--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My general approach to writing fiction is…" description: "\"My general approach to writing fiction is that you try to have as few conceptual notions as possible and you just respond to the energy that the story ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/george-saunders-317_approach_my-general-approach-to-writing-fiction-i_3208933.jpg" --- # My general approach to writing fiction is that you try to… ![“My general approach to writing fiction is that you try to have as few conceptual notions as possible and you just respond to the energy that the story is making rather than having a big over plan. I think if you have a big over plan, the danger is that you might just take your plan and then you…” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/george-saunders-317_approach_my-general-approach-to-writing-fiction-i_3208933.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/george-saunders-317_approach_my-general-approach-to-writing-fiction-i_3208933.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/george-saunders-317_approach_my-general-approach-to-writing-fiction-i_3208933.jpg) > “My general approach to writing fiction is that you try to have as few conceptual notions as possible and you just respond to the energy that the story is making rather than having a big over plan. I think if you have a big over plan, the danger is that you might just take your plan and then you bore everybody. I always joke that it's like going on a date with index cards. You know, at 7:30 p.m. I should ask about her mother. You keep all the control to yourself but you are kind of insulting to the other person.” [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 minimalist approach to fiction lets the story's energy guide the narrative, avoiding over‑planning that can stifle authenticity. **In simple terms:** Let the story’s energy shape it, not a rigid outline. Key Takeaway Trust the story’s flow over strict outlines. Themes creativity authenticity storytelling minimalism spontaneity Mood reflective inspirational Type literary creative When to use this quote - novel writing - workshop sessions - first drafts - author collaborations Key Concepts Narrative theory creative process improvisation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance spontaneity with coherence? - When does planning enhance rather than hinder storytelling? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on spontaneity may lead to incoherence without some structure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [You don't just have a story - you're a story in the making, and you never know what the next chapter's going to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/you-don-t-just-have-a-story-you-re-a-story-in-the-making-and-you/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [“Every person has a story and is a story in the making.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaplain-keith-evans/every-person-has-a-story-and-is-a-story-in-the-making/) Chaplain Keith Evans > [I want hard stories, I demand them from myself. 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But I admit that I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/when-i-write-fiction-i-never-try-to-deliver-a-message-i-just-want-to/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [It was the first and most striking characteristic of Socrates never to become heated in discourse, never to utter an injurious or insulting word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/it-was-the-first-and-most-striking-characteristic-of-socrates-never/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [I always struggled going against the grain of how pop music should be structured and the seriousness with which people approach writing sessions in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-always-struggled-going-against-the-grain-of-how-pop-music-should-be/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [A good book is a good book, and there are a lot of different ways to approach writing or reading one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-barton/a-good-book-is-a-good-book-and-there-are-a-lot-of-different-ways-to/) [Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-barton/) ## 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. 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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. 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I think if you have a big over plan, the danger is that you might just take your plan and then you bore everybody. I always joke that it's like going on a date with index cards. You know, at 7:30 p.m. I should ask about her mother. 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