--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had written many things as a…" description: "\"I had written many things as a journalist, but I had no idea if I could write something scary or romantic or touching that wasn't me writing about some..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/jeff-giles-18552_life_i-had-written-many-things-as-a-journalis_714626.jpg" --- # I had written many things as a journalist, but I had no… ![“I had written many things as a journalist, but I had no idea if I could write something scary or romantic or touching that wasn't me writing about someone else's life story. It was really exciting to try.” quote by Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/jeff-giles-18552_life_i-had-written-many-things-as-a-journalis_714626.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/jeff-giles-18552_life_i-had-written-many-things-as-a-journalis_714626.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/jeff-giles-18552_life_i-had-written-many-things-as-a-journalis_714626.jpg) > “I had written many things as a journalist, but I had no idea if I could write something scary or romantic or touching that wasn't me writing about someone else's life story. It was really exciting to try.” [Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/) ## 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 reflects on moving beyond reporting others' lives to creating original, emotionally varied fiction. **In simple terms:** He wants to write his own stories. Key Takeaway Explore personal storytelling. Themes creativity identity writing fiction Mood inspired curious Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - journalism - novel writing - screenwriting Key Concepts narrative voice empathy Questions to Reflect On - What stories are you waiting to tell? - How can you balance truth and imagination? A Different Perspective Original work may lack the objectivity of journalism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-story/) [Romantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I know that obviously, that if you want to get the story, if you want to get close to somebody, if you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-seymour-hoffman/i-know-that-obviously-that-if-you-want-to-get-the-story-if-you-want/) [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-seymour-hoffman/) > [“As far as we were concerned, we were just a blues band that had decided to write some scary music.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/as-far-as-we-were-concerned-we-were-just-a-blues-band-that-had/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [I didn't think anything we did was spectacular. I remember we thought, Let's just write some scary music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/i-didn-t-think-anything-we-did-was-spectacular-i-remember-we-thought/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [I've come to the conclusion that you can't write scary books unless you're easily scared yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-downing-hahn/i-ve-come-to-the-conclusion-that-you-can-t-write-scary-books-unless/) [Mary Downing Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-downing-hahn/) > [“Search your own life for the story only you can tell. 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Some things are best left hidden, especially if they can seriously hurt someone if they are found.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-king/no-never-regret-destroying-something-written-some-things-are-best/) Lynne King > [Mostly things that have happened to me, feelings that I've had, but on a couple of occasions I've written about things that have happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-walsh/mostly-things-that-have-happened-to-me-feelings-that-i-ve-had-but-on/) [James Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-walsh/) > [Letters are largely written to get things out of your system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/letters-are-largely-written-to-get-things-out-of-your-system/) [John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/) > [“I have to get them out. It’s the only way I know how to do it. 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Or at least try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-giles/it-s-been-said-that-generation-x-should-get-a-life-well-in-bottle/) [Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/) > [Sharon Stone has made a fortune from her movies, so who says you can't get something for nothing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-giles/sharon-stone-has-made-a-fortune-from-her-movies-so-who-says-you-can-t/) [Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/) > [I didn't want to write a pure fantasy novel, though I love those and grew up on J. R. R. Tolkien and Ursula LeGuin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-giles/i-didn-t-want-to-write-a-pure-fantasy-novel-though-i-love-those-and/) [Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/) > [Because I'm a writer, I'm really good at being nervous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-giles/because-i-m-a-writer-i-m-really-good-at-being-nervous/) [Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/) > [Authors all have at least one thing in common, which is that when we finally get finished copies of our books, we get giddy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-giles/authors-all-have-at-least-one-thing-in-common-which-is-that-when-we/) [Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/) > [I like beautiful writing, pain, unexpected humor, and the message that, at the last second, people are going to be kind to each other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-giles/i-like-beautiful-writing-pain-unexpected-humor-and-the-message-that/) [Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/) > ['White Teeth' has far too many characters, and its plot is tortured. But Smith has an astonishing intellect. She writes sharp dialogue for every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-giles/white-teeth-has-far-too-many-characters-and-its-plot-is-tortured-but/) [Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/) > [I'd been wanting to try a YA novel for years because I saw how exciting the genre was and how amazing, hungry, and curious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-giles/i-d-been-wanting-to-try-a-ya-novel-for-years-because-i-saw-how/) [Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/) > [In its more listless moments, 'Pharaoh's Army' seems a ramshackle collection of memories not overly concerned with telling a larger story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-giles/in-its-more-listless-moments-pharaoh-s-army-seems-a-ramshackle/) [Jeff Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/) [Explore all 34 Jeff Giles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-giles/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had written many things as a journalist, but I had no idea if I could write something scary or romantic or touching that wasn't me writing about someone else's life story. 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