--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writers make everybody nervous but we…" description: "\"“Writers make everybody nervous but we terrify Silly Service workers. Our apartments always look like a front for something, and no matter how carefull..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/florence-king-2603_books_writers-make-everybody-nervous-but-we-te_1618891.jpg" --- # Writers make everybody nervous but we terrify Silly… ![“Writers make everybody nervous but we terrify Silly Service workers. Our apartments always look like a front for something, and no matter how carefully we tidy up for guests we always seem to miss the note card that says, "Margaret has to die soon." We own the kind of books that spies use to…” quote by Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/florence-king-2603_books_writers-make-everybody-nervous-but-we-te_1618891.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/florence-king-2603_books_writers-make-everybody-nervous-but-we-te_1618891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/florence-king-2603_books_writers-make-everybody-nervous-but-we-te_1618891.jpg) > ““Writers make everybody nervous but we terrify Silly Service workers. Our apartments always look like a front for something, and no matter how carefully we tidy up for guests we always seem to miss the note card that says, "Margaret has to die soon." We own the kind of books that spies use to construct codes, like The Letters of Mme. de Sevigne, and we are the only people in the world who write oxymoron in the margin of the Bible. Manuscripts in the fridge in case of fire, Strunk's Elements in the bathroom, the Laramie City Directory explained away with "It might come in handy," all strike fear in the GS-7 heart. Nobody really wants to sleep with a writer, but Silly Service workers won't even talk to us.”” [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers live surrounded by oddities and anxieties, their lives marked by eccentric habits and a sense of being misunderstood. **In simple terms:** Writers are quirky and anxious. Key Takeaway Embrace your quirks, but seek balance. Themes creativity anxiety misunderstanding eccentricity Mood wry observational Type humorous satirical When to use this quote - writing retreats - social gatherings - personal organization - mental health management Key Concepts psychology social dynamics literary culture Questions to Reflect On - Do your habits help or hinder you? - How can you balance creativity with normalcy? A Different Perspective The self‑imposed isolation can hinder connection and productivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I admire writers who can make complicated things simple, but my own talent has been to make simple things complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/i-admire-writers-who-can-make-complicated-things-simple-but-my-own/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [“Writers have come to master nearly every trade. They are inventors and entrepreneurs of character, plot, and dialogue. They are the eager scientists that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-dennert/writers-have-come-to-master-nearly-every-trade-they-are-inventors-and/) Garrett Dennert > [I know a lot of writers who tell me they 'always' knew how to read. They can't remember a time before reading. And those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kameron-hurley/i-know-a-lot-of-writers-who-tell-me-they-always-knew-how-to-read-they/) [Kameron Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kameron-hurley/) > [Many writers can't make a living. So to be able to teach how to write is valuable to them. But I don't really know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/many-writers-can-t-make-a-living-so-to-be-able-to-teach-how-to-write/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [“So why does our writing matter, again?" they ask. Because of the spirit, I say. Because of the heart. Writing and reading decrease our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/so-why-does-our-writing-matter-again-they-ask-because-of-the-spirit-i/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“That's okay," I said. "We're writers. We make things up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/that-s-okay-i-said-we-re-writers-we-make-things-up/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I always talk to young writers about when you make art in your room, you make art. And when you send it to New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-always-talk-to-young-writers-about-when-you-make-art-in-your-room/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [“Most people keep their dreams to themselves, afraid to follow their hearts. Writers make their dreams a reality with each word, each line that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ck-webb/most-people-keep-their-dreams-to-themselves-afraid-to-follow-their/) [CK Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ck-webb/) > [It's not easy to tell a story about writers and make that feel like a complete story and an interesting story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-kinnear/it-s-not-easy-to-tell-a-story-about-writers-and-make-that-feel-like-a/) [Greg Kinnear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-kinnear/) > [Creative nonfiction writers do not make things up; they make ideas and information that already exist more interesting and often more accessible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-gutkind/creative-nonfiction-writers-do-not-make-things-up-they-make-ideas-and/) [Lee Gutkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-gutkind/) > [Steve Mosby has become one of a handful of writers who make me excited about crime fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-mcdermid/steve-mosby-has-become-one-of-a-handful-of-writers-who-make-me/) [Val McDermid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-mcdermid/) > [“Writers use narratives to select from everything there is, and make contexts by putting the pieces into relation; that’s what writers do, they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepheard/writers-use-narratives-to-select-from-everything-there-is-and-make/) [Paul Shepheard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepheard/) > [That's what I've always wanted to do - work with my favorite writers and make something from scratch with them that we can feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/that-s-what-i-ve-always-wanted-to-do-work-with-my-favorite-writers/) [Chance The Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/) > [“Next to the defeated politician, the writer is the most vocal and inventive griper on earth. He sees hardship and unfairness wherever he looks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mayle/next-to-the-defeated-politician-the-writer-is-the-most-vocal-and/) [Peter Mayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mayle/) > [There were plenty of times some writers would make some kind of stupid joke to each other and then it was on TV that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-glaser/there-were-plenty-of-times-some-writers-would-make-some-kind-of/) [Jon Glaser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-glaser/) ## More by Florence King > [“Feminists will not be satisfied until every abortion is performed by a gay black doctor under an endangered tree on a reservation for handicapped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/feminists-will-not-be-satisfied-until-every-abortion-is-performed-by/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [People are so busy dreaming the American Dream, fantasizing about what they could be or have a right to be, that they're all asleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/people-are-so-busy-dreaming-the-american-dream-fantasizing-about-what/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [In its purest sense, nicknaming is an elitist ritual practiced by those who cherish hierarchy. For preppies it's a smoke signal that allows Bunny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/in-its-purest-sense-nicknaming-is-an-elitist-ritual-practiced-by/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [In the last few years, race relations in America have entered upon a period of intensified craziness wherein fear of being called a racist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/in-the-last-few-years-race-relations-in-america-have-entered-upon-a/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [“For a girl gone wrong, you can't beat the banks of the Wabash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/for-a-girl-gone-wrong-you-can-t-beat-the-banks-of-the-wabash/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [A man should never apologize!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/a-man-should-never-apologize/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [He travels fastest who travels alone, and that goes double for she. Real feminism is spinsterhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/he-travels-fastest-who-travels-alone-and-that-goes-double-for-she/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [to a Southerner it is faux pas, not sins, that matter in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/to-a-southerner-it-is-faux-pas-not-sins-that-matter-in-this-world/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [If you ever meet someone who cannot understand why solitary confinement is considered punishment, you have met a misanthrope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/if-you-ever-meet-someone-who-cannot-understand-why-solitary/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [No matter which sex I went to bed with, I never smoked on the street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/no-matter-which-sex-i-went-to-bed-with-i-never-smoked-on-the-street/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [Hereditary monarchy offers numerous advantages for America. It is the only form of government able to unify a heterogeneous people. Thanks to centuries of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/hereditary-monarchy-offers-numerous-advantages-for-america-it-is-the/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [Resistance to team play seemed to pour like wet cement through my bones, displacing supple marrow, until I was ballasted with my own contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/resistance-to-team-play-seemed-to-pour-like-wet-cement-through-my/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [In Mississippi the important thing is hooch, not bar equipment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/in-mississippi-the-important-thing-is-hooch-not-bar-equipment/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [Writers, not psychiatrists, are the true interpreters of the human mind and heart, and we have been at it for a very long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/writers-not-psychiatrists-are-the-true-interpreters-of-the-human-mind/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [Showing up at school already able to read is like showing up at the undertaker's already embalmed: people start worrying about being put out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/showing-up-at-school-already-able-to-read-is-like-showing-up-at-the/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) [Explore all 158 Florence King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Writers make everybody nervous but we terrify Silly Service workers. Our apartments always look like a front for something, and no matter how carefully we tidy up for guests we always seem to miss the note card that says, \"Margaret has to die soon.\" We own the kind of books that spies use to construct codes, like The Letters of Mme. de Sevigne, and we are the only people in the world who write oxymoron in the margin of the Bible. Manuscripts in the fridge in case of fire, Strunk's Elements in the bathroom, the Laramie City Directory explained away with \"It might come in handy,\" all strike fear in the GS-7 heart. 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