---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One thing I'd do was put a great writer's…"
description: "\"One thing I'd do was put a great writer's book beside the typewriter and... type out a beautiful and moving paragraph... and see those sentences rising..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/gina-berriault-62710_beautiful_one-thing-i-d-do-was-put-a-great-writer_2808566.jpg"
---

#  One thing I'd do was put a great writer's book beside the…

![“One thing I'd do was put a great writer's book beside the typewriter and... type out a beautiful and moving paragraph... and see those sentences rising up... and... think, 'Someday maybe I can write like that…' It was like a dream of possibilities for my own self. And maybe I began to know that…” quote by Gina Berriault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/gina-berriault-62710_beautiful_one-thing-i-d-do-was-put-a-great-writer_2808566.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/gina-berriault-62710_beautiful_one-thing-i-d-do-was-put-a-great-writer_2808566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/gina-berriault-62710_beautiful_one-thing-i-d-do-was-put-a-great-writer_2808566.jpg)

> “One thing I'd do was put a great writer's book beside the typewriter and... type out a beautiful and moving paragraph... and see those sentences rising up... and... think, 'Someday maybe I can write like that…' It was like a dream of possibilities for my own self. And maybe I began to know that there was no other way for the sentence... to... arouse the same feeling. The someone writing whose words were rising from the typewriter became like a mentor for me… You shouldn't do it more than a few times because you must get on with your own work.”

[Gina Berriault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-berriault/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Seeing a great writer’s work inspires personal ambition, but one must eventually develop one’s own voice.

**In simple terms:** Great writing inspires, but you must find your own style.

Key Takeaway

Use role models, then forge your own path.

Themes

inspiration mentorship creativity

Mood

reflective motivational

Type

creative inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- reading classic literature
- personal journaling
- creative exercises

Key Concepts

literary influence self‑development writing process

Questions to Reflect On

- When does imitation become stagnation?
- How can you transition from copying to creating?

A Different Perspective

Over‑reliance on imitation can hinder originality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Feeling Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-writing-974434/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Great writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-writers/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Maybe Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe-write-437894/) [Mentor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentor/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Paragraph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paragraph/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Rising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rising/) [Rising Typewriter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rising-typewriter-3502813/) [Rising up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rising-up/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Someday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/someday/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) [Typewriters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/typewriters/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Write Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-like/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-words/)

## Related quotes

> [Maybe I will write a memoir, perhaps I'll do some essays, or maybe I will write a mystery story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/maybe-i-will-write-a-memoir-perhaps-i-ll-do-some-essays-or-maybe-i/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [I remember I had had one woman who had three or four kids, and some of them were having problems. I said, 'Maybe you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/i-remember-i-had-had-one-woman-who-had-three-or-four-kids-and-some-of/)

[Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/)

> [I'm not thinking about the next record really yet. I kind of want to do a bunch of stuff with Jonathan Zawada, the guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flume/i-m-not-thinking-about-the-next-record-really-yet-i-kind-of-want-to/)

[Flume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flume/)

> [“Life baffles me most days. Maybe that's why I write. To try and make sense of it all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-hall/life-baffles-me-most-days-maybe-that-s-why-i-write-to-try-and-make/)

[Christy Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-hall/)

> [Maybe I can't write without painting myself into a corner first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/maybe-i-can-t-write-without-painting-myself-into-a-corner-first/)

[Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/)

> [“I've been getting tired of writing stories in the stars. Maybe we can write something in the good old Arkansas dirt. ~Holly”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-coryell/i-ve-been-getting-tired-of-writing-stories-in-the-stars-maybe-we-can/)

[Christina Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-coryell/)

> [I'll maybe write a book - I wish people read more. But I don't know about developing and starring in a show myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-james/i-ll-maybe-write-a-book-i-wish-people-read-more-but-i-don-t-know/)

[Janelle James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-james/)

> [Maybe I should write 'Tiger Who?' on my cap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-singh/maybe-i-should-write-tiger-who-on-my-cap/)

[Vijay Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-singh/)

> [I didn't know if I could write. I was writing all these songs at home and was like, 'Maybe I can write?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-wallen/i-didn-t-know-if-i-could-write-i-was-writing-all-these-songs-at-home/)

[Morgan Wallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-wallen/)

> [I don't spend the day writing. I'll maybe write fresh copy for two hours, and then I'll go back and revise some of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-don-t-spend-the-day-writing-i-ll-maybe-write-fresh-copy-for-two/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [I have the strangest thoughts in my head, maybe I should not write them down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erlend-loe/i-have-the-strangest-thoughts-in-my-head-maybe-i-should-not-write/)

[Erlend Loe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erlend-loe/)

> [“I've come to the realization that I really only want to write books that maybe I can't write.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-ve-come-to-the-realization-that-i-really-only-want-to-write-books/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [When I was young, I was stupid, and I thought maybe I would write the fancy stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/when-i-was-young-i-was-stupid-and-i-thought-maybe-i-would-write-the/)

[Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/)

> [“How would she fill the days? She had no idea. The trick of it, she told herself, is to be courageous and bold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/how-would-she-fill-the-days-she-had-no-idea-the-trick-of-it-she-told/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

> [The trick of it, she told herself, is to be courageous and bold and make a different. Not change the world exactly, just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/the-trick-of-it-she-told-herself-is-to-be-courageous-and-bold-and-3/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

## More by Gina Berriault

> [“The day was cold, and every time the little transparent fans of water swept in and drew back, the wet sand mirrored a clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-berriault/the-day-was-cold-and-every-time-the-little-transparent-fans-of-water/)

[Gina Berriault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-berriault/)

> [“Some days after, the girl encountered her again, in a dream, as she was years ago: a very slender young woman in a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-berriault/some-days-after-the-girl-encountered-her-again-in-a-dream-as-she-was/)

[Gina Berriault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-berriault/)

> [Short stories and some short novels are close to poetry--with the fewest words they capture the essence of a situation, of a human being.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-berriault/short-stories-and-some-short-novels-are-close-to-poetry-with-the/)

[Gina Berriault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-berriault/)

> [It’s over me like a ton of water, the things I don’t know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-berriault/it-s-over-me-like-a-ton-of-water-the-things-i-don-t-know/)

[Gina Berriault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-berriault/)

[Explore all 5 Gina Berriault quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-berriault/)

## More Beautiful quotes

> [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/)

[Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/)

> [Being beautiful comes naturally!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-beautiful-comes-naturally/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/)

[Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/)

> [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/)

[Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/)

[Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/)

> [Growing up in Iceland, it was very beautiful, very safe, but quite isolated. There was something about jazz music that had a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/growing-up-in-iceland-it-was-very-beautiful-very-safe-but-quite/)

[Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/)

> [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/)

[Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/)

> [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/)

[Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/)

> [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/)

[Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/)

[Browse all 17,976 Beautiful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "One thing I'd do was put a great writer's book beside the typewriter and... type out a beautiful and moving paragraph... and see those sentences rising up... and... think, 'Someday maybe I can write like that…' It was like a dream of possibilities for my own self. And maybe I began to know that there was no other way for the sentence... to... arouse the same feeling. The someone writing whose words were rising from the typewriter became like a mentor for me… You shouldn't do it more than a few times because you must get on with your own work.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gina Berriault"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-berriault/one-thing-i-d-do-was-put-a-great-writer-s-book-beside-the-typewriter/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beautiful"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-berriault/one-thing-i-d-do-was-put-a-great-writer-s-book-beside-the-typewriter/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/gina-berriault-62710_beautiful_one-thing-i-d-do-was-put-a-great-writer_2808566.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/gina-berriault-62710_beautiful_one-thing-i-d-do-was-put-a-great-writer_2808566.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/gina-berriault-62710_beautiful_one-thing-i-d-do-was-put-a-great-writer_2808566.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One thing I'd do was put a great writer's book beside the typewriter and... type out a beautiful and moving…” — Gina Berriault",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Gina Berriault",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-berriault/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "One thing I'd do was put...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-berriault/one-thing-i-d-do-was-put-a-great-writer-s-book-beside-the-typewriter/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-berriault/one-thing-i-d-do-was-put-a-great-writer-s-book-beside-the-typewriter/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
