--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People often ask me if the book was…" description: "\"“People often ask me if the book was emotional or difficult to write. Emotional, yes. I typed through a lot of tears. But it was the opposite of diffic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/gayle-forman-312_books_people-often-ask-me-if-the-book-was-emot_2304839.jpg" --- # People often ask me if the book was emotional or difficult… ![“People often ask me if the book was emotional or difficult to write. Emotional, yes. I typed through a lot of tears. But it was the opposite of difficult. Some of that transcendent grace from the days after the tragedy returned. Maybe that was because I was creating characters somewhat based on…” quote by Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/gayle-forman-312_books_people-often-ask-me-if-the-book-was-emot_2304839.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/gayle-forman-312_books_people-often-ask-me-if-the-book-was-emot_2304839.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/gayle-forman-312_books_people-often-ask-me-if-the-book-was-emot_2304839.jpg) > ““People often ask me if the book was emotional or difficult to write. Emotional, yes. I typed through a lot of tears. But it was the opposite of difficult. Some of that transcendent grace from the days after the tragedy returned. Maybe that was because I was creating characters somewhat based on friends I loved and so I was deeply ensconced in their world again. It was as if they were right there in the room with me as I wrote. And in a way they were. In a way they have never left me. And that's just it, isn't it? That's how we manage to survive loss. Because love, it never dies, it never goes away, it never fades, so long as you hang on to it. Love can make you immortal.”” [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author describes writing as emotionally intense but not technically hard, finding solace in love and memories of lost ones, which fuels immortality through storytelling. **In simple terms:** Writing was emotionally hard but technically easy, powered by love and memory. Key Takeaway Channel grief into creative work. Themes grief love creativity healing immortality Mood reflective hopeful Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - writing memoirs - processing loss - supporting others - building legacy Key Concepts transcendence emotional resilience memory Questions to Reflect On - How does love help you endure loss? - Can art truly make love immortal? A Different Perspective Love may not erase pain, it can deepen it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [And that's just it, isn't it? That's how we manage to survive the loss. 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In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-think-the-book-is-less-emotional-than-the-film-with-the-film-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I write the big scenes first, that is, the scenes that carry the meaning of the book, the emotional experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-cary/i-write-the-big-scenes-first-that-is-the-scenes-that-carry-the/) [Joyce Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-cary/) > [Writing a book is an emotional odyssey, sometimes exhilarating, other times deflating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-o-neal/writing-a-book-is-an-emotional-odyssey-sometimes-exhilarating-other/) [Ryan O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-o-neal/) > [That, in essence, is the catastrophe of suicide for those who survive: not only the loss of someone, but the loss of the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/that-in-essence-is-the-catastrophe-of-suicide-for-those-who-survive/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [“Love may precede respect but it cannot survive the loss of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-l-wheeler/love-may-precede-respect-but-it-cannot-survive-the-loss-of-it/) [Joe L. Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-l-wheeler/) > [Faith does help mourners survive their loss, some studies suggest; but I imagine one still struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-o-rourke/faith-does-help-mourners-survive-their-loss-some-studies-suggest-but/) [Meghan O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-o-rourke/) > [What does seem to be a constant is that I write more emotional stories the older I get. I think a lot of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-tidbeck/what-does-seem-to-be-a-constant-is-that-i-write-more-emotional/) [Karin Tidbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-tidbeck/) > [I've been told by people who write historical novels that you just sort of write the emotional truth first, the story at the core,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-ve-been-told-by-people-who-write-historical-novels-that-you-just/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [I write emotional music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-baxter/i-write-emotional-music/) [Les Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-baxter/) > [If I have the chance, I would like to write an emotional, sad ballad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeongyeon/if-i-have-the-chance-i-would-like-to-write-an-emotional-sad-ballad/) [Jeongyeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeongyeon/) > [“I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers tell me that they identify with my characters. They know them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-delinsky/i-write-about-the-emotional-crises-that-we-face-in-our-lives-readers/) [Barbara Delinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-delinsky/) > [“I find that is the best way to write during emotional scenes...put yourself and your emotions in every single word.-Nina Jean Slack”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-jean-slack/i-find-that-is-the-best-way-to-write-during-emotional-scenes-put/) [Nina Jean Slack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-jean-slack/) ## More by Gayle Forman > [“Waiting for Vengeance' Well, what is this? What am I coming to? And beyond that, what am I gonna do? Now there’s blankness Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/waiting-for-vengeance-well-what-is-this-what-am-i-coming-to-and/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [I don’t want to be that person, who just takes things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/i-don-t-want-to-be-that-person-who-just-takes-things/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Adam's lips are set in a grime line. I can't tell if he's about to cry or about to punch the guard. For his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/adam-s-lips-are-set-in-a-grime-line-i-can-t-tell-if-he-s-about-to-cry/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [I’ve blamed her for all of this, for leaving, for ruining me. And maybe that was the seed of it, but from that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/i-ve-blamed-her-for-all-of-this-for-leaving-for-ruining-me-and-maybe/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [There are like twenty people in that waiting room right now. Some of them are related to you. Some of them are not. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/there-are-like-twenty-people-in-that-waiting-room-right-now-some-of/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“It’s like an ache, how much I miss them. How much I miss her. I’m so tired of missing things I don’t have”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/it-s-like-an-ache-how-much-i-miss-them-how-much-i-miss-her-i-m-so/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Whoever said that the past isn’t dead had it backward. It’s the future that’s already dead, already played out. This whole night has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/whoever-said-that-the-past-isn-t-dead-had-it-backward-it-s-the-future/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“We drank Pepsi out of these old-fashioned bottles that Dad had found at some ancient country store, and I swear they tasted better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/we-drank-pepsi-out-of-these-old-fashioned-bottles-that-dad-had-found/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Pero si voy a sobrevivir, no puedo nunca, jamás volver a repasar este día.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/pero-si-voy-a-sobrevivir-no-puedo-nunca-jam-s-volver-a-repasar-este-d/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Some things are impossible to tear yourself away from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/some-things-are-impossible-to-tear-yourself-away-from/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [You meet people, you part ways, sometimes you cross paths again. Mostly, you don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/you-meet-people-you-part-ways-sometimes-you-cross-paths-again-mostly/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Do you honestly think that where you’re buried has any bearing on where your spirit lives?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/do-you-honestly-think-that-where-you-re-buried-has-any-bearing-on/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Jazz je punk pro staré lidi.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/jazz-je-punk-pro-star-lidi/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [Hate me. Devastate me. Annihilate me. Re-create me. Re-create me. Won't you, won't you won't you re-create me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/hate-me-devastate-me-annihilate-me-re-create-me-re-create-me-won-t/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“I can't lose you again. It really will kill me this time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/i-can-t-lose-you-again-it-really-will-kill-me-this-time/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) [Explore all 598 Gayle Forman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) ## 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": "“People often ask me if the book was emotional or difficult to write. Emotional, yes. I typed through a lot of tears. But it was the opposite of difficult. Some of that transcendent grace from the days after the tragedy returned. Maybe that was because I was creating characters somewhat based on friends I loved and so I was deeply ensconced in their world again. It was as if they were right there in the room with me as I wrote. And in a way they were. In a way they have never left me. And that's just it, isn't it? That's how we manage to survive loss. Because love, it never dies, it never goes away, it never fades, so long as you hang on to it. 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