---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: More than periods where I don't write…"
description: "\"More than periods where I don't write anything, I have periods where I just write junk and I know I'm writing junk but I can't stop.\" — Jonathan Dee"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c9/jonathan-dee-12196_junk_more-than-periods-where-i-don-t-write-an_2588347.jpg"
---

#  More than periods where I don't write anything, I have…

![“More than periods where I don't write anything, I have periods where I just write junk and I know I'm writing junk but I can't stop.” quote by Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c9/jonathan-dee-12196_junk_more-than-periods-where-i-don-t-write-an_2588347.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c9/jonathan-dee-12196_junk_more-than-periods-where-i-don-t-write-an_2588347.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c9/jonathan-dee-12196_junk_more-than-periods-where-i-don-t-write-an_2588347.jpg)

> “More than periods where I don't write anything, I have periods where I just write junk and I know I'm writing junk but I can't stop.”

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

## 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 describes cycles of unproductive writing despite awareness of its low quality.

**In simple terms:** Writing junk despite knowing it.

Key Takeaway

Break the cycle of bad writing.

Themes

creativity self‑criticism productivity

Mood

frustrated determined

Type

self‑help creative

When to use this quote

- daily journaling
- draft revisions
- creative blocks

Key Concepts

Writing process habit formation

Questions to Reflect On

- What triggers your junk writing?
- How can you enforce better standards?

A Different Perspective

Self‑awareness alone may not change habits.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Junk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/junk/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Periods Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods-just-1838109/) [Write Junk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-junk-1838108/) [Write Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-periods-1838106/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Junk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-junk-1838107/)

## Related quotes

> [“Not everyone is capable of writing junk fiction: It requires an authentic junk mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/not-everyone-is-capable-of-writing-junk-fiction-it-requires-an/)

[John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/)

> [It's funny, because I have periods where I just kind of go dark. I don't tweet, I don't talk, I don't interview, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/it-s-funny-because-i-have-periods-where-i-just-kind-of-go-dark-i-don/)

[Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/)

> [Men have periods too, they just don't bleed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/men-have-periods-too-they-just-don-t-bleed/)

[Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/)

> [Throughout my life, there's just periods when I write and periods when I don't. I don't feel like anything's really blocked. It's just not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kozelek/throughout-my-life-there-s-just-periods-when-i-write-and-periods-when-2/)

[Mark Kozelek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kozelek/)

> [I continue to write. It's just one of those things that I do. I'll have periods when I write and periods when I don't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-lake/i-continue-to-write-it-s-just-one-of-those-things-that-i-do-i-ll-have/)

[Greg Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-lake/)

> [I'll have periods when I write and periods when I don't. But you don't want it to become a discipline, really. If it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-lake/i-ll-have-periods-when-i-write-and-periods-when-i-don-t-but-you-don-t/)

[Greg Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-lake/)

> [Throughout my life, there's just periods when I write and periods when I don't. I don't feel like anything's really blocked. "Writer's block" sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kozelek/throughout-my-life-there-s-just-periods-when-i-write-and-periods-when/)

[Mark Kozelek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kozelek/)

> [When things seem to be slowing down, there's this little trick I like to play. I'd plow this virgin who's on her period, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/when-things-seem-to-be-slowing-down-there-s-this-little-trick-i-like/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [Junk runs in the family. My granddad was a junk man in St. Louis and so was my uncle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/redd-foxx/junk-runs-in-the-family-my-granddad-was-a-junk-man-in-st-louis-and-so/)

[Redd Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/redd-foxx/)

> [For all the concern about bodies and weight, 'Baywatch' has three huge catering trucks on the set at all times. One for entrees, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eggert/for-all-the-concern-about-bodies-and-weight-baywatch-has-three-huge/)

[Nicole Eggert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eggert/)

> [If it suddenly became impossible for us to cover up all the junk we normally hide from the rest of humanity, I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/if-it-suddenly-became-impossible-for-us-to-cover-up-all-the-junk-we/)

[Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/)

> [The attitude of gratitude is yoga. Ingratitude is "unyoga," like "uncola." Where gratitude is, there is yoga. Where there is ingratitude, yoga is gone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-attitude-of-gratitude-is-yoga-ingratitude-is-unyoga-like-uncola/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [When I die throw my body in the back and drive me to the junk yard in my Cadillac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-i-die-throw-my-body-in-the-back-and-drive-me-to-the-junk-yard-in/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/)

[Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/)

> [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/)

[David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/)

## More by Jonathan Dee

> [Those who know New York City primarily through tourism or mass culture may think of us natives as possessing certain shared characteristics, not all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/those-who-know-new-york-city-primarily-through-tourism-or-mass/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [You never want to have to give your child bad news of any kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/you-never-want-to-have-to-give-your-child-bad-news-of-any-kind/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [I wrote my first novel in the same conditions as most first novelists - I had a full-time job, I shared an apartment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-wrote-my-first-novel-in-the-same-conditions-as-most-first-novelists/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [That's a long way of saying no, I'm always too bound up in thinking about the characters in whatever I'm working on and trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/that-s-a-long-way-of-saying-no-i-m-always-too-bound-up-in-thinking/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [I have no desire to write historical anything or futuristic anything - I want to find a way to get at the essence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-have-no-desire-to-write-historical-anything-or-futuristic-anything/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [The Postman Always Rings Twice that's a book that I think every writer should read - that has to do with technique. But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/the-postman-always-rings-twice-that-s-a-book-that-i-think-every/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [I once saw John Updike get in front of a crowd and read a story that he'd written in 1958, and I just thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-once-saw-john-updike-get-in-front-of-a-crowd-and-read-a-story-that/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [It's nice to have something else going on when a book comes out so you're not just sitting by the phone, waiting for things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/it-s-nice-to-have-something-else-going-on-when-a-book-comes-out-so/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [“That mysterious foreknowledge of my success in life was sweeter to me than the success itselt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/that-mysterious-foreknowledge-of-my-success-in-life-was-sweeter-to-me/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [“I mean she's not exactly a complex figure. You can look at her and pretty much imagine what that whole relationship was like. She's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-mean-she-s-not-exactly-a-complex-figure-you-can-look-at-her-and/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [That's really the essence of what any fiction writer does. Some of it is research-based, but most of it is a really long-term, imaginative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/that-s-really-the-essence-of-what-any-fiction-writer-does-some-of-it/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [It's not really an original idea, but there's something that goes along with power and celebrity that starts to make you feel like you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/it-s-not-really-an-original-idea-but-there-s-something-that-goes/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [John Dos Passos, Raymond Carver, Flaubert and William Maxwell were all very influential when I first started writing. Now, the writers I'm most interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/john-dos-passos-raymond-carver-flaubert-and-william-maxwell-were-all/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [Kenneth Branagh. There was a time in my life when people would tell me constantly that I look like him. I could do a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/kenneth-branagh-there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-people-would-tell-me/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

> [I think that good storytelling of any kind does promote a humility in that it encourages you to see the world the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-think-that-good-storytelling-of-any-kind-does-promote-a-humility-in/)

[Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

[Explore all 56 Jonathan Dee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/)

## More Junk quotes

> [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/)

[David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/)

> [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/)

[Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/)

> [When I die throw my body in the back and drive me to the junk yard in my Cadillac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-i-die-throw-my-body-in-the-back-and-drive-me-to-the-junk-yard-in/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [The attitude of gratitude is yoga. Ingratitude is "unyoga," like "uncola." Where gratitude is, there is yoga. Where there is ingratitude, yoga is gone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-attitude-of-gratitude-is-yoga-ingratitude-is-unyoga-like-uncola/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [If it suddenly became impossible for us to cover up all the junk we normally hide from the rest of humanity, I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/if-it-suddenly-became-impossible-for-us-to-cover-up-all-the-junk-we/)

[Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/)

> [For all the concern about bodies and weight, 'Baywatch' has three huge catering trucks on the set at all times. One for entrees, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eggert/for-all-the-concern-about-bodies-and-weight-baywatch-has-three-huge/)

[Nicole Eggert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eggert/)

> [Junk runs in the family. My granddad was a junk man in St. Louis and so was my uncle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/redd-foxx/junk-runs-in-the-family-my-granddad-was-a-junk-man-in-st-louis-and-so/)

[Redd Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/redd-foxx/)

> [Corporations are totalitarian institutions. Board of directors at the top of managers give orders, everyone follows orders… At the very bottom of command, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/corporations-are-totalitarian-institutions-board-of-directors-at-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [We sat there, not talking, for a few minutes. He ate the Moon Pie; only skinny people can scarf down junk food like that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/we-sat-there-not-talking-for-a-few-minutes-he-ate-the-moon-pie-only/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I grew up hearing everyone tell me 'God loves you'. I would say big deal, God loves everybody. That don't make me special! That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-grew-up-hearing-everyone-tell-me-god-loves-you-i-would-say-big-deal/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

> [We are not being true to the artist as a man if we consider his art work junk simply because we differ with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-not-being-true-to-the-artist-as-a-man-if-we-consider-his-art/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The smart way to improve broadband is not to junk the existing network but to make the most of it. It’s to let a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/the-smart-way-to-improve-broadband-is-not-to-junk-the-existing/)

[Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/)

> [When things seem to be slowing down, there's this little trick I like to play. I'd plow this virgin who's on her period, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/when-things-seem-to-be-slowing-down-there-s-this-little-trick-i-like/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [Buy, buy, says the sign in the shop window; Why, why, says the junk in the yard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/buy-buy-says-the-sign-in-the-shop-window-why-why-says-the-junk-in-the/)

[Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/)

> [Every love has a poetic relevance of its own; each love brings to light only what to it is relevant. Outside lies the junk-yard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/every-love-has-a-poetic-relevance-of-its-own-each-love-brings-to/)

[Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/)

[Browse all 451 Junk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/junk/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "More than periods where I don't write anything, I have periods where I just write junk and I know I'm writing junk but I can't stop.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Dee"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/more-than-periods-where-i-don-t-write-anything-i-have-periods-where-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Junk"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/more-than-periods-where-i-don-t-write-anything-i-have-periods-where-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c9/jonathan-dee-12196_junk_more-than-periods-where-i-don-t-write-an_2588347.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c9/jonathan-dee-12196_junk_more-than-periods-where-i-don-t-write-an_2588347.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c9/jonathan-dee-12196_junk_more-than-periods-where-i-don-t-write-an_2588347.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“More than periods where I don't write anything, I have periods where I just write junk and I know I'm…” — Jonathan Dee",
                "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": "Jonathan Dee",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "More than periods where I don't...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/more-than-periods-where-i-don-t-write-anything-i-have-periods-where-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/more-than-periods-where-i-don-t-write-anything-i-have-periods-where-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
