--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I began writing, the words that…" description: "\"When I began writing, the words that inspired me were these: A writer is someone who has written today. If you want to be a writer, whats stopping you?..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/j-a-jance-2-37273_ifs_when-i-began-writing-the-words-that-insp_371180.png" --- # When I began writing, the words that inspired me were… ![“When I began writing, the words that inspired me were these: A writer is someone who has written today. If you want to be a writer, whats stopping you?” quote by J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/j-a-jance-2-37273_ifs_when-i-began-writing-the-words-that-insp_371180.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/j-a-jance-2-37273_ifs_when-i-began-writing-the-words-that-insp_371180.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/j-a-jance-2-37273_ifs_when-i-began-writing-the-words-that-insp_371180.png) > “When I began writing, the words that inspired me were these: A writer is someone who has written today. If you want to be a writer, whats stopping you?” [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing is presented as an accessible act; anyone can become a writer if they take the first step today. **In simple terms:** Anyone can write if they start now. Key Takeaway Start writing today. Themes creativity motivation self‑efficacy writing action Mood encouraging optimistic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journals - blogging - social media posts Key Concepts self‑help inspirational practical Questions to Reflect On - What small writing habit could you begin? - What excuses hold you back? A Different Perspective Fear of inadequacy may still block action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Began Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/began-writing/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Inspired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspired/) [Inspired Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspired-writer-1384651/) [Stopping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopping/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-writer/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Whats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-whats-3386419/) [Writer Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-written-662063/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) ## Related quotes > [A writer is someone who has written something today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance-2/a-writer-is-someone-who-has-written-something-today/) [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) > [I can clearly trace my passion for reading back to the Jonesboro, Georgia, library, where for the first time in my life I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/i-can-clearly-trace-my-passion-for-reading-back-to-the-jonesboro-2/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I was inspired to become a writer by horror movies and science fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-was-inspired-to-become-a-writer-by-horror-movies-and-science-fiction/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I'm inspired as a writer by any place where I've lived for a significant amount of time that have memories, my past, and stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-m-inspired-as-a-writer-by-any-place-where-i-ve-lived-for-a/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Many years ago, I was a producer on a movie called 'My Dog Skip.' Willie Morris, the great southern writer, had written the book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lee-hancock/many-years-ago-i-was-a-producer-on-a-movie-called-my-dog-skip-willie/) [John Lee Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lee-hancock/) > [I don't categorize myself as an 85-year-old woman who has written an erotic novel. I categorize myself as a writer who's written an erotic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-vanderbilt/i-don-t-categorize-myself-as-an-85-year-old-woman-who-has-written-an/) [Gloria Vanderbilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-vanderbilt/) > [I think I'm less the writer than I'm the written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/i-think-i-m-less-the-writer-than-i-m-the-written/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [All of my books are about researching. I do all the research and I give it to a writer who can put it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-wyman/all-of-my-books-are-about-researching-i-do-all-the-research-and-i/) [Bill Wyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-wyman/) > [No one can call themselves a writer until he or she has written at least fifty stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/no-one-can-call-themselves-a-writer-until-he-or-she-has-written-at/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Kerouac and I are not real at all. The only thing about a writer is that he has written, and not his so-called life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/kerouac-and-i-are-not-real-at-all-the-only-thing-about-a-writer-is/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Sometimes what I'm looking for is the thing that will help renew people's interest in a writer that they may have written off as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/sometimes-what-i-m-looking-for-is-the-thing-that-will-help-renew/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [“When I was in high school, all my friends said they were going to be writers. And I thought, How come you get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/when-i-was-in-high-school-all-my-friends-said-they-were-going-to-be/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [Every writer has written a spec. It's the first thing you write, and it basically stands as a means of, 'Here's an example of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-sheridan/every-writer-has-written-a-spec-it-s-the-first-thing-you-write-and-it/) [Taylor Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-sheridan/) > [When you find a writer who really is saying something to you, read everything that writer has written and you will get more education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-find-a-writer-who-really-is-saying-something-to-you-read/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [This suspension of one's own reality, this being entirely alone in a strange city (at times I wondered if I had lost the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/this-suspension-of-one-s-own-reality-this-being-entirely-alone-in-a/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) ## More by J. A. Jance > [Beyond a certain point, that was all a mother could do for her children - Hang around long enough to drive them crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance-2/beyond-a-certain-point-that-was-all-a-mother-could-do-for-her/) [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) > [Jealousy is an emotion. It doesn't have to make sense. In fact, it usually doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance-2/jealousy-is-an-emotion-it-doesn-t-have-to-make-sense-in-fact-it/) [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) > [I play golf - badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance-2/i-play-golf-badly/) [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) > [A writer is someone who has written something today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance-2/a-writer-is-someone-who-has-written-something-today/) [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) > [When you have an important story to tell, the words you need seem to come of their own accord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance-2/when-you-have-an-important-story-to-tell-the-words-you-need-seem-to/) [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) > [I now can be sure that, once I start writing a book, I'll be able to finish it. I've also become more assured about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance-2/i-now-can-be-sure-that-once-i-start-writing-a-book-i-ll-be-able-to/) [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) > [Give the girl an inch and she thinks she's a ruler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance-2/give-the-girl-an-inch-and-she-thinks-she-s-a-ruler/) [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) > [There are old riders and bold riders, but no old bold riders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance-2/there-are-old-riders-and-bold-riders-but-no-old-bold-riders/) [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) > [my major form of exercise is jumping to conclusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance-2/my-major-form-of-exercise-is-jumping-to-conclusions/) [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) > [As I get older, the things I'm sure of become fewer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance-2/as-i-get-older-the-things-i-m-sure-of-become-fewer/) [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) > [I've been writing for a long time. I sat down to write my first novel in the middle of March of 1982.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance-2/i-ve-been-writing-for-a-long-time-i-sat-down-to-write-my-first-novel/) [J. A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) [Explore all 12 J. A. Jance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance-2/) ## More Ifs quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) [Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I began writing, the words that inspired me were these: A writer is someone who has written today. If you want to be a writer, whats stopping you?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J. A. 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