--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't plot, and I don't plan. I like to…" description: "\"I don't plot, and I don't plan. I like to be surprised like the reader.\" — Joe R. Lansdale" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/joe-r-lansdale-3119_books_i-don-t-plot-and-i-don-t-plan-i-like-to_3059404.png" --- # I don't plot, and I don't plan. I like to be surprised… ![“I don't plot, and I don't plan. I like to be surprised like the reader.” quote by Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/joe-r-lansdale-3119_books_i-don-t-plot-and-i-don-t-plan-i-like-to_3059404.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/joe-r-lansdale-3119_books_i-don-t-plot-and-i-don-t-plan-i-like-to_3059404.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/joe-r-lansdale-3119_books_i-don-t-plot-and-i-don-t-plan-i-like-to_3059404.png) > “I don't plot, and I don't plan. I like to be surprised like the reader.” [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He embraces spontaneity, preferring unexpected experiences over rigid planning. **In simple terms:** He likes surprise over planning. Key Takeaway Allow room for improvisation. Themes spontaneity creativity flexibility life philosophy Mood playful adventurous Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - travel - writing - daily routine - creative projects Key Concepts improvisation mindset risk tolerance Questions to Reflect On - When does spontaneity hinder progress? - How can you balance surprise with responsibility? A Different Perspective Lack of structure can cause missed deadlines. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Surprised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprised/) ## Related quotes > [I learned that if I could read, I could cook. I surprised myself I like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-learned-that-if-i-could-read-i-could-cook-i-surprised-myself-i-like/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [A lot of people tell me, once they get to know me, that they're surprised that I'm nothing like they think I'll be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/a-lot-of-people-tell-me-once-they-get-to-know-me-that-they-re/) [Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/) > [That of all people, it should be him; that took her aback. That the heart should settle on somebody like him; that surprised her.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/that-of-all-people-it-should-be-him-that-took-her-aback-that-the/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [I would never want to do something just for the sake of being independent or for the sake of doing big films. I'm always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/i-would-never-want-to-do-something-just-for-the-sake-of-being/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [I guess no matter what your family is like, you're not surprised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-guess-no-matter-what-your-family-is-like-you-re-not-surprised/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [I like to be surprised! But it's always hard to surprise me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-like-to-be-surprised-but-it-s-always-hard-to-surprise-me/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I do like being surprised by directors and producers and being offered parts I would never have considered, including parts that aren't necessarily obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-do-like-being-surprised-by-directors-and-producers-and-being/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [I always come over to places I don't live, and I'm always so surprised. I'm like, 'I don't think anyone knows who I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-flip/i-always-come-over-to-places-i-don-t-live-and-i-m-always-so-surprised/) [G Flip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-flip/) > [Every time I get a role, I'm surprised. It's like, 'Alright, when am I going to stop fooling them?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-simmons/every-time-i-get-a-role-i-m-surprised-it-s-like-alright-when-am-i/) [Johnny Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-simmons/) > [I had no expectation about getting a nomination, but I was watching nonetheless. My wife and my son got really excited. I was sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobey-maguire/i-had-no-expectation-about-getting-a-nomination-but-i-was-watching/) [Tobey Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobey-maguire/) > [I'm not a writer. I like being a reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reynolds-myers/i-m-not-a-writer-i-like-being-a-reader/) [Brian Reynolds Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reynolds-myers/) > [If the writer were more like a reader, he’d be a reader, not a writer. It’s as uncomplicated as that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/if-the-writer-were-more-like-a-reader-he-d-be-a-reader-not-a-writer/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [I realized early in my career that precisely what one reader doesn't like is what another reader loves. Collectively, any writer's audience presents a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/i-realized-early-in-my-career-that-precisely-what-one-reader-doesn-t/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Two kinds of reading can be distinguished. I call them reading like a reader and reading like a writer ... when you read like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-smith/two-kinds-of-reading-can-be-distinguished-i-call-them-reading-like-a/) [Frank Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-smith/) > [“When you're inside your own story, you don't see things like a reader. You don't see your life in tidy paragraphs and chapters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/when-you-re-inside-your-own-story-you-don-t-see-things-like-a-reader/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) ## More by Joe R. Lansdale > [I have finally become my own genre, and now that's what publishers want. I have a wonderful publisher now, Mulholland, very innovated, very fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-have-finally-become-my-own-genre-and-now-that-s-what-publishers/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [Some people see writing as a white-collar career, but I've always approached it as a blue-collar writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/some-people-see-writing-as-a-white-collar-career-but-i-ve-always/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [“‎He decided quite suddenly, having kept fairly good record on the calendar, that tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and zombies be damned. The Christmas lights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/he-decided-quite-suddenly-having-kept-fairly-good-record-on-the/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [A lot of friends I went to school with were criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/a-lot-of-friends-i-went-to-school-with-were-criminals/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I think there are some people for whom words are like food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-think-there-are-some-people-for-whom-words-are-like-food/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [The reviews on it, and the new novel, Honky Tonk Samurai have been awesome, though I'm of the school if you believe the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/the-reviews-on-it-and-the-new-novel-honky-tonk-samurai-have-been/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [“Killing ain’t no good thing, son, unless it’s to eat or protect yourself. And you ought never to delight in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/killing-ain-t-no-good-thing-son-unless-it-s-to-eat-or-protect/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I've done very well financially and sold a lot because I've had a multiple method of attack as a writer. That's a conscious strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-ve-done-very-well-financially-and-sold-a-lot-because-i-ve-had-a/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I used to just sit down and read the dictionary, and I read the Bible and Shakespeare from cover to cover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-used-to-just-sit-down-and-read-the-dictionary-and-i-read-the-bible/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [My parents had become adults during the Great Depression, as had many of my aunts and uncles, so I got stories from all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-parents-had-become-adults-during-the-great-depression-as-had-many/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I know the Pollock novel. Read it last year and liked it. Daniel Woodrell is awesome. I especially like the book Winter's Bone, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-know-the-pollock-novel-read-it-last-year-and-liked-it-daniel/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [My grandmother on my mother's side lived to nearly 100 years old, and she had seen Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show as a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-grandmother-on-my-mother-s-side-lived-to-nearly-100-years-old-and/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I write what I hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-write-what-i-hear/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I've been writing since 1973. I've written nonfiction things of that nature, but I'm probably best known for crime fiction and, to some extent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-ve-been-writing-since-1973-i-ve-written-nonfiction-things-of-that/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [“Far as I knew, closest she'd gotten to art was a drafting table and dressing mannequins in store windows, and the closest I'd gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/far-as-i-knew-closest-she-d-gotten-to-art-was-a-drafting-table-and/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) [Explore all 132 Joe R. Lansdale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't plot, and I don't plan. I like to be surprised like the reader.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe R. Lansdale" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-don-t-plot-and-i-don-t-plan-i-like-to-be-surprised-like-the-reader/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-don-t-plot-and-i-don-t-plan-i-like-to-be-surprised-like-the-reader/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/joe-r-lansdale-3119_books_i-don-t-plot-and-i-don-t-plan-i-like-to_3059404.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/joe-r-lansdale-3119_books_i-don-t-plot-and-i-don-t-plan-i-like-to_3059404.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/joe-r-lansdale-3119_books_i-don-t-plot-and-i-don-t-plan-i-like-to_3059404.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't plot, and I don't plan. I like to be surprised like the reader.” — Joe R. Lansdale", "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": "Joe R. Lansdale", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't plot, and I don't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-don-t-plot-and-i-don-t-plan-i-like-to-be-surprised-like-the-reader/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-don-t-plot-and-i-don-t-plan-i-like-to-be-surprised-like-the-reader/#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 } } ] } ```