--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is not something you can do or…" description: "\"Writing is not something you can do or you can't. It's not even something that 'other people do' or 'for smart people only' or even 'for people who fin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/jasper-fforde-797_assembling_writing-is-not-something-you-can-do-or-y_1679266.png" --- # Writing is not something you can do or you can't. It's not… ![“Writing is not something you can do or you can't. It's not even something that 'other people do' or 'for smart people only' or even 'for people who finished school and went to University'. Nonsense. Anyone can do it. But no-one can do it straight off the bat. Like plastering, brain surgery or…” quote by Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/jasper-fforde-797_assembling_writing-is-not-something-you-can-do-or-y_1679266.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/jasper-fforde-797_assembling_writing-is-not-something-you-can-do-or-y_1679266.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/jasper-fforde-797_assembling_writing-is-not-something-you-can-do-or-y_1679266.png) > “Writing is not something you can do or you can't. It's not even something that 'other people do' or 'for smart people only' or even 'for people who finished school and went to University'. Nonsense. Anyone can do it. But no-one can do it straight off the bat. Like plastering, brain surgery or assembling truck engines, you have to do a bit of training - get your hands dirty - and make some mistakes.” [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing requires practice and learning from mistakes, just like any skilled craft. **In simple terms:** Writing is a skill learned through effort. Key Takeaway Practice writing regularly. Themes creativity skill development learning effort Mood determined encouraging Type advice motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - self‑study - daily journaling - creative projects Key Concepts deliberate practice growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - How can you structure practice to improve? - What mistakes have taught you most? A Different Perspective Talent alone isn’t enough; persistence matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assembling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assembling/) [Bats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bats/) [Bits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Brain surgery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-surgery/) [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Dirty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirty/) [Engines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engines/) [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Finished school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished-school/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Nonsense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonsense/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Plastering Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plastering-brain-940627/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Smart people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart-people/) [Surgery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surgery/) [Training](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/training/) [Truck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truck/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [University Nonsense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university-nonsense-940628/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-people/) ## Related quotes > [I was always made to work at a very early age. I finished school at 4 P.M. and by 5 P.M. I was working.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-gubay/i-was-always-made-to-work-at-a-very-early-age-i-finished-school-at-4/) [Albert Gubay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-gubay/) > [I had nearly finished school because I was making effort not that bad on that. But there was a law in Germany after the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/i-had-nearly-finished-school-because-i-was-making-effort-not-that-bad/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [I wish at times I had finished school just to say I had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-travis/i-wish-at-times-i-had-finished-school-just-to-say-i-had/) [Randy Travis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-travis/) > [It's strange, somebody asked for my autograph the other day. Because I finished school and I'm not really doing anything at the moment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/it-s-strange-somebody-asked-for-my-autograph-the-other-day-because-i/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [By the time I finished school, I found out I wasn't qualified to study anything but music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fela-kuti/by-the-time-i-finished-school-i-found-out-i-wasn-t-qualified-to-study/) [Fela Kuti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fela-kuti/) > [My social life is friends at the pool; I have just finished school as I am now a full-time athlete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-jane-applegate/my-social-life-is-friends-at-the-pool-i-have-just-finished-school-as/) [Jessica-Jane Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-jane-applegate/) > [My cousin finished school can't believe he graduated. Threw him 20,000 dollars told his ass congratulations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/my-cousin-finished-school-can-t-believe-he-graduated-threw-him-20-000/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It can take a long time for some people to find out how to ground themselves, and film sets are an odd atmosphere to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-rhys-meyers/it-can-take-a-long-time-for-some-people-to-find-out-how-to-ground/) [Jonathan Rhys Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-rhys-meyers/) > [After I finished school, I went to JJ College of Architecture and then to Harvard. I did my B.A. with a major in filmmaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anand-mahindra/after-i-finished-school-i-went-to-jj-college-of-architecture-and-then/) [Anand Mahindra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anand-mahindra/) > [My parents wanted me to have a good education, so I finished school, and at the same time I was able to play football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkay-gundogan/my-parents-wanted-me-to-have-a-good-education-so-i-finished-school/) [Ilkay Gundogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkay-gundogan/) > [I always felt my life wasn't going to start until I finished school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-sharp/i-always-felt-my-life-wasn-t-going-to-start-until-i-finished-school/) [Lesley Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-sharp/) > [I finished school, because I started when I was thirteen, so basically around 16 or 17, I just focused on finishing high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhene-aiko/i-finished-school-because-i-started-when-i-was-thirteen-so-basically/) [Jhene Aiko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhene-aiko/) > [I grew up in Bridlington until I was 16, and I lived with my mum and my sisters. I finished school, got my GCSE's,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-heaton/i-grew-up-in-bridlington-until-i-was-16-and-i-lived-with-my-mum-and/) [Charlie Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-heaton/) > [The childhood games ended for me when I was 14 and I finished school. I had to find a job, not an easy thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/the-childhood-games-ended-for-me-when-i-was-14-and-i-finished-school/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [After I finished school I wanted to do a bunch of courses - art history in Florence, fashion in London and acting in Los…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janhvi-kapoor/after-i-finished-school-i-wanted-to-do-a-bunch-of-courses-art-history/) [Janhvi Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janhvi-kapoor/) ## More by Jasper Fforde > [Palindrome as well. My sister's name is Hannah. Father liked word games. He was fourteen times World Scrabble Champion. When he died, we buried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/palindrome-as-well-my-sister-s-name-is-hannah-father-liked-word-games/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [Ill-fitting grammar are like ill-fitting shoes. You can get used to it for a bit, but then one day your toes fall off and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/ill-fitting-grammar-are-like-ill-fitting-shoes-you-can-get-used-to-it/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [Agents and publishers only want one thing - good writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/agents-and-publishers-only-want-one-thing-good-writing/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [Take no heed of her… She reads a lot of books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/take-no-heed-of-her-she-reads-a-lot-of-books/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“Our own dimension was coded ID-11 and was the only League member with diphtheria, David Hasselhoff and the French, which amused the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/our-own-dimension-was-coded-id-11-and-was-the-only-league-member-with/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [Don't ever call me mad, Mycroft. I'm not mad. I'm just ... well, differently moraled, that's all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/don-t-ever-call-me-mad-mycroft-i-m-not-mad-i-m-just-well-differently/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“They had just digested a recent meal of prepositions and were happily farting out apostrophes and ampersands; the air was heav'y with th'em&.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/they-had-just-digested-a-recent-meal-of-prepositions-and-were-happily/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [After all, reading is arguably a far more creative and imaginative process than writing; when the reader creates emotion in their head, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/after-all-reading-is-arguably-a-far-more-creative-and-imaginative/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“Sometimes your destiny takes you to dark places where you'd rather not be, but destiny, as they say, is destiny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/sometimes-your-destiny-takes-you-to-dark-places-where-you-d-rather/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“Whoever controls the supply of metaphor controls fiction! . . . Metaphor should be controlled. A glut on the market would make fiction overtly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/whoever-controls-the-supply-of-metaphor-controls-fiction-metaphor/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“A sloppy half-Windsor is the first symptom of serial indolence' she replied in the patronizing voice that Yellows reserved for Rule-breakers, 'and ignoring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/a-sloppy-half-windsor-is-the-first-symptom-of-serial-indolence-she/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [The universe always moves from an ordered state to a disordered one; that a glass may fall to the ground and shatter yet you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/the-universe-always-moves-from-an-ordered-state-to-a-disordered-one/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [To espresso or to latte, that is the question...whether 'tis tastier on the palate to choose white mocha over plain...or to take a cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/to-espresso-or-to-latte-that-is-the-question-whether-tis-tastier-on/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [I've got six months to sort out the hackers, get the Japanese knotweed under control and find an acceptable form of narcissus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/i-ve-got-six-months-to-sort-out-the-hackers-get-the-japanese-knotweed/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“They keep an eye on forgery, illegal dealing and overtly free thespian interpretations. The actor in with them was Graham Huxtable. He was putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/they-keep-an-eye-on-forgery-illegal-dealing-and-overtly-free-thespian/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) [Explore all 356 Jasper Fforde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) ## More Assembling quotes > [And, re-assembling our afflicted powers, consult how we may henceforth most offend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/and-re-assembling-our-afflicted-powers-consult-how-we-may-henceforth/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Being a Dad is the greatest, except for assembling things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/being-a-dad-is-the-greatest-except-for-assembling-things/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [The entrepreneurial journey starts with jumping off a cliff and assembling an airplane on the way down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with-jumping-off-a-cliff-and/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [The metaphor that I frequently use for entrepreneurship is jumping off a cliff and assembling an airplane plane on the way down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/the-metaphor-that-i-frequently-use-for-entrepreneurship-is-jumping/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [As artists, are we quasi psychiatrists who mend the soul? Do we provide the consolations, escapes, and reassurances which enable us to survive? Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-sherman/as-artists-are-we-quasi-psychiatrists-who-mend-the-soul-do-we-provide/) [Russell Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-sherman/) > [I'm always going to be making costumes. It's one of the ways I relax my brain. In addition to the pleasure of having the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-savage/i-m-always-going-to-be-making-costumes-it-s-one-of-the-ways-i-relax/) [Adam Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-savage/) > [I did 50 takes on Robert Shaw assembling the Greener Gun on 'Jaws.' The shark wasn't working, so I just kept shooting to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-did-50-takes-on-robert-shaw-assembling-the-greener-gun-on-jaws-the/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [God never asked us to meet life's pressures and demands on our own terms or by relying upon our own strength. Nor did He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-never-asked-us-to-meet-life-s-pressures-and-demands-on-our-own/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't simply know something by assembling a committee of words! That's it! I'll assemble your comittee! -Professor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/futurama/you-can-t-simply-know-something-by-assembling-a-committee-of-words/) [Futurama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/futurama/) > [I was conducted in the evening to a tavern where several of the weavers who advocate the principles of the People's Charter were in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mayhew/i-was-conducted-in-the-evening-to-a-tavern-where-several-of-the/) [Henry Mayhew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mayhew/) > [For years (decades even), I genuinely believed that world would beat a path to my books and stories, but eventually, as everything I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bradfield/for-years-decades-even-i-genuinely-believed-that-world-would-beat-a/) [Scott Bradfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bradfield/) > [In assembling this group of portraits of women, I'm aware that I'm treading on dangerous ground. When I was in college, I learned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-soth/in-assembling-this-group-of-portraits-of-women-i-m-aware-that-i-m/) [Alec Soth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-soth/) > [A mob is usually a creature of very mysterious existence, particularly in a large city. Where it comes from, or whither it goes, few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/a-mob-is-usually-a-creature-of-very-mysterious-existence-particularly/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Watch a French housewife as she makes her way slowly along the loaded stalls... searching for the peak of ripeness and flavor... What you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-floyd/watch-a-french-housewife-as-she-makes-her-way-slowly-along-the-loaded/) [Keith Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-floyd/) > [Usually when attorneys are assembling a jury, they're just looking for sheep that are easily impressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-kelly/usually-when-attorneys-are-assembling-a-jury-they-re-just-looking-for/) [Johnny Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-kelly/) [Browse all 53 Assembling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assembling/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing is not something you can do or you can't. It's not even something that 'other people do' or 'for smart people only' or even 'for people who finished school and went to University'. Nonsense. Anyone can do it. But no-one can do it straight off the bat. 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