--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Much of the activity we think of as…" description: "\"Much of the activity we think of as writing is, actually, getting ready to write.\" — Gail Godwin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/gail-godwin-13566_activity_much-of-the-activity-we-think-of-as-writ_1558124.jpg" --- # Much of the activity we think of as writing is, actually… ![“Much of the activity we think of as writing is, actually, getting ready to write.” quote by Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/gail-godwin-13566_activity_much-of-the-activity-we-think-of-as-writ_1558124.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/gail-godwin-13566_activity_much-of-the-activity-we-think-of-as-writ_1558124.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/gail-godwin-13566_activity_much-of-the-activity-we-think-of-as-writ_1558124.jpg) > “Much of the activity we think of as writing is, actually, getting ready to write.” [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Preparation, research, and mental organization precede the actual act of writing, shaping ideas before they appear on the page. **In simple terms:** Writing starts with mental groundwork. Key Takeaway Plan before you write. Themes writing preparation creativity Mood reflective thoughtful Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - academic essays - novel drafting - blog posts - content strategy Key Concepts cognitive framing idea incubation Questions to Reflect On - How do you structure your pre‑writing routine? - What obstacles arise when you skip preparation? A Different Perspective Without solid prep, the writing may lack clarity or direction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [People think that writing is writing, but actually writing is editing. Otherwise, you're just taking notes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/people-think-that-writing-is-writing-but-actually-writing-is-editing/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [Those rituals of getting ready to write produce a kind of trance state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/those-rituals-of-getting-ready-to-write-produce-a-kind-of-trance-state/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [I'm getting ready to write a piece now, and it's been six months thinking about it, changing the instrumentation, changing the name, doing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-m-getting-ready-to-write-a-piece-now-and-it-s-been-six-months/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [The only way to get anything out of a writer's brains is to leave him or her alone until he or she is damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-only-way-to-get-anything-out-of-a-writer-s-brains-is-to-leave-him/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [There are so many ready to write (poor fools!) for the honor and glory of the thing, and there are so many ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-fern/there-are-so-many-ready-to-write-poor-fools-for-the-honor-and-glory/) [Fanny Fern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-fern/) > [“I could always tell when I was ready to write again, for I became irritable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-dalby/i-could-always-tell-when-i-was-ready-to-write-again-for-i-became/) [Liza Dalby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-dalby/) > [Forty-years-old these days is the beginning of people's lives. I've found myself, I'm confident, I'm mature, I've been through some stuff, I'm ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-ari-parker/forty-years-old-these-days-is-the-beginning-of-people-s-lives-i-ve/) [Nicole Ari Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-ari-parker/) > [“For now, however, I am not prepared to see you. It's not that I don't want to see you: I'm simply not prepared for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/for-now-however-i-am-not-prepared-to-see-you-it-s-not-that-i-don-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Enough time had passed that I was ready to write the book Hungry. Was it absolutely difficult? Completely. I had to go back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-renn/enough-time-had-passed-that-i-was-ready-to-write-the-book-hungry-was/) [Crystal Renn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-renn/) > [ To be honest, I don't know. I started one \[book\] back in 1982 or '83 when I first retired. But I was only 25… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-leonard/to-be-honest-i-don-t-know-i-started-one-book-back-in-1982-or-83-when/) [Sugar Ray Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-leonard/) > [By the time I sit down ready to write, I've done a lot of longhand and a lot of note collecting along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-mccorkle/by-the-time-i-sit-down-ready-to-write-i-ve-done-a-lot-of-longhand-and/) [Jill McCorkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-mccorkle/) > [When you get ready to write your novel, outline it first. There's nothing worse than getting halfway through and realizing you've painted yourself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/when-you-get-ready-to-write-your-novel-outline-it-first-there-s/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [I think, with age, you learn that it comes in bursts and you've got no control over it. I'm not one of those people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-weller/i-think-with-age-you-learn-that-it-comes-in-bursts-and-you-ve-got-no/) [Paul Weller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-weller/) > [Now that I'm experiencing motherhood, I'm ready to write the next chapter of my family story. Of course a few jaded folks in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-vardalos/now-that-i-m-experiencing-motherhood-i-m-ready-to-write-the-next/) [Nia Vardalos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-vardalos/) > [A lot of aspiring writers are all ready to write a novel, but they don't know how to write sentences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-lot-of-aspiring-writers-are-all-ready-to-write-a-novel-but-they-don/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## More by Gail Godwin > [“I contemplated how I was going to get through the rest of the day and felt the onset of a terror I thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/i-contemplated-how-i-was-going-to-get-through-the-rest-of-the-day-and/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [“People commit thousands of small suicides every day that go unnoticed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/people-commit-thousands-of-small-suicides-every-day-that-go-unnoticed/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [There are two kinds of people. One kind, you can just tell by looking at them at what point they congealed into their final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-one-kind-you-can-just-tell-by-looking/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [Something's your vocation if it keeps making more of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/something-s-your-vocation-if-it-keeps-making-more-of-you/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [None of us suddenly becomes something overnight. The preparations have been in the making for lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/none-of-us-suddenly-becomes-something-overnight-the-preparations-have/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [The best antidote I have found is to yearn for something. As long as you yearn, you can't congeal: There is a forward motion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/the-best-antidote-i-have-found-is-to-yearn-for-something-as-long-as/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [“Other people don’t exist when you’re not with them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/other-people-don-t-exist-when-you-re-not-with-them/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [I read constantly. If I don't have a good book, I'm beside myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/i-read-constantly-if-i-don-t-have-a-good-book-i-m-beside-myself/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [Dreams say what they mean, but they don't say it in daytime language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/dreams-say-what-they-mean-but-they-don-t-say-it-in-daytime-language/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [The characters that I create are parts of myself and I send them on little missions to find out what I don’t know yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/the-characters-that-i-create-are-parts-of-myself-and-i-send-them-on/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [During the act of writing I have told myself something that I didn't know I knew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/during-the-act-of-writing-i-have-told-myself-something-that-i-didn-t/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [“Yes, if you believed in words, if you lived by words, you had better be careful which words you say and how you say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/yes-if-you-believed-in-words-if-you-lived-by-words-you-had-better-be/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [I'm always aware that I risk being taken for a neurasthenic prima donna when I explain to someone who wants 'just a little' of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/i-m-always-aware-that-i-risk-being-taken-for-a-neurasthenic-prima/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [I believe that with enough practice and good faith, you can learn to recognize when the work is achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/i-believe-that-with-enough-practice-and-good-faith-you-can-learn-to/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [If there is such a thing as sin in this world, I think it must be shutting oneself up against hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/if-there-is-such-a-thing-as-sin-in-this-world-i-think-it-must-be/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) [Explore all 50 Gail Godwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) ## More Activity quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Fighting's fun, man. It's a great activity, it's a great sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mitrione/fighting-s-fun-man-it-s-a-great-activity-it-s-a-great-sport/) [Matt Mitrione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mitrione/) > [There were books everywhere in my house. Books were very present. I just loved books. I never understood reading as anything but a pleasurable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lucas/there-were-books-everywhere-in-my-house-books-were-very-present-i/) [Lisa Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lucas/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [For the longest time, neuroscientists were forced to be passive observers of brain activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gero-miesenbock/for-the-longest-time-neuroscientists-were-forced-to-be-passive/) Gero Miesenbock > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Once an activity has been socialized, it is impossible to point out, by concrete example, how men in a free market could better conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/once-an-activity-has-been-socialized-it-is-impossible-to-point-out-by/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I have to consider everything I eat; I consider every activity I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kimball/i-have-to-consider-everything-i-eat-i-consider-every-activity-i-do/) [Charlie Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kimball/) > [Almost all good businesses engage in 'pain today, gain tomorrow' activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/almost-all-good-businesses-engage-in-pain-today-gain-tomorrow/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) Browse all 3,263 Activity quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Much of the activity we think of as writing is, actually, getting ready to write.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gail Godwin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/much-of-the-activity-we-think-of-as-writing-is-actually-getting-ready/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Activity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/much-of-the-activity-we-think-of-as-writing-is-actually-getting-ready/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/gail-godwin-13566_activity_much-of-the-activity-we-think-of-as-writ_1558124.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/gail-godwin-13566_activity_much-of-the-activity-we-think-of-as-writ_1558124.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/gail-godwin-13566_activity_much-of-the-activity-we-think-of-as-writ_1558124.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Much of the activity we think of as writing is, actually, getting ready to write.” — Gail Godwin", "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": "Gail Godwin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Much of the activity we think...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/much-of-the-activity-we-think-of-as-writing-is-actually-getting-ready/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/much-of-the-activity-we-think-of-as-writing-is-actually-getting-ready/#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 } } ] } ```