--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a sense my whole life as a writer is…" description: "\"In a sense my whole life as a writer is trying to find structural ways, or formal ways, to permit that outflowing so it doesn't just look like crazy ou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/george-saunders-317_can-do_in-a-sense-my-whole-life-as-a-writer-is_332037.jpg" --- # In a sense my whole life as a writer is trying to find… ![“In a sense my whole life as a writer is trying to find structural ways, or formal ways, to permit that outflowing so it doesn't just look like crazy output. In other words, if it turns out that you can do a given voice, that's just kind of inclination. But then if you can find a way to put that…” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/george-saunders-317_can-do_in-a-sense-my-whole-life-as-a-writer-is_332037.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/george-saunders-317_can-do_in-a-sense-my-whole-life-as-a-writer-is_332037.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/george-saunders-317_can-do_in-a-sense-my-whole-life-as-a-writer-is_332037.jpg) > “In a sense my whole life as a writer is trying to find structural ways, or formal ways, to permit that outflowing so it doesn't just look like crazy output. In other words, if it turns out that you can do a given voice, that's just kind of inclination. But then if you can find a way to put that voice in a story so that the voice serves a purpose, then I would say that's being a writer.” [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer must shape creative impulses into purposeful structures rather than chaotic output. **In simple terms:** Structure gives chaos meaning. Key Takeaway Organize ideas to serve the story. Themes creativity structure purpose Mood reflective determined Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - novel drafting - screenwriting - editing - workshop feedback Key Concepts narrative design voice control Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance spontaneity with structure? - When does structure become a constraint? A Different Perspective Structure can stifle spontaneity if over‑engineered. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I've not given them (the poor people of Bihar) heaven, but I've given them a voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalu-prasad-yadav/i-ve-not-given-them-the-poor-people-of-bihar-heaven-but-i-ve-given/) [Lalu Prasad Yadav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lalu-prasad-yadav/) > [The whole point of creating music for me is to give voice to things that aren't normally given voice to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/the-whole-point-of-creating-music-for-me-is-to-give-voice-to-things/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Words are wonderful gifts given to our voice, they may often become noise; but silence is always golden, it gives us power to conquer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinmoy-sarkar/words-are-wonderful-gifts-given-to-our-voice-they-may-often-become/) Chinmoy Sarkar > [More voices means less trust in any given voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/more-voices-means-less-trust-in-any-given-voice/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [I believe that I definitely wasn't given this voice just to sing. I think it was given to me for a bigger purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/i-believe-that-i-definitely-wasn-t-given-this-voice-just-to-sing-i/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [Whatever you perceive, you always make a story with yourself as the main character, and that dictates your life. Then when you read 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/whatever-you-perceive-you-always-make-a-story-with-yourself-as-the/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [“Otherwise I risk ending up with a story whose voice doesn’t match its meat, which is just about the worst problem ever to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/otherwise-i-risk-ending-up-with-a-story-whose-voice-doesn-t-match-its/) [Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/) > [“Shall I tell you a story? A new and terrible one? A ghost story?" 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The voice is kind of a mix in that it has a young voice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-was-probably-35-when-i-wrote-the-first-story-the-voice-is-kind-of-a/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“Don’t let the situation say stop to your true purpose;say stop to the situation. Situations are situations and you are you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/don-t-let-the-situation-say-stop-to-your-true-purpose-say-stop-to-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [You weren't put in this life to give up, they say. You have a purpose, they say. Then why can't you tell me what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie/you-weren-t-put-in-this-life-to-give-up-they-say-you-have-a-purpose/) [Leslie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie/) > [When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls. What is to happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/when-we-read-a-story-we-inhabit-it-the-covers-of-the-book-are-like-a-2/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) ## More by George Saunders > [Success is like a mountain in front of you that keeps growing. If you're not careful, it will take up your whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/success-is-like-a-mountain-in-front-of-you-that-keeps-growing-if-you/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Wow wow wow is all I can say! Remember how I always buy lunchtime Scratch-Off ticket? Have I said? Maybe did not say? Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/wow-wow-wow-is-all-i-can-say-remember-how-i-always-buy-lunchtime/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“None of it was real; nothing was real. Everything was real; inconceivably real, infinitely dear. 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Think about Frank Sinatra, he says: born to sing. Think about Willie Mays: born to play ball.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/a-clinton-staffer-tells-me-his-theory-think-about-frank-sinatra-he/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We try, we fail, we posture, we aspire, we pontificate - and then we age, shrink, die, and vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-try-we-fail-we-posture-we-aspire-we-pontificate-and-then-we-age/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What America is, to me, is a guy doesn't want to buy, you let him not buy, you respect his not buying. A guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-america-is-to-me-is-a-guy-doesn-t-want-to-buy-you-let-him-not/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What good the prophet in the wilderness may do is incremental and personal. It's good for us to hear someone speak the irrational truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-good-the-prophet-in-the-wilderness-may-do-is-incremental-and/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We're in the transition between birth and death. 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But you know what impresses me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-howard/anybody-can-be-prince-charming-one-day-a-year-with-the-dinner-and-the/) [Ryan Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-howard/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [If people don't have their own vision, all they can do is 'sign-up' for someone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/if-people-don-t-have-their-own-vision-all-they-can-do-is-sign-up-for/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [The one thing that flies in the face of all human history and experience, is that the government can do a superior job than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/the-one-thing-that-flies-in-the-face-of-all-human-history-and/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-lord-gives-and-the-lord-takes-away-as-it-pleases-him-for-he-can/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I'm not an educated man. I only know what I'm told, and I'm not told that much; I have no frame of reference for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-m-not-an-educated-man-i-only-know-what-i-m-told-and-i-m-not-told/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) Browse all 5,673 Can do quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In a sense my whole life as a writer is trying to find structural ways, or formal ways, to permit that outflowing so it doesn't just look like crazy output. In other words, if it turns out that you can do a given voice, that's just kind of inclination. 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