--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've heard some writers say that they are…" description: "\"I've heard some writers say that they are obsessed with certain ideas and that they find themselves writing around the same obsession again and again, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/jesmyn-ward-1426_again_i-ve-heard-some-writers-say-that-they-ar_1138495.jpg" --- # I've heard some writers say that they are obsessed with… ![“I've heard some writers say that they are obsessed with certain ideas and that they find themselves writing around the same obsession again and again, but telling different stories to get at that same idea. I'm beginning to think that I suffer from this syndrome, too.” quote by Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/jesmyn-ward-1426_again_i-ve-heard-some-writers-say-that-they-ar_1138495.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/jesmyn-ward-1426_again_i-ve-heard-some-writers-say-that-they-ar_1138495.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/jesmyn-ward-1426_again_i-ve-heard-some-writers-say-that-they-ar_1138495.jpg) > “I've heard some writers say that they are obsessed with certain ideas and that they find themselves writing around the same obsession again and again, but telling different stories to get at that same idea. I'm beginning to think that I suffer from this syndrome, too.” [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers often return to a core obsession, exploring it through varied narratives, revealing deep personal preoccupations. **In simple terms:** Writers revisit the same idea in different stories. Key Takeaway Recognize and diversify your thematic focus. Themes creativity obsession storytelling Mood reflective introspective Type literary self‑analysis When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - personal journaling - creative workshops Key Concepts psychology repetition self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - What recurring idea drives your work? - How can you approach it from a new angle? A Different Perspective May limit originality if not consciously varied. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Obsession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsession/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The discipline required for athletics carried through to writing. You call it obsession. I call it discipline. By the way, I see nothing wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-archer/the-discipline-required-for-athletics-carried-through-to-writing-you/) [Jeffrey Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-archer/) > [Writing has to be an obsession - it's only for those who say, 'I'm not going to do anything else.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/writing-has-to-be-an-obsession-it-s-only-for-those-who-say-i-m-not/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [One hasn't become a writer until one has distilled writing into a habit, and that habit has been forced into an obsession. Writing has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niyi-osundare/one-hasn-t-become-a-writer-until-one-has-distilled-writing-into-a/) Niyi Osundare > [Writing is my obsession, my passion. My relationship with it is one of the most complex and agonizing and richly vexing that I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/writing-is-my-obsession-my-passion-my-relationship-with-it-is-one-of/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [“What is it, what nameless, inscrutable, unearthly thing is it; what cozening, hidden lord and master, and cruel, remorseless emperor commands me; that against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/what-is-it-what-nameless-inscrutable-unearthly-thing-is-it-what/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Ever since I was a little kid I was obsessed with films, and I always wanted to make them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liev-schreiber/ever-since-i-was-a-little-kid-i-was-obsessed-with-films-and-i-always/) [Liev Schreiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liev-schreiber/) > [Obsessed is how the uninspired describe the dedicated, a poor excuse for doing nothing or being unhealthy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/obsessed-is-how-the-uninspired-describe-the-dedicated-a-poor-excuse/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Probably the biggest thing that surprises people is that I am obsessed with hockey. I grew up in the Boston area so I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-zombie/probably-the-biggest-thing-that-surprises-people-is-that-i-am/) [Rob Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-zombie/) > [I was never really obsessed with the whole guy thing to begin with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverley-mitchell/i-was-never-really-obsessed-with-the-whole-guy-thing-to-begin-with/) [Beverley Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverley-mitchell/) > [People are intrigued and fascinated, almost obsessed with the private lives of great public personalities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-rush/people-are-intrigued-and-fascinated-almost-obsessed-with-the-private/) [Geoffrey Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-rush/) > [I'm very obsessed with 'The Real Housewives' franchise. It's a bad obsession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-marano/i-m-very-obsessed-with-the-real-housewives-franchise-it-s-a-bad/) [Vanessa Marano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-marano/) > [I have a gajillion headbands - yellows, pinks, reds, blues. I'm obsessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-coleman/i-have-a-gajillion-headbands-yellows-pinks-reds-blues-i-m-obsessed/) [Monique Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-coleman/) > [“All right, you caught me. I'm secretly obsessed with you and spend all my free time writing about you in my journal. 'Dear Diary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-scott/all-right-you-caught-me-i-m-secretly-obsessed-with-you-and-spend-all/) [Elizabeth Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-scott/) > [I'm obsessed with crocodiles and getting eaten by one. When I hear that someone's been eaten by a crocodile or shark, I just get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/i-m-obsessed-with-crocodiles-and-getting-eaten-by-one-when-i-hear/) [Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/) > [OBSESSED, p.p. Vexed by an evil spirit, like the Gadarene swine and other critics. Obsession was once more common than it is now. Arasthus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/obsessed-p-p-vexed-by-an-evil-spirit-like-the-gadarene-swine-and/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## More by Jesmyn Ward > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I think that voodoo as a spiritual tradition has been demonized for so long in popular culture. I wanted to write against that and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-think-that-voodoo-as-a-spiritual-tradition-has-been-demonized-for/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [There's so much I love about home, but then there's a lot that I can acknowledge that I dislike about home. And acknowledging that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/there-s-so-much-i-love-about-home-but-then-there-s-a-lot-that-i-can/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“The dream of her was the glow of a spent fire on a cold night: warm and welcoming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/the-dream-of-her-was-the-glow-of-a-spent-fire-on-a-cold-night-warm/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [The first writer that I think of immediately that I studied with at Michigan is Peter Ho Davies. He was really important to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/the-first-writer-that-i-think-of-immediately-that-i-studied-with-at/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I feel like so much of what happened in the Delta over the decades since slavery was abolished seems much closer in the Delta,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-feel-like-so-much-of-what-happened-in-the-delta-over-the-decades/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“Vines catch my arms, my head; we tear through until we break out into the clearing before the fence, the field, the barn, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/vines-catch-my-arms-my-head-we-tear-through-until-we-break-out-into/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“Before all the little mean things she told me gathered and gathered and lodged like grit in a skinned knee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/before-all-the-little-mean-things-she-told-me-gathered-and-gathered/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [People give the South a bad rap. It's often stereotyped as backwards and close-minded and dogmatic, and all of those things have been true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/people-give-the-south-a-bad-rap-it-s-often-stereotyped-as-backwards/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [By the time I wrote my memoir, 'Men We Reaped,' I had been running from writing it for a long time. When the events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/by-the-time-i-wrote-my-memoir-men-we-reaped-i-had-been-running-from/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When I was a teenager, I was the only black girl at a small, private Episcopal school, where my tuition was paid by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-was-the-only-black-girl-at-a-small-private/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [She was the murderous mother who cut us to the bone but left us alive, left us naked and bewildered as wrinkled newborn babies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/she-was-the-murderous-mother-who-cut-us-to-the-bone-but-left-us-alive/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I hope people who read my books feel empathy for us and really see us as complicated people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-hope-people-who-read-my-books-feel-empathy-for-us-and-really-see-us/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When I was writing my first novel, 'Where the Line Bleeds,' which had young black men as its main characters, I was very invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/when-i-was-writing-my-first-novel-where-the-line-bleeds-which-had/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“Lot of folks was in there for stealing food because everybody was poor and starving, and even though White people couldn’t get your work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/lot-of-folks-was-in-there-for-stealing-food-because-everybody-was/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) [Explore all 242 Jesmyn Ward quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) ## More Again quotes > [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/) > [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) > [I say this about everything: when I was on 'Neighbours,' I said, 'These are the best years of my life!' When I was filming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-say-this-about-everything-when-i-was-on-neighbours-i-said-these-are/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [I don't know about writing. It's quite lonely. You have to have a lot of patience with yourself. I don't know if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-don-t-know-about-writing-it-s-quite-lonely-you-have-to-have-a-lot/) [Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/) > [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/) > [You couldn't get me to go travel around and sit in a hotel room again. I have no interest in doing that. So everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-everly/you-couldn-t-get-me-to-go-travel-around-and-sit-in-a-hotel-room-again/) [Phil Everly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-everly/) > [In theater, one of the biggest problems when you're rehearsing comedy over and over again is that you stop laughing at each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ashley-carter/in-theater-one-of-the-biggest-problems-when-you-re-rehearsing-comedy/) [Lauren Ashley Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ashley-carter/) > [I'd like to do some female roles again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-d-like-to-do-some-female-roles-again/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Death is a sniper. It strikes people you love, people you like, people you know - it's everywhere. You could be next. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/death-is-a-sniper-it-strikes-people-you-love-people-you-like-people/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [Well, a lot of our concerts do okay, and I know we still get royalty checks which still isn't that important, but again, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/well-a-lot-of-our-concerts-do-okay-and-i-know-we-still-get-royalty/) [Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/) > [Oh wow, you know what's wrong with all these families on TV? All these kids say stuff no kid would say. Stuff grown-ups want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/oh-wow-you-know-what-s-wrong-with-all-these-families-on-tv-all-these/) [Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/) > [We must resist the temptation of once again turning America into the traditional bogeyman of the left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-napolitano/we-must-resist-the-temptation-of-once-again-turning-america-into-the/) [Giorgio Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-napolitano/) > [We won the Europa League in 2013 and it was an amazing night, an amazing feeling. I take those memories and think to myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cahill/we-won-the-europa-league-in-2013-and-it-was-an-amazing-night-an/) [Gary Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cahill/) > [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) Browse all 2,975 Again quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've heard some writers say that they are obsessed with certain ideas and that they find themselves writing around the same obsession again and again, but telling different stories to get at that same idea. I'm beginning to think that I suffer from this syndrome, too.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jesmyn Ward" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-ve-heard-some-writers-say-that-they-are-obsessed-with-certain-ideas/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Again" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-ve-heard-some-writers-say-that-they-are-obsessed-with-certain-ideas/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/jesmyn-ward-1426_again_i-ve-heard-some-writers-say-that-they-ar_1138495.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/jesmyn-ward-1426_again_i-ve-heard-some-writers-say-that-they-ar_1138495.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95d/jesmyn-ward-1426_again_i-ve-heard-some-writers-say-that-they-ar_1138495.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've heard some writers say that they are obsessed with certain ideas and that they find themselves writing…” — Jesmyn Ward", "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": "Jesmyn Ward", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've heard some writers say that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-ve-heard-some-writers-say-that-they-are-obsessed-with-certain-ideas/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-ve-heard-some-writers-say-that-they-are-obsessed-with-certain-ideas/#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 } } ] } ```