--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The approach to \"building\" a story with…" description: "\"The approach to \"building\" a story with words and phrases is no different than \"building\" a painting with brushes and pigments.\" — Floyd Cooper" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d9/floyd-cooper-42085_approach_the-approach-to-building-a-story-with-wo_670431.jpg" --- # The approach to "building" a story with words and phrases… ![“The approach to "building" a story with words and phrases is no different than "building" a painting with brushes and pigments.” quote by Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d9/floyd-cooper-42085_approach_the-approach-to-building-a-story-with-wo_670431.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d9/floyd-cooper-42085_approach_the-approach-to-building-a-story-with-wo_670431.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d9/floyd-cooper-42085_approach_the-approach-to-building-a-story-with-wo_670431.jpg) > “The approach to "building" a story with words and phrases is no different than "building" a painting with brushes and pigments.” [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Crafting a narrative with language parallels assembling a visual artwork with colors and tools. **In simple terms:** Writing a story is like painting a picture. Key Takeaway Use precise language to construct vivid scenes. Themes creativity writing visualization Mood inspired thoughtful Type instructional metaphorical When to use this quote - authoring a novel - marketing copy - scriptwriting - educational material Key Concepts metaphor composition artistic process Questions to Reflect On - How can you translate visual details into words? - What techniques make prose as vivid as a painting? A Different Perspective Writing may lack the immediacy of visual media, requiring more imagination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [There can be little doubt that in many ways the story of bridge building is the story of civilisation. By it we can readily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/there-can-be-little-doubt-that-in-many-ways-the-story-of-bridge/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [When I was handed a hammer, my first project was building a three-story tree house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-pennington/when-i-was-handed-a-hammer-my-first-project-was-building-a-three/) [Ty Pennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-pennington/) > [Whoever places his trust into a system will soon be without a home. While you are building your third story, the two lower ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/whoever-places-his-trust-into-a-system-will-soon-be-without-a-home/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [The essential characteristic of digital information is that it can be manipulated easily and very rapidly by computer... Computational tools for transforming, combining, altering,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-mitchell/the-essential-characteristic-of-digital-information-is-that-it-can-be/) [William J. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-mitchell/) > [If ever a painter wrought a miracle of illusion with brush and pigment that painter was Velazquez in his Las Meninas, at the Prado…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-sorolla/if-ever-a-painter-wrought-a-miracle-of-illusion-with-brush-and/) [Joaquin Sorolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-sorolla/) > [Computer science education cannot make anybody an expert programmer any more than studying brushes and pigment can make somebody an expert painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/computer-science-education-cannot-make-anybody-an-expert-programmer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't have to lug around a camera.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hine/if-i-could-tell-the-story-in-words-i-wouldn-t-have-to-lug-around-a/) [Lewis Hine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hine/) > [If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hine/if-i-could-tell-the-story-in-words-i-wouldn-t-need-to-lug-around-a/) [Lewis Hine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hine/) > [“If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug a camera”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hine/if-i-could-tell-the-story-in-words-i-wouldn-t-need-to-lug-a-camera/) [Lewis Hine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hine/) > [The most powerful words in English are 'Tell me a story,' words that are intimately related to the complexity of history, the origins of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/the-most-powerful-words-in-english-are-tell-me-a-story-words-that-are-2/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [The most powerful words in English are 'Tell me a story,' words that are intimately related to the complexity of history, the origins of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/the-most-powerful-words-in-english-are-tell-me-a-story-words-that-are/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [The story is not in the words; it's in the struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-story-is-not-in-the-words-it-s-in-the-struggle/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Picture books are more difficult for me because it is telling a huge story in the least amount of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-e-watson/picture-books-are-more-difficult-for-me-because-it-is-telling-a-huge/) [Renee Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-e-watson/) > [I'm a slave to the beats of the story, not to the words we use to tell the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-dildarian/i-m-a-slave-to-the-beats-of-the-story-not-to-the-words-we-use-to-tell/) [Steve Dildarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-dildarian/) > [You have to be precise. You have to be specific, but you want to be accurate. That is first and foremost. You want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf-blitzer/you-have-to-be-precise-you-have-to-be-specific-but-you-want-to-be/) [Wolf Blitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolf-blitzer/) ## More by Floyd Cooper > [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 try to use models at least for the main characters because of the nature of my art. I tend to focus on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-try-to-use-models-at-least-for-the-main-characters-because-of-the/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [In my journey to becoming an artist who writes, I tend to start my idea process with simple, concrete messages that relate to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/in-my-journey-to-becoming-an-artist-who-writes-i-tend-to-start-my/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I will always be an artist first. I see my writing as an extension of my illustrating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-will-always-be-an-artist-first-i-see-my-writing-as-an-extension-of/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I like people. Humanity. My family is a part of my work. They contribute throughout the process with critiques, advice, opinions, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-like-people-humanity-my-family-is-a-part-of-my-work-they-contribute/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My method is subtraction. I use erasers to make the images in my paintings. You really have to see it to fully get it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/my-method-is-subtraction-i-use-erasers-to-make-the-images-in-my/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [Research is always a very necessary part of my process because all of my books to this point have been historical. Time spent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/research-is-always-a-very-necessary-part-of-my-process-because-all-of/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My advice to writers is: READ! A lot. Then read some more. read, read, read, read!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/my-advice-to-writers-is-read-a-lot-then-read-some-more-read-read-read/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My "mission", if you can call it that, is to connect with my readers on an emotional level and have them come away with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/my-mission-if-you-can-call-it-that-is-to-connect-with-my-readers-on/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) [Explore all 10 Floyd Cooper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) ## More Approach 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/) > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. Because you have to force a utopia on a free people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/what-begins-as-a-utopian-vision-always-always-ends-in-bloodshed/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) [Browse all 3,949 Approach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The approach to \"building\" a story with words and phrases is no different than \"building\" a painting with brushes and pigments.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Floyd Cooper" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/the-approach-to-building-a-story-with-words-and-phrases-is-no/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Approach" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/the-approach-to-building-a-story-with-words-and-phrases-is-no/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d9/floyd-cooper-42085_approach_the-approach-to-building-a-story-with-wo_670431.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d9/floyd-cooper-42085_approach_the-approach-to-building-a-story-with-wo_670431.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d9/floyd-cooper-42085_approach_the-approach-to-building-a-story-with-wo_670431.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The approach to \"building\" a story with words and phrases is no different than \"building\" a painting with…” — Floyd Cooper", "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": "Floyd Cooper", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The approach to \"building\" a story...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/the-approach-to-building-a-story-with-words-and-phrases-is-no/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/the-approach-to-building-a-story-with-words-and-phrases-is-no/#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 } } ] } ```