--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no ideal length, but you develop…" description: "\"There is no ideal length, but you develop a little interior gauge that tells you whether or not you're supporting the house or detracting from it. When..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/john-jeremiah-sullivan-19344_animal_there-is-no-ideal-length-but-you-develop_2424546.jpg" --- # There is no ideal length, but you develop a little… ![“There is no ideal length, but you develop a little interior gauge that tells you whether or not you're supporting the house or detracting from it. When a piece gets too long, the tension goes out of it. That word—tension—has an animal insistence for me. A piece of writing rises and falls with…” quote by John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/john-jeremiah-sullivan-19344_animal_there-is-no-ideal-length-but-you-develop_2424546.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/john-jeremiah-sullivan-19344_animal_there-is-no-ideal-length-but-you-develop_2424546.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/112/john-jeremiah-sullivan-19344_animal_there-is-no-ideal-length-but-you-develop_2424546.jpg) > “There is no ideal length, but you develop a little interior gauge that tells you whether or not you're supporting the house or detracting from it. When a piece gets too long, the tension goes out of it. That word—tension—has an animal insistence for me. A piece of writing rises and falls with tension. The writer holds one end of the rope and the reader holds the other end—is the rope slack, or is it tight? Does it matter to the reader what the next sentence is going to be?” [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective writing maintains tension like a rope, balancing length and engagement; slackness loses reader interest. **In simple terms:** Maintain tension to keep readers engaged. Key Takeaway Control pacing and tension in prose. Themes writing tension structure Mood analytical creative Type literary instructional When to use this quote - novel drafting - essay editing - storytelling workshops Key Concepts narrative dynamics reader engagement Questions to Reflect On - How do you gauge the right tension? - When should you trim to preserve tension? A Different Perspective Too much tension can overwhelm; too little bores the reader. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Does it matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/does-it-matter/) [End Rope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-rope-768213/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Gauges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gauges/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Ideal Length](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideal-length-4204724/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Insistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insistence/) [Interiors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interiors/) [Length](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/length/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-tension-6147001/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Rise and fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rise-and-fall/) [Rope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rope/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/) [Tension Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension-writer-6147000/) [Too long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-long/) [Word Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-tension-1405342/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Two weeks is about the ideal length of time to retire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-comfort/two-weeks-is-about-the-ideal-length-of-time-to-retire/) [Alex Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-comfort/) > [I am not afraid of the word tension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-am-not-afraid-of-the-word-tension/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [If I had to choose one which best characterized the condition of being a political leader in Athens, the word would be "tension".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses-finley/if-i-had-to-choose-one-which-best-characterized-the-condition-of/) [Moses Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses-finley/) > [When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-reach-the-end-of-your-rope-tie-a-knot-in-it-and-hang-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you reach the end of your rope, you will find the hem of HIS garment. Thank you Lord Jesus!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-reach-the-end-of-your-rope-you-will-find-the-hem-of-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“They found Seth Hubbard in the general area where he had promised to be, though not exactly in the condition expected. He was at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/they-found-seth-hubbard-in-the-general-area-where-he-had-promised-to/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [The end of your rope is the beginning of God 's doorstep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-end-of-your-rope-is-the-beginning-of-god-s-doorstep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There was freedom of speech in this era," James Oliver reminds the gentle reader, "so long as you were prepared to pay for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-oliver/there-was-freedom-of-speech-in-this-era-james-oliver-reminds-the/) [James A. Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-oliver/) > [“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”   Abraham Lincoln”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rriiver-nyile/when-you-reach-the-end-of-your-rope-tie-a-knot-and-hang-on-abraham/) [Rriiver Nyile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rriiver-nyile/) > [God's address is at the end of your rope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/god-s-address-is-at-the-end-of-your-rope/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [I am the beast at the end of the rope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kane/i-am-the-beast-at-the-end-of-the-rope/) [Sarah Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kane/) > [When you're at the end of your rope, all you have to do is make one foot move out in front of the other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-fuller/when-you-re-at-the-end-of-your-rope-all-you-have-to-do-is-make-one/) [Samuel Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-fuller/) > [I'm still at the end of my rope because I find myself not handling things well when I travel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-lewis/i-m-still-at-the-end-of-my-rope-because-i-find-myself-not-handling/) [Stephen Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-lewis/) > [When you come to the end of your rope.. Tie a knot and hold on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-roosevelt/when-you-come-to-the-end-of-your-rope-tie-a-knot-and-hold-on/) [Franklin Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-roosevelt/) > [“Our limitation is God's opportunity. When you get all the way to the end of your rope and there ain't nothin you can do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denver-moore/our-limitation-is-god-s-opportunity-when-you-get-all-the-way-to-the/) [Denver Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denver-moore/) ## More by John Jeremiah Sullivan > [Ireland starts for me with the end of 'The Dead,' which my father read to me from his desk in his basement office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/ireland-starts-for-me-with-the-end-of-the-dead-which-my-father-read/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [“If we put aside the self-awareness standard -- and really, how arbitrary and arrogant is that, to take the attribute of consciousness we happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/if-we-put-aside-the-self-awareness-standard-and-really-how-arbitrary/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [I'm just saying, take courage. That and pretty much that alone is never the incorrect thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/i-m-just-saying-take-courage-that-and-pretty-much-that-alone-is-never/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [What’s old doesn’t need to be old-fashioned. 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I do a lot of reading, buy a stack of books and read and digest them, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/the-initial-research-will-be-very-indiscriminate-i-do-a-lot-of/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [One of the best things I’ve read about that inexplicably, but endlessly, fascinating group of people, the so-called Serious Collectors of 78s. Petrusich burrows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/one-of-the-best-things-i-ve-read-about-that-inexplicably-but/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [The greenness of Ireland is a false greenness, after all. Not that it isn't green - the place can still make you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/the-greenness-of-ireland-is-a-false-greenness-after-all-not-that-it/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [This is why you can never reason true Christians out of the faith. 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In fact it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/there-s-a-half-conscious-state-you-enter-when-you-re-actually/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) [Explore all 33 John Jeremiah Sullivan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [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/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no ideal length, but you develop a little interior gauge that tells you whether or not you're supporting the house or detracting from it. When a piece gets too long, the tension goes out of it. That word—tension—has an animal insistence for me. A piece of writing rises and falls with tension. The writer holds one end of the rope and the reader holds the other end—is the rope slack, or is it tight? 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