--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think when you first start out, you're…" description: "\"I think when you first start out, you're writing books that are about your immediate place.\" — Jami Attenberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/jami-attenberg-2877_about_i-think-when-you-first-start-out-you-re_2895434.png" --- # I think when you first start out, you're writing books… ![“I think when you first start out, you're writing books that are about your immediate place.” quote by Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/jami-attenberg-2877_about_i-think-when-you-first-start-out-you-re_2895434.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/jami-attenberg-2877_about_i-think-when-you-first-start-out-you-re_2895434.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/jami-attenberg-2877_about_i-think-when-you-first-start-out-you-re_2895434.png) > “I think when you first start out, you're writing books that are about your immediate place.” [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early writers often draw on familiar surroundings, shaping stories from personal experience. **In simple terms:** Writers start with what they know. Key Takeaway Write from your own world. Themes creativity self-discovery authenticity Mood reflective introspective Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - first novel - blogging - memoir - local journalism Key Concepts personal narrative place-based writing Questions to Reflect On - How can you expand beyond your immediate environment? - What new settings could enrich your storytelling? A Different Perspective May limit exposure to broader perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Immediate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-immediate-4088968/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Immediate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immediate/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place/) [Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start/) [Start Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-writing/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-start-989639/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-books-366652/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [The first book is the book you have to write to get back at your parents; the book you always had in you. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/the-first-book-is-the-book-you-have-to-write-to-get-back-at-your/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [I didn't start writing my own books until I was 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/i-didn-t-start-writing-my-own-books-until-i-was-40/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [I'm tired of writing exams for marks. I want to start writing books for sell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/i-m-tired-of-writing-exams-for-marks-i-want-to-start-writing-books/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [You should constantly write because your writing is always evolving and progressing. It's really important to start writing young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-goulding/you-should-constantly-write-because-your-writing-is-always-evolving/) [Ellie Goulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-goulding/) > [Don't start writing your novel until you know your characters very, very well. What they'd do if they saw somebody shoplifting. What they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/don-t-start-writing-your-novel-until-you-know-your-characters-very/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [In college, my idea of a productive day was to start writing at 7 A.M. and not leave my chair until dinnertime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-grant/in-college-my-idea-of-a-productive-day-was-to-start-writing-at-7-a-m/) [Adam Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-grant/) > [I think any start has to be a false start because really there’s no way to start. You just have to force yourself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-think-any-start-has-to-be-a-false-start-because-really-there-s-no/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [I think sometimes we start out wanting to do things that maybe we're not cut out for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-sestero/i-think-sometimes-we-start-out-wanting-to-do-things-that-maybe-we-re/) [Greg Sestero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-sestero/) > [I think once you start traveling, you don’t stop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-mycoskie/i-think-once-you-start-traveling-you-don-t-stop/) [Blake Mycoskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-mycoskie/) > [I think this is the start of something really big. Sometimes that first step is the hardest one, and we've just taken it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-think-this-is-the-start-of-something-really-big-sometimes-that/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“You only have as much time as you think you do. Start telling yourself you have enough time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/you-only-have-as-much-time-as-you-think-you-do-start-telling-yourself/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [“I always think that you should start with the problem that you’re trying to solve”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hartley/i-always-think-that-you-should-start-with-the-problem-that-you-re/) [Scott Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hartley/) > [I do hope that young men and women will start to think for themselves and start to take responsibility for their own thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-do-hope-that-young-men-and-women-will-start-to-think-for-themselves/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Thinking from the very beginning is just starting to think at very start...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/by-no-where/thinking-from-the-very-beginning-is-just-starting-to-think-at-very/) [By No Where](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/by-no-where/) > [I think there are too many start-ups and not enough real companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/i-think-there-are-too-many-start-ups-and-not-enough-real-companies/) [Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/) ## More by Jami Attenberg > [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-just-think-structure-can-make-a-book-feel-so-much-bigger-it-s-the/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [“And she was funny and beautiful and she liked the same books, the same music, and she wanted everything I did, was in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/and-she-was-funny-and-beautiful-and-she-liked-the-same-books-the-same/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [Most of my writer friends are women, and they're all extremely talented, so of course I think the state of contemporary fiction for women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/most-of-my-writer-friends-are-women-and-they-re-all-extremely/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [I'm not really interested in writing or reading about people who are nice and easy. I like the problem children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-m-not-really-interested-in-writing-or-reading-about-people-who-are/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [“mostly I have found myself resisting their sadness when I have so much of my own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/mostly-i-have-found-myself-resisting-their-sadness-when-i-have-so/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [You write a book, and after 50 pages you think it's about one thing, and then you write another hundred and you realize it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/you-write-a-book-and-after-50-pages-you-think-it-s-about-one-thing/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [Do you often find yourself uttering the phrase, 'I feel like I should go?' You do not need to go. You are busy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/do-you-often-find-yourself-uttering-the-phrase-i-feel-like-i-should/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [We've all got flesh. I've just got a little more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/we-ve-all-got-flesh-i-ve-just-got-a-little-more/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [In the wintertime I like macaroni and cheese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/in-the-wintertime-i-like-macaroni-and-cheese/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [“We listen to NPR for the first two hours on the road, the strange comfort of bad news reported in reasonable tones,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/we-listen-to-npr-for-the-first-two-hours-on-the-road-the-strange/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [I am not one of those people who string their exes along. Instead, I run and hide: under the covers, behind my computer screen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-am-not-one-of-those-people-who-string-their-exes-along-instead-i/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [When I was growing up in Chicago, my family and I used to go to a local chain, Hackney's, for burgers and their French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/when-i-was-growing-up-in-chicago-my-family-and-i-used-to-go-to-a/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [I remember being banned from other houses as a younger child during the winter holiday season; I was the only one who didn't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-remember-being-banned-from-other-houses-as-a-younger-child-during/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [Sometimes, things are just exercises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/sometimes-things-are-just-exercises/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [I've just always written, and always considered myself a writer. I wrote my first story when I was five. There was nothing else I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-ve-just-always-written-and-always-considered-myself-a-writer-i/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) [Explore all 147 Jami Attenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. 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That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. 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I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think when you first start out, you're writing books that are about your immediate place.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jami Attenberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-think-when-you-first-start-out-you-re-writing-books-that-are-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-think-when-you-first-start-out-you-re-writing-books-that-are-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/jami-attenberg-2877_about_i-think-when-you-first-start-out-you-re_2895434.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/jami-attenberg-2877_about_i-think-when-you-first-start-out-you-re_2895434.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/jami-attenberg-2877_about_i-think-when-you-first-start-out-you-re_2895434.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think when you first start out, you're writing books that are about your immediate place.” — Jami Attenberg", "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": "Jami Attenberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think when you first start...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-think-when-you-first-start-out-you-re-writing-books-that-are-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-think-when-you-first-start-out-you-re-writing-books-that-are-about/#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 } } ] } ```