--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing a story I am just trying to find…" description: "\"Writing a story I am just trying to find some little interesting thing to start out with: something small, even trivial. Preferably something that does..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/george-saunders-317_baggage_writing-a-story-i-am-just-trying-to-find_766056.jpg" --- # Writing a story I am just trying to find some little… ![“Writing a story I am just trying to find some little interesting thing to start out with: something small, even trivial. Preferably something that doesn't have a lot of thematic or political baggage - a little crumb that is interesting.” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/george-saunders-317_baggage_writing-a-story-i-am-just-trying-to-find_766056.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/george-saunders-317_baggage_writing-a-story-i-am-just-trying-to-find_766056.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/george-saunders-317_baggage_writing-a-story-i-am-just-trying-to-find_766056.jpg) > “Writing a story I am just trying to find some little interesting thing to start out with: something small, even trivial. Preferably something that doesn't have a lot of thematic or political baggage - a little crumb that is interesting.” [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 seeks a modest, engaging hook that avoids heavy themes or politics, focusing on a simple, intriguing detail to begin a story. **In simple terms:** Find a small, interesting detail to start a story without heavy themes. Key Takeaway Start with a modest, intriguing element. Themes creativity storytelling focus Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - writing prompts - novel beginnings - short story ideas Key Concepts narrative hook minimalism detail Questions to Reflect On - What trivial detail can spark curiosity? - How can you keep the opening light? A Different Perspective A tiny detail may still carry unintended symbolism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baggage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baggage/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The movies that work are the ones in which somebody very smart figured out how to take all the thematic material, all the character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-rudin/the-movies-that-work-are-the-ones-in-which-somebody-very-smart/) [Scott Rudin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-rudin/) > [No problem is too small or too trivial if we can really do something about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-problem-is-too-small-or-too-trivial-if-we-can-really-do-something/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Something as small as having to think hard in the morning about what you’re going to wear, or thinking about what you are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hollins/something-as-small-as-having-to-think-hard-in-the-morning-about-what/) [Peter Hollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hollins/) > [“It is the small trivial things in life that makes a human happy, like opening a pickle jar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanyaacoffman/it-is-the-small-trivial-things-in-life-that-makes-a-human-happy-like/) KanyaACoffman > [We are the subjects of an experiment which is not a little interesting to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-are-the-subjects-of-an-experiment-which-is-not-a-little/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I think I'll get a little more interesting small parts and see if I can really... I guess you don't have to have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-maillet/i-think-i-ll-get-a-little-more-interesting-small-parts-and-see-if-i/) [Robert Maillet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-maillet/) > [We're all going to die; I'm just trying to make it a little more interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/we-re-all-going-to-die-i-m-just-trying-to-make-it-a-little-more/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I think there's very little interesting in art that is not transgressive in some way. And I don't think that's a very revolutionary thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/i-think-there-s-very-little-interesting-in-art-that-is-not/) [Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/) > [Though a fight every now and then does make life a little more interesting, don't ya think?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante/though-a-fight-every-now-and-then-does-make-life-a-little-more/) [Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante/) > [ I'm not thinking in any big thematic or conceptual terms - especially in this book \[Lincoln in the Bardo\] when I was trying to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-m-not-thinking-in-any-big-thematic-or-conceptual-terms-especially/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I always describe writing a story as throwing bowling pins in the air and then catching them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-always-describe-writing-a-story-as-throwing-bowling-pins-in-the-air/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [If I'm writing a story and you're reading it, or vice versa, you took time out of your day to pick up my book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/if-i-m-writing-a-story-and-you-re-reading-it-or-vice-versa-you-took/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [It might be thematic work. It might be theatrical. I enjoy that kind of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sebastian/it-might-be-thematic-work-it-might-be-theatrical-i-enjoy-that-kind-of/) [John Sebastian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sebastian/) > [I have traveled down this path before - 'List of Seven' and 'Twin Peaks' both have thematic similarities - but 'Paladin' took me much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-frost/i-have-traveled-down-this-path-before-list-of-seven-and-twin-peaks/) [Mark Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-frost/) > [Ambiguity is necessary in some of my stories, not in all. In those, it certainly contributes to the richness of the story. I doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/ambiguity-is-necessary-in-some-of-my-stories-not-in-all-in-those-it/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## 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. These and all things started as nothing, latent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/none-of-it-was-real-nothing-was-real-everything-was-real/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“We must see God not as a Him (some linear rewarding fellow) but an IT, a great beast beyond our understanding, who wants something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-must-see-god-not-as-a-him-some-linear-rewarding-fellow-but-an-it-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [America, to me, should be shouting all the time, a bunch of shouting voices, most of them wrong, some of them nuts, but please,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/america-to-me-should-be-shouting-all-the-time-a-bunch-of-shouting/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [In my case, when I am trying to be "kind" I often default in a sort of toothless loving-all stance that is, actually, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/in-my-case-when-i-am-trying-to-be-kind-i-often-default-in-a-sort-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Whatever your supposed politics are - left, right - if you put it in a human connection, most people will rise to the occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/whatever-your-supposed-politics-are-left-right-if-you-put-it-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“A Clinton staffer tells me his theory. 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. But the one that people often know about is the transition between the moment of death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-re-in-the-transition-between-birth-and-death-but-the-one-that/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [You don't want to be that parent - the one who dresses his kid in a cloth sack when all the other kids are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-don-t-want-to-be-that-parent-the-one-who-dresses-his-kid-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) [Explore all 690 George Saunders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## More Baggage quotes > [“logotherapy,” which, in a nutshell, is about searching for the meaning packed in one’s baggage, something”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/logotherapy-which-in-a-nutshell-is-about-searching-for-the-meaning/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [“Forgiveness is the process of dropping off your emotional baggage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/forgiveness-is-the-process-of-dropping-off-your-emotional-baggage/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) > [All the baggage that comes with fame, being an actress. The down side to it is the intrusion into your life and this expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/all-the-baggage-that-comes-with-fame-being-an-actress-the-down-side/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [“they accepted any baggage that came with you and made you believe you were more than you actually were”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/they-accepted-any-baggage-that-came-with-you-and-made-you-believe-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Out, you tallow-face! You baggage!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/out-you-tallow-face-you-baggage/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The thing about moving," he said, "is it's a good way to shake loose whatever old baggage you have, or the old things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-schuster/the-thing-about-moving-he-said-is-it-s-a-good-way-to-shake-loose/) Tara Schuster > [A lot of people approach their barn or horse like they are going to war, because it's been going badly. So you pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-meehl/a-lot-of-people-approach-their-barn-or-horse-like-they-are-going-to/) Cindy Meehl > [I had a great dislike to the annoyances entailed by baggage; and it was always with some feeling of elation that I cut myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/i-had-a-great-dislike-to-the-annoyances-entailed-by-baggage-and-it/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [My beginnings in the Southwest are clear and palpable. My beginnings here made me pay attention to where the sun is, where the winds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-predock/my-beginnings-in-the-southwest-are-clear-and-palpable-my-beginnings/) [Antoine Predock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-predock/) > [Carry your baggage towards silence , when you seek the signs of the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/carry-your-baggage-towards-silence-when-you-seek-the-signs-of-the-way/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [I just try to leave my baggage at the door. I don't want to carry my stuff into a working environment with me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-dane/i-just-try-to-leave-my-baggage-at-the-door-i-don-t-want-to-carry-my/) [Eric Dane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-dane/) > [When you're coming off a flight, skip the restroom by the gates and head to the one in baggage claim, which is always cleaner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-jackson/when-you-re-coming-off-a-flight-skip-the-restroom-by-the-gates-and/) [Hallie Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-jackson/) > [“This actually isn't a boohoo entry about my baggage. It is meant to be a 'learn from the mistakes of others'. Hopefully my 'duh'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-m-alexander/this-actually-isn-t-a-boohoo-entry-about-my-baggage-it-is-meant-to-be/) [Jordan M. Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-m-alexander/) > [It's very inconvenient being a sculptor. It's like playing the double-bass; one's so handicapped by one's baggage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/it-s-very-inconvenient-being-a-sculptor-it-s-like-playing-the-double/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“We lose the fear of letting go of our baggage, but also the certainty that what is in them belongs to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-s-neuman/we-lose-the-fear-of-letting-go-of-our-baggage-but-also-the-certainty/) [Andrés Neuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-s-neuman/) [Browse all 359 Baggage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baggage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing a story I am just trying to find some little interesting thing to start out with: something small, even trivial. 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