--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a little like packing for a trip…" description: "\"It's a little like packing for a trip. First you lay out everything that might possibly be useful, with no thought about the size of your suitcase. The..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bec/george-saunders-317_cases_it-s-a-little-like-packing-for-a-trip-fi_2570952.jpg" --- # It's a little like packing for a trip. First you lay out… ![“It's a little like packing for a trip. First you lay out everything that might possibly be useful, with no thought about the size of your suitcase. Then, look at your suitcase. In the case of narrative, there's a certain obligation to keep the pace up and have each section or subsection be doing…” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bec/george-saunders-317_cases_it-s-a-little-like-packing-for-a-trip-fi_2570952.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bec/george-saunders-317_cases_it-s-a-little-like-packing-for-a-trip-fi_2570952.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bec/george-saunders-317_cases_it-s-a-little-like-packing-for-a-trip-fi_2570952.jpg) > “It's a little like packing for a trip. First you lay out everything that might possibly be useful, with no thought about the size of your suitcase. Then, look at your suitcase. In the case of narrative, there's a certain obligation to keep the pace up and have each section or subsection be doing something.” [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. Narrative pacing requires purposeful content, akin to packing efficiently for a journey. **In simple terms:** Story sections must serve a purpose. Key Takeaway Maintain purposeful pacing. Themes writing structure efficiency Mood instructional practical Type literary creative When to use this quote - draft revisions - story outlining - reader feedback - publishing timelines - creative workshops Key Concepts narrative pacing editing process Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance detail with momentum? - When should a story cut excess material? A Different Perspective Over‑editing can stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Hotel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hotel/) [Lays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lays/) [Like Packing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-packing-700600/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Look Suitcase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-suitcase-1689857/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation/) [Pace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pace/) [Packing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/packing/) [Packing Trip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/packing-trip-1689858/) [Sections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sections/) [Size](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/size/) [Suitcase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suitcase/) [Suitcases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suitcases/) ## Related quotes > [Packing for a trip can be exciting. But unpacking is always depressing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/packing-for-a-trip-can-be-exciting-but-unpacking-is-always-depressing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I travel a lot. If you look at my suitcase, everything is extremely well-packed and well-folded; people who travel with me are impressed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-robuchon/i-travel-a-lot-if-you-look-at-my-suitcase-everything-is-extremely/) [Joel Robuchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-robuchon/) > [I get ideas about what's essential when packing my suitcase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/i-get-ideas-about-what-s-essential-when-packing-my-suitcase/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [If I'm going away for longer than a week I take a suitcase and check it in but I'm good at packing light and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-snowdon/if-i-m-going-away-for-longer-than-a-week-i-take-a-suitcase-and-check/) [Lisa Snowdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-snowdon/) > [To me, the most worrisome part of traveling comes before any of the traveling actually occurs: the suitcase-packing process. It's a challenging and anxiety-filled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-marano/to-me-the-most-worrisome-part-of-traveling-comes-before-any-of-the/) [Laura Marano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-marano/) > [“Bare essentials. Like packing for paradise when you know you’re boarding the barge to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suenammi-richards/bare-essentials-like-packing-for-paradise-when-you-know-you-re/) [Suenammi Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suenammi-richards/) > [Let's say you have to catch a plane, and you are packing your suitcase and moving fast. Most people would call that stress. 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Knits to me are always just easy. I've fantasized about packing a suitcase of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanette-lepore/i-ve-always-wanted-to-tackle-the-casual-part-of-dressing-knits-to-me/) [Nanette Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanette-lepore/) > [My name is Carter Kane. I'm fourteen and my home is a suitcase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/my-name-is-carter-kane-i-m-fourteen-and-my-home-is-a-suitcase/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [You wrestle one night, get up the next morning and fly out to the next city. You try to work out, you try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-goldberg/you-wrestle-one-night-get-up-the-next-morning-and-fly-out-to-the-next/) [Bill Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-goldberg/) > [My homeland is not a suitcase, and I am no traveller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/my-homeland-is-not-a-suitcase-and-i-am-no-traveller/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) > [Everything that I own and use are in a carry-on suitcase,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shailene-woodley/everything-that-i-own-and-use-are-in-a-carry-on-suitcase/) [Shailene Woodley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shailene-woodley/) ## More by George Saunders > [Success is like a mountain in front of you that keeps growing. 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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. 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