--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I stopped writing fiction the moment I…" description: "\"I stopped writing fiction the moment I started writing songs, and I miss it.\" — Jake Shears" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de7/jake-shears-21418_fiction_i-stopped-writing-fiction-the-moment-i-s_345502.jpg" --- # I stopped writing fiction the moment I started writing… ![“I stopped writing fiction the moment I started writing songs, and I miss it.” quote by Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de7/jake-shears-21418_fiction_i-stopped-writing-fiction-the-moment-i-s_345502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de7/jake-shears-21418_fiction_i-stopped-writing-fiction-the-moment-i-s_345502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de7/jake-shears-21418_fiction_i-stopped-writing-fiction-the-moment-i-s_345502.jpg) > “I stopped writing fiction the moment I started writing songs, and I miss it.” [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He stopped writing stories when he began songwriting, now regrets missing fiction. **In simple terms:** He left fiction for music, now feels loss. Key Takeaway Revisit past passions. Themes regret creative shift nostalgia Mood melancholic reflective Type artistic personal When to use this quote - career change - artistic exploration Key Concepts writing music composition Questions to Reflect On - What draws you back to fiction? - Can you blend songwriting with storytelling? A Different Perspective Balancing two arts can be draining. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-fiction/) [Writing songs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-songs/) ## Related quotes > [The best thing about writing fiction is that moment where the story catches fire and comes to life on the page, and suddenly it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-best-thing-about-writing-fiction-is-that-moment-where-the-story-2/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The best thing about writing fiction is that moment where the story catches fire and comes to life on the page, and suddenly it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-best-thing-about-writing-fiction-is-that-moment-where-the-story/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I've always loved to write, and I wrote fiction all my life. That's what I thought I was going to do in my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-ve-always-loved-to-write-and-i-wrote-fiction-all-my-life-that-s/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [In my off-time, I do record. Once in a while, I'll just go into the studio if there's a really good song that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britney-spears/in-my-off-time-i-do-record-once-in-a-while-i-ll-just-go-into-the/) [Britney Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britney-spears/) > [We're completely confused about the boundaries between fiction and non-fiction. To me, the moment you compose, you're fictionalising; the moment you remember, you're dreaming.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/we-re-completely-confused-about-the-boundaries-between-fiction-and/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [About a year after (my stories began being published), magazine editor George Scithers, suggested to me that since I was so new at being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-longyear/about-a-year-after-my-stories-began-being-published-magazine-editor/) [Barry B. Longyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-b-longyear/) > [When I started writing fiction, I knew how good it was immediately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-started-writing-fiction-i-knew-how-good-it-was-immediately/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I first started writing fiction in college because I was attracted to beautiful sentences. I loved to read them. I wanted to write them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-first-started-writing-fiction-in-college-because-i-was-attracted-to/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [In college, I'd gone abroad to get away from a campus where I felt I didn't fit in. And I started writing fiction, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/in-college-i-d-gone-abroad-to-get-away-from-a-campus-where-i-felt-i/) [Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/) > [Finally, in my early 30s, I started writing fiction for the first time as an adult. That felt so scary, and I spent a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/finally-in-my-early-30s-i-started-writing-fiction-for-the-first-time/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [When I was 6 my dad taught me the blues scale, and I started writing songs and improvising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-conte/when-i-was-6-my-dad-taught-me-the-blues-scale-and-i-started-writing/) [Jack Conte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-conte/) > [In 2012, I started writing songs - not for the world to hear, but for certain people I needed to talk to. My family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-booker/in-2012-i-started-writing-songs-not-for-the-world-to-hear-but-for/) [Benjamin Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-booker/) > [I just feel like it's easier to co-write sometimes, especially if you have chemistry with somebody. It kind of takes all the pressure off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/i-just-feel-like-it-s-easier-to-co-write-sometimes-especially-if-you/) [Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/) > [I started writing songs when I was 10. It was a natural way to express myself as a kid. It wasn't until I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbra/i-started-writing-songs-when-i-was-10-it-was-a-natural-way-to-express/) [Kimbra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbra/) > [If you watch home videos, at 4 years old, I was doing nothing but being the entertainer. Singing 'Boot Scootin' Boogie' in the living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-rhett/if-you-watch-home-videos-at-4-years-old-i-was-doing-nothing-but-being/) [Thomas Rhett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-rhett/) ## More by Jake Shears > [I've always loved to write, and I wrote fiction all my life. That's what I thought I was going to do in my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-ve-always-loved-to-write-and-i-wrote-fiction-all-my-life-that-s/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [There are only so many chords and notes in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/there-are-only-so-many-chords-and-notes-in-the-world/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [I just like to work with other people, and I like things that are kind of a little bit bigger than that. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-just-like-to-work-with-other-people-and-i-like-things-that-are-kind/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [I don't let things stress me out, and I'm doing my best with all the battles life presents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-don-t-let-things-stress-me-out-and-i-m-doing-my-best-with-all-the/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [Being able to afford getting groceries - it frees people up to be creative. I think when you're spending 16 hours of every day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/being-able-to-afford-getting-groceries-it-frees-people-up-to-be/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [I came out when I was 15 at school, and I realized I had put myself into a precarious situation. It was a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-came-out-when-i-was-15-at-school-and-i-realized-i-had-put-myself/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [Ween is in my top five and have always been a huge inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/ween-is-in-my-top-five-and-have-always-been-a-huge-inspiration/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [Lord knows, I love a brainless pop song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/lord-knows-i-love-a-brainless-pop-song/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [L.A. will never, ever, ever, ever be my town. It'll never be my town. It's not New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/l-a-will-never-ever-ever-ever-be-my-town-it-ll-never-be-my-town-it-s/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [My mom's a Christian and she loves me; that whole side of my family is Christian and I have no problem with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/my-mom-s-a-christian-and-she-loves-me-that-whole-side-of-my-family-is/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [I do think it's possible to change people's minds - it's one of my goals with my music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-do-think-it-s-possible-to-change-people-s-minds-it-s-one-of-my/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [I've been a much happier person in my early thirties than I was in my twenties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-ve-been-a-much-happier-person-in-my-early-thirties-than-i-was-in-my/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [I think, as people, we're isolating ourselves. We're talking to each other through our phones, arguing... those divisions freak me out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-think-as-people-we-re-isolating-ourselves-we-re-talking-to-each/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [I get a little teary on stage sometimes. It can be really emotional when it dawns on you that people are singing along and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-get-a-little-teary-on-stage-sometimes-it-can-be-really-emotional/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [We've never been outrageous on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/we-ve-never-been-outrageous-on-stage/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) [Explore all 29 Jake Shears quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) Edward Einhorn > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) Coheed and Cambria > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I stopped writing fiction the moment I started writing songs, and I miss it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jake Shears" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-stopped-writing-fiction-the-moment-i-started-writing-songs-and-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-stopped-writing-fiction-the-moment-i-started-writing-songs-and-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de7/jake-shears-21418_fiction_i-stopped-writing-fiction-the-moment-i-s_345502.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de7/jake-shears-21418_fiction_i-stopped-writing-fiction-the-moment-i-s_345502.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de7/jake-shears-21418_fiction_i-stopped-writing-fiction-the-moment-i-s_345502.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I stopped writing fiction the moment I started writing songs, and I miss it.” — Jake Shears", "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": "Jake Shears", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I stopped writing fiction the moment...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-stopped-writing-fiction-the-moment-i-started-writing-songs-and-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-stopped-writing-fiction-the-moment-i-started-writing-songs-and-i/#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 } } ] } ```