach you about yourself? A Different Perspective Patterns may limit perception but also guide growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Avail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avail/) [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Hindsight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hindsight/) [Left behind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-behind/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) [Right or wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-or-wrong/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-stories/) ## Related quotes > [“When my mother would tell me that she wanted me to have something because she as a child had never had it, I wanted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/when-my-mother-would-tell-me-that-she-wanted-me-to-have-something/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“A conscious act grew out of this by the time I began writing stories: getting my distance, a prerequisite of my understanding of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/a-conscious-act-grew-out-of-this-by-the-time-i-began-writing-stories/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [Gardening is akin to writing stories. No experience could have taught me more about grief or flowers, about achieving survival by going, your fingers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/gardening-is-akin-to-writing-stories-no-experience-could-have-taught/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [I will persist. I will always take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-will-persist-i-will-always-take-another-step-if-that-is-of-no-avail/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Just as a drop of water in the ocean cannot avail much; but if a great river runneth into it, that maketh a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-bohme/just-as-a-drop-of-water-in-the-ocean-cannot-avail-much-but-if-a-great/) [Jakob Bohme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-bohme/) > [Whenever senior players are missing, its ideal for youngsters to avail of these opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virender-sehwag/whenever-senior-players-are-missing-its-ideal-for-youngsters-to-avail/) [Virender Sehwag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virender-sehwag/) > [We all have wings, but they have not been of any avail to us and if we could tear them off, we would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/we-all-have-wings-but-they-have-not-been-of-any-avail-to-us-and-if-we/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Poor France, thy fine climate, rich vineyards, and the wishes of the learned avail nothing; thou art a destitute beggar, and not the powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/poor-france-thy-fine-climate-rich-vineyards-and-the-wishes-of-the/) [John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/) > [Bravery has no place where it can avail nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/bravery-has-no-place-where-it-can-avail-nothing/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [I'm trying to avail myself of the various technologies to get the message that Washington needs to be cleaned up, that the system that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-trying-to-avail-myself-of-the-various-technologies-to-get-the/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [“God is not interested in your ability. He is interested in your availability. When you avail your ability to God, you become a faithful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/god-is-not-interested-in-your-ability-he-is-interested-in-your/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“What avail is honour or a sword against a pen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/what-avail-is-honour-or-a-sword-against-a-pen/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Prayers and sacrifices are of no avail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/prayers-and-sacrifices-are-of-no-avail/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Young adults enrolled in universities and colleges or other postsecondary training should avail themselves of the opportunity to take institute of religion courses or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/young-adults-enrolled-in-universities-and-colleges-or-other/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [It also seems that the Afghans themselves want to avail themselves of this opportunity and all recognize that the UN is uniquely qualified to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakhdar-brahimi/it-also-seems-that-the-afghans-themselves-want-to-avail-themselves-of/) [Lakhdar Brahimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakhdar-brahimi/) ## More by Eudora Welty > [“She (my mother) could still recite them (the poems) in full when she was lying helpless and nearly blind, in her bed, an old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/she-my-mother-could-still-recite-them-the-poems-in-full-when-she-was/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories. Listening for them is something more acute than listening to them. I suppose it’s an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/long-before-i-wrote-stories-i-listened-for-stories-listening-for-them/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [Once you're into a story everything seems to apply-what you overhear on a city bus is exactly what your character would say on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/once-you-re-into-a-story-everything-seems-to-apply-what-you-overhear/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“Two by two, I read library books as fast as I could go, rushing them home in the basket of my bicycle. From the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/two-by-two-i-read-library-books-as-fast-as-i-could-go-rushing-them/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“When somebody, no matter who, gives everything, it makes people feel ashamed for him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/when-somebody-no-matter-who-gives-everything-it-makes-people-feel/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“Daydreaming had started me on the way; but story writing, once I was truly in its grip, took me and shook me awake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/daydreaming-had-started-me-on-the-way-but-story-writing-once-i-was/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“All children in those small-town, unhurried days had a vast inner life going on in the movies. Children were allowed to go without chaperone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/all-children-in-those-small-town-unhurried-days-had-a-vast-inner-life/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“At the sting in her eyes, she remembered for him that there must be no tears in his.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/at-the-sting-in-her-eyes-she-remembered-for-him-that-there-must-be-no/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“We do need to bring to our writing, over and over again, all the abundance we possess. To be able, to be ready, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/we-do-need-to-bring-to-our-writing-over-and-over-again-all-the/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“Could she ever be, would she be, where she was going?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/could-she-ever-be-would-she-be-where-she-was-going/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“When one of us (children) caught measles or whooping cough and we were isolated in bad upstairs, we wrote notes to each other perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/when-one-of-us-children-caught-measles-or-whooping-cough-and-we-were/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“She (my mother) stood always prepared in herself to challenge the world in our place. She did indeed tend to make the world look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/she-my-mother-stood-always-prepared-in-herself-to-challenge-the-world/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“For there is hate as well as love, she supposed, in the coming together and continuing of our lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/for-there-is-hate-as-well-as-love-she-supposed-in-the-coming-together/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“In children's art class we sat in a ring of kindergarten chairs and drew three daffodils that had just been picked out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/in-children-s-art-class-we-sat-in-a-ring-of-kindergarten-chairs-and/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [People are mostly layers of violence and tenderness wrapped like bulbs, and it is difficult to say what makes them onions or hyacinths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/people-are-mostly-layers-of-violence-and-tenderness-wrapped-like/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) [Explore all 227 Eudora Welty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) ## More Avail quotes > [I will persist. I will always take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-will-persist-i-will-always-take-another-step-if-that-is-of-no-avail/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Young adults enrolled in universities and colleges or other postsecondary training should avail themselves of the opportunity to take institute of religion courses or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/young-adults-enrolled-in-universities-and-colleges-or-other/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Prayers and sacrifices are of no avail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/prayers-and-sacrifices-are-of-no-avail/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“What avail is honour or a sword against a pen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/what-avail-is-honour-or-a-sword-against-a-pen/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [“God is not interested in your ability. He is interested in your availability. When you avail your ability to God, you become a faithful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/god-is-not-interested-in-your-ability-he-is-interested-in-your/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [I'm trying to avail myself of the various technologies to get the message that Washington needs to be cleaned up, that the system that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-trying-to-avail-myself-of-the-various-technologies-to-get-the/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [Bravery has no place where it can avail nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/bravery-has-no-place-where-it-can-avail-nothing/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Poor France, thy fine climate, rich vineyards, and the wishes of the learned avail nothing; thou art a destitute beggar, and not the powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/poor-france-thy-fine-climate-rich-vineyards-and-the-wishes-of-the/) [John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/) > [We all have wings, but they have not been of any avail to us and if we could tear them off, we would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/we-all-have-wings-but-they-have-not-been-of-any-avail-to-us-and-if-we/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Whenever senior players are missing, its ideal for youngsters to avail of these opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virender-sehwag/whenever-senior-players-are-missing-its-ideal-for-youngsters-to-avail/) [Virender Sehwag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virender-sehwag/) > [Just as a drop of water in the ocean cannot avail much; but if a great river runneth into it, that maketh a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-bohme/just-as-a-drop-of-water-in-the-ocean-cannot-avail-much-but-if-a-great/) [Jakob Bohme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-bohme/) > [It also seems that the Afghans themselves want to avail themselves of this opportunity and all recognize that the UN is uniquely qualified to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakhdar-brahimi/it-also-seems-that-the-afghans-themselves-want-to-avail-themselves-of/) [Lakhdar Brahimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakhdar-brahimi/) > [Loneliness is not being alone, It's loving others to no avail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berendt/loneliness-is-not-being-alone-it-s-loving-others-to-no-avail/) [John Berendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berendt/) > [Of what avail are pedigrees?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/of-what-avail-are-pedigrees/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) [Browse all 15 Avail quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avail/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What discoveries I made in the course of writing stories all begin with the particular, never the general. 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