---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I got done writing Ports of Call and…"
description: "\"I got done writing Ports of Call and suddenly realized I have far too much material for the book.\" — Jack Vance"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/jack-vance-3851_book_i-got-done-writing-ports-of-call-and-sud_810176.jpg"
---

#  I got done writing Ports of Call and suddenly realized I…

![“I got done writing Ports of Call and suddenly realized I have far too much material for the book.” quote by Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/jack-vance-3851_book_i-got-done-writing-ports-of-call-and-sud_810176.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/jack-vance-3851_book_i-got-done-writing-ports-of-call-and-sud_810176.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/jack-vance-3851_book_i-got-done-writing-ports-of-call-and-sud_810176.jpg)

> “I got done writing Ports of Call and suddenly realized I have far too much material for the book.”

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

## About This Quote

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

The author discovers an excess of content, indicating the story expanded beyond initial plans.

**In simple terms:** Too much material for the book.

Key Takeaway

Trim or restructure the manuscript.

Themes

writing creativity overproduction

Mood

reflective pragmatic

Type

advice process

When to use this quote

- drafting
- editing
- publishing
- story planning

Key Concepts

narrative scope editing authorial intent

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you decide what to cut?
- What core story must remain?

A Different Perspective

Too much material can dilute focus and pacing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Port](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/port/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I write a lot about my experiences and the people I meet. I've got a lot of material. But a book about me? It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/i-write-a-lot-about-my-experiences-and-the-people-i-meet-i-ve-got-a/)

[Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/)

> [I write a lot about my experiences and the people I meet. Ive got a lot of material. But a book about me? It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/i-write-a-lot-about-my-experiences-and-the-people-i-meet-ive-got-a/)

[Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/)

> [A movie is not a book. If the source material is a book, you cannot be too respectful of the book. All you owe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/a-movie-is-not-a-book-if-the-source-material-is-a-book-you-cannot-be/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

> [I got into writing and thinking about politics because I was told there would be no math.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-greenfield/i-got-into-writing-and-thinking-about-politics-because-i-was-told/)

[Jeff Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-greenfield/)

> [The guy who sits at the keyboard and types is so much smarter than I am. I think I got into writing so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-guggenheim/the-guy-who-sits-at-the-keyboard-and-types-is-so-much-smarter-than-i/)

[Marc Guggenheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-guggenheim/)

> [I've got to keep on writing. That's non-negotiable. At the same time, one has to look at the world and recognise that writing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/i-ve-got-to-keep-on-writing-that-s-non-negotiable-at-the-same-time/)

[Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/)

> [Really important books to me are the classics. I try very hard to read them well - you know, especially once I got serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/really-important-books-to-me-are-the-classics-i-try-very-hard-to-read/)

[Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/)

> [I think I got serious about writing in the late '90s. The first stuff I wrote was terrible and got rejected, but I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/i-think-i-got-serious-about-writing-in-the-late-90s-the-first-stuff-i/)

[Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/)

> [I got the writing bug in the fourth grade when a poem of mine was published in the school newspaper. Music criticism came a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-powers/i-got-the-writing-bug-in-the-fourth-grade-when-a-poem-of-mine-was/)

[Ann Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-powers/)

> [I don't got nobody writing my lyrics and that's why I freestyle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riff-raff/i-don-t-got-nobody-writing-my-lyrics-and-that-s-why-i-freestyle/)

[Riff Raff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riff-raff/)

> [And every friend I've got has been writing Mars stories. It was pretty clear I'd never catch up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-niven/and-every-friend-i-ve-got-has-been-writing-mars-stories-it-was-pretty/)

[Larry Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-niven/)

> [If we got writing assignments in English class to make up a story, that was when the glimmer of creativity popped out. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-forsman/if-we-got-writing-assignments-in-english-class-to-make-up-a-story/)

[Charles Forsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-forsman/)

> [I've had a lot of writers, in particular, who said they got into writing because of the 'Van Dyke Show.' They said it looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-van-dyke/i-ve-had-a-lot-of-writers-in-particular-who-said-they-got-into/)

[Dick Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-van-dyke/)

> [Well Ive been rhyming since I was 5 years old and I kinda stopped when I was 10. Then this summer I got back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diggy-simmons/well-ive-been-rhyming-since-i-was-5-years-old-and-i-kinda-stopped/)

[Diggy Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diggy-simmons/)

> [I got into writing short stories and blogs while on the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coy-bowles/i-got-into-writing-short-stories-and-blogs-while-on-the-road/)

[Coy Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coy-bowles/)

## More by Jack Vance

> [Conversation! Supple sentences, with first and second meanings and overtones beyond, outrageous challenges with cleverly planned slip-points, rebuttals of elegant brevity; deceptions and guiles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/conversation-supple-sentences-with-first-and-second-meanings-and/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [But, for instance, when I was awfully young, I read all the Oz books. They were an enormous influence on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/but-for-instance-when-i-was-awfully-young-i-read-all-the-oz-books/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [I categorically declare first my absolute innocence, second my lack of criminal intent, and third my effusive apologies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/i-categorically-declare-first-my-absolute-innocence-second-my-lack-of/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [Right now I'm so old that if I had a big gush of money, I don't know what I'd do with it. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/right-now-i-m-so-old-that-if-i-had-a-big-gush-of-money-i-don-t-know/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [This is no science, this is art, where equations fall away to elements like resolving chords, and where always prevails a symmetry either explicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/this-is-no-science-this-is-art-where-equations-fall-away-to-elements/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [“I will be glad to go. There is no poetry here. It is as I have always set forth: joy comes of its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/i-will-be-glad-to-go-there-is-no-poetry-here-it-is-as-i-have-always/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [Jack Vance's Lyonesse books are the greatest fairy tale of the twentieth century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/jack-vance-s-lyonesse-books-are-the-greatest-fairy-tale-of-the/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [Good music always defeats bad luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/good-music-always-defeats-bad-luck/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [“I am not Cugel the Clever for nothing!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/i-am-not-cugel-the-clever-for-nothing/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [“Twango's hospitality, though largely symbolic, does him credit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/twango-s-hospitality-though-largely-symbolic-does-him-credit/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [Nothing is more conspicuous than a farting princess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/nothing-is-more-conspicuous-than-a-farting-princess/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [“The dead man's companions at the counter started to their feet, but halted as Voynod with great aplomb turned to face them. "Take care,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/the-dead-man-s-companions-at-the-counter-started-to-their-feet-but/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [The story was such that I couldn't make a graceful ending and then make a graceful new beginning. I could have, but I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/the-story-was-such-that-i-couldn-t-make-a-graceful-ending-and-then/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [Vance has a genius in evoking the beauty of strangeness, the strangeness of beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/vance-has-a-genius-in-evoking-the-beauty-of-strangeness-the/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

> [This flattery has been rather slow in coming. I think all of sudden late in life now I'm getting some credit for what I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/this-flattery-has-been-rather-slow-in-coming-i-think-all-of-sudden/)

[Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

[Explore all 120 Jack Vance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I got done writing Ports of Call and suddenly realized I have far too much material for the book.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jack Vance"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/i-got-done-writing-ports-of-call-and-suddenly-realized-i-have-far-too/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/i-got-done-writing-ports-of-call-and-suddenly-realized-i-have-far-too/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/jack-vance-3851_book_i-got-done-writing-ports-of-call-and-sud_810176.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/jack-vance-3851_book_i-got-done-writing-ports-of-call-and-sud_810176.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d07/jack-vance-3851_book_i-got-done-writing-ports-of-call-and-sud_810176.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I got done writing Ports of Call and suddenly realized I have far too much material for the book.” — Jack Vance",
                "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": "Jack Vance",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I got done writing Ports of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/i-got-done-writing-ports-of-call-and-suddenly-realized-i-have-far-too/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/i-got-done-writing-ports-of-call-and-suddenly-realized-i-have-far-too/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
