--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing 'Men We Reaped' broke me in…" description: "\"Writing 'Men We Reaped' broke me in different ways at different spots in the drafting process. The first draft was hard because I was just getting it o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ef/jesmyn-ward-1426_different-ways_writing-men-we-reaped-broke-me-in-differ_886366.jpg" --- # Writing 'Men We Reaped' broke me in different ways at… ![“Writing 'Men We Reaped' broke me in different ways at different spots in the drafting process. The first draft was hard because I was just getting it out. In some ways, that draft failed. I was really just telling the story, not making assessments - this happened, then this. Just putting those…” quote by Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ef/jesmyn-ward-1426_different-ways_writing-men-we-reaped-broke-me-in-differ_886366.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ef/jesmyn-ward-1426_different-ways_writing-men-we-reaped-broke-me-in-differ_886366.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ef/jesmyn-ward-1426_different-ways_writing-men-we-reaped-broke-me-in-differ_886366.jpg) > “Writing 'Men We Reaped' broke me in different ways at different spots in the drafting process. The first draft was hard because I was just getting it out. In some ways, that draft failed. I was really just telling the story, not making assessments - this happened, then this. Just putting those facts down on paper was really painful.” [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. Writing the memoir was painful because the author had to confront personal trauma and raw facts, revealing the difficulty of processing grief. **In simple terms:** Writing was emotionally painful. Key Takeaway Process grief through writing. Themes grief writing healing Mood reflective somber Type therapeutic inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - personal loss - mental health Key Concepts trauma self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - How can writers protect themselves while sharing trauma? - What coping strategies help during painful drafting? A Different Perspective Writing can re‑trigger trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Different ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-ways/) [Draft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draft/) [Draft Failed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draft-failed-955158/) [Drafting Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drafting-process-1102639/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Process Draft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process-draft-1102640/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-men-439077/) ## Related quotes > [I felt like if I could get the epiphany out of the way in my drafting process, through my eighth or tenth draft, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/i-felt-like-if-i-could-get-the-epiphany-out-of-the-way-in-my-drafting/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [A careful first draft is a failed first draft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-hampl/a-careful-first-draft-is-a-failed-first-draft/) [Patricia Hampl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-hampl/) > [So in the drafting process, whenever I would discover something about what my character wanted or didn't want, I immediately just wanted my character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/so-in-the-drafting-process-whenever-i-would-discover-something-about/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [As soon as you start to question your own intent while you're still in the process of discovering your story, you're in trouble because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/as-soon-as-you-start-to-question-your-own-intent-while-you-re-still/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [I love writing about men. To get by in the world you have to know how men think. Not that all guys think alike,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/i-love-writing-about-men-to-get-by-in-the-world-you-have-to-know-how/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [“Then it dawned on me that men throughout the country had to know about nu shu (women's written word). How could they not? They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/then-it-dawned-on-me-that-men-throughout-the-country-had-to-know/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [People say I'm not good at writing about men. My dad left when I was 16. Give me a break. I'm doing the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/people-say-i-m-not-good-at-writing-about-men-my-dad-left-when-i-was/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [I write to escape from my life. Writing about men separates 'me' from my work in a way that I find comforting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-write-to-escape-from-my-life-writing-about-men-separates-me-from-my/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [The imaginative leap for me of writing for women is no more difficult than the one of writing for men. I've always wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-minghella/the-imaginative-leap-for-me-of-writing-for-women-is-no-more-difficult/) [Anthony Minghella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-minghella/) > [I worry sometimes that I'm a bit moralistic; always writing about men who are learning to grow up, not be so self-absorbed, selfish or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/i-worry-sometimes-that-i-m-a-bit-moralistic-always-writing-about-men/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [For me, writing the 'X-Men' was easy - is easy. I know these people, they're my friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-claremont/for-me-writing-the-x-men-was-easy-is-easy-i-know-these-people-they-re/) [Chris Claremont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-claremont/) > [“There are more similarities between the writing of men and women than there are differences. Aren't we all just trying to tell stories? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-gay/there-are-more-similarities-between-the-writing-of-men-and-women-than/) [Roxanne Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-gay/) > [In the old times, women did not get their lives written, though I don't doubt many of them were much better worth writing than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/in-the-old-times-women-did-not-get-their-lives-written-though-i-don-t/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [the writing of some men is like a vast bridge that carries you over the many things that claw and tear. The Wine of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-writing-of-some-men-is-like-a-vast-bridge-that-carries-you-over/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Writing is for men who can think and feel, not mindless sensation seekers out of nightclubs and bars. But these are bad times. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/writing-is-for-men-who-can-think-and-feel-not-mindless-sensation/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) ## 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 Different ways quotes > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [There are many different ways the public can respond to actors - they can see you on TV and feel they know you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/there-are-many-different-ways-the-public-can-respond-to-actors-they/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [“The first phase of modernism, which so far as the English language goes we associate with Pound and Yeats, Wyndham Lewis and Eliot and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-kermode/the-first-phase-of-modernism-which-so-far-as-the-english-language/) [Frank Kermode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-kermode/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) > [It is great to see Bollywood celebrities contributing to so many different trends in so many different ways. I think this is one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-dutta/it-is-great-to-see-bollywood-celebrities-contributing-to-so-many/) [Lara Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-dutta/) > [I do remember what I said. The promise. To protect her. If I'd done that ... even if I didn't make it, you wouldn't've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-do-remember-what-i-said-the-promise-to-protect-her-if-i-d-done-that/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [Skating is a sport that I found a lot of interest in from a very, very young age. Ultimately, I think that being on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-chen/skating-is-a-sport-that-i-found-a-lot-of-interest-in-from-a-very-very/) [Nathan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-chen/) > [I was going to say 'my friend Stuart', but I suppose he's not a friend any more. I seem to have lost a number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/i-was-going-to-say-my-friend-stuart-but-i-suppose-he-s-not-a-friend/) [Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/) > [I'll reshoot a corridor 13 different ways, and you'll never recognise them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/i-ll-reshoot-a-corridor-13-different-ways-and-you-ll-never-recognise/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [She waited for you in a thousand different ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/she-waited-for-you-in-a-thousand-different-ways/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [“5 Tips for Mirroring Others 1. Body language. When they smile, you smile. When they lean back in their chair, you lean back in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/5-tips-for-mirroring-others-1-body-language-when-they-smile-you-smile/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Movies have been doing so much of the same thing - in slightly different ways - for so long that few of the possibilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/movies-have-been-doing-so-much-of-the-same-thing-in-slightly/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [With acting, it's like you form chemistry with different people in different ways, so it's really added even more fun to work, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-blackburn/with-acting-it-s-like-you-form-chemistry-with-different-people-in/) [Tyler Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-blackburn/) [Browse all 2,175 Different ways quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-ways/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing 'Men We Reaped' broke me in different ways at different spots in the drafting process. The first draft was hard because I was just getting it out. In some ways, that draft failed. I was really just telling the story, not making assessments - this happened, then this. Just putting those facts down on paper was really painful.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jesmyn Ward" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/writing-men-we-reaped-broke-me-in-different-ways-at-different-spots/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Different ways" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/writing-men-we-reaped-broke-me-in-different-ways-at-different-spots/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ef/jesmyn-ward-1426_different-ways_writing-men-we-reaped-broke-me-in-differ_886366.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ef/jesmyn-ward-1426_different-ways_writing-men-we-reaped-broke-me-in-differ_886366.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ef/jesmyn-ward-1426_different-ways_writing-men-we-reaped-broke-me-in-differ_886366.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing 'Men We Reaped' broke me in different ways at different spots in the drafting process. The first…” — 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": "Writing 'Men We Reaped' broke me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/writing-men-we-reaped-broke-me-in-different-ways-at-different-spots/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/writing-men-we-reaped-broke-me-in-different-ways-at-different-spots/#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 } } ] } ```