---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So much magazine writing is playing to an…"
description: "\"So much magazine writing is playing to an empty room. You work like a plow horse, your words get printed on a half-million or more copies, and then it ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/jonathan-miles-8639_horse_so-much-magazine-writing-is-playing-to-a_1064428.jpg"
---

#  So much magazine writing is playing to an empty room. You…

![“So much magazine writing is playing to an empty room. You work like a plow horse, your words get printed on a half-million or more copies, and then it often just disappears into this national vacuum.” quote by Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/jonathan-miles-8639_horse_so-much-magazine-writing-is-playing-to-a_1064428.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/jonathan-miles-8639_horse_so-much-magazine-writing-is-playing-to-a_1064428.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/jonathan-miles-8639_horse_so-much-magazine-writing-is-playing-to-a_1064428.jpg)

> “So much magazine writing is playing to an empty room. You work like a plow horse, your words get printed on a half-million or more copies, and then it often just disappears into this national vacuum.”

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writing for mass media often feels futile when the audience is indifferent and the work is quickly forgotten.

**In simple terms:** Magazine writing can feel empty and ignored.

Key Takeaway

Focus on meaningful impact, not just volume.

Themes

media writing audience meaning impact

Mood

reflective critical contemplative

Type

analytical observational

When to use this quote

- journalism
- personal essays
- marketing
- publishing

Key Concepts

communication mass media attention ephemerality

Questions to Reflect On

- How can writers engage a disengaged audience?
- What value does volume bring without depth?

A Different Perspective

Even with wide distribution, messages may not resonate without genuine connection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Disappears National](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappears-national-2617941/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Magazine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magazine/) [Magazine Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magazine-writing-2617940/) [Million Copies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-copies-965959/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Printed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-printed-2504942/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Ian Frazier influenced me to an almost embarrassing degree. He was actually instrumental in getting me started in magazine writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/ian-frazier-influenced-me-to-an-almost-embarrassing-degree-he-was/)

[Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/)

> [Far more thought and care go into the composition of any prominent ad in a newspaper or magazine than go into the writing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/far-more-thought-and-care-go-into-the-composition-of-any-prominent-ad/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [“A large class of readers … will suffer greatly from the introduction into the pages of this work of words printed with all their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/a-large-class-of-readers-will-suffer-greatly-from-the-introduction/)

[Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [I hadn't had a book in my hands for four months, and the mere idea of a book where I could see words printed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/i-hadn-t-had-a-book-in-my-hands-for-four-months-and-the-mere-idea-of/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/words-once-they-are-printed-have-a-life-of-their-own/)

[Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/)

> [“How my life has been brought to undiscovered lands, and how much richer it gets - all from words printed on a page… How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emoke-b-racz/how-my-life-has-been-brought-to-undiscovered-lands-and-how-much/)

[Emoke B'Racz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emoke-b-racz/)

> [“The thrill of seeing my words on a printed page has never faded. Now I've found my niche, my passion. I want to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-thrill-of-seeing-my-words-on-a-printed-page-has-never-faded-now-i/)

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

> [The words printed here are concepts. You must go through the experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-words-printed-here-are-concepts-you-must-go-through-the/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [I was like a wonder kid at Uptown. The first record I produced sold two million copies - and I'd only produced it because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-combs/i-was-like-a-wonder-kid-at-uptown-the-first-record-i-produced-sold/)

[Sean Combs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-combs/)

> [My biggest frustration is the lack of scale in the music industry. The fact that no one has sold 100 million copies of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-carter/my-biggest-frustration-is-the-lack-of-scale-in-the-music-industry-the/)

[Troy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-carter/)

> [It's a blessing and a curse when your first big public album does so well. 'Twentysomething' sold four million copies - I think we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-cullum/it-s-a-blessing-and-a-curse-when-your-first-big-public-album-does-so/)

[Jamie Cullum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-cullum/)

> [I never feel like I need to make a song that sells 5 million copies; that's not the point of why I make music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zedd/i-never-feel-like-i-need-to-make-a-song-that-sells-5-million-copies/)

[Zedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zedd/)

> [It's nice to have a game that sells a million copies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carmack/it-s-nice-to-have-a-game-that-sells-a-million-copies/)

[John Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carmack/)

> ['X-Force' #1 sold 5 million copies. By default, the second issue dipped and did 1.3 million copies. But the cover of 'X-Force' #2 is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-liefeld/x-force-1-sold-5-million-copies-by-default-the-second-issue-dipped/)

[Rob Liefeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-liefeld/)

> [This book, 'Stupid White Men,' has sold now over four million copies worldwide. Probably about half of that may be in the U.S. and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/this-book-stupid-white-men-has-sold-now-over-four-million-copies/)

[Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/)

## More by Jonathan Miles

> [Paddleboarding is what happens when you want to kayak on a surfboard or surf a kayak: You stand atop a board paddling yourself around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/paddleboarding-is-what-happens-when-you-want-to-kayak-on-a-surfboard/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [Great sauces are like an insurance policy for venison roasts, which can easily overcook or dry out. Beyond their ability to rescue, however, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/great-sauces-are-like-an-insurance-policy-for-venison-roasts-which/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [I'm either proud or embarrassed to say that I never took a journalism class in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/i-m-either-proud-or-embarrassed-to-say-that-i-never-took-a-journalism/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [Not long ago, in an excruciatingly remote village in the Australian Outback, I was startled to see a bartender in a cowboy hat measuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/not-long-ago-in-an-excruciatingly-remote-village-in-the-australian/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [It's often said that doves provide valuable practice for duck season, but this strikes me as upside down. With their tiny profiles, wicked speed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/it-s-often-said-that-doves-provide-valuable-practice-for-duck-season/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [My childhood was basically divided between fishing and roaming the woods and hiding out in my bedroom. Maybe things would've turned out differently if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/my-childhood-was-basically-divided-between-fishing-and-roaming-the/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [Dry rubs are as integral to downhome barbeque as smoke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/dry-rubs-are-as-integral-to-downhome-barbeque-as-smoke/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [A combination of stir-fry and salad, Lok Lak is a popular staple in Cambodia. It's usually made with beef, but in olden times, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/a-combination-of-stir-fry-and-salad-lok-lak-is-a-popular-staple-in/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [“I'm not sure the word "sorry" does anything justice. It's such a loose word isn't it? I mean how can one puny word encompass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/i-m-not-sure-the-word-sorry-does-anything-justice-it-s-such-a-loose/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [The angle we give the bathroom mirror is always meant to flatter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/the-angle-we-give-the-bathroom-mirror-is-always-meant-to-flatter/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [Though little known in the U.S., the Dakar is a sports juggernaut in Europe, where France's state broadcasting company runs more than 25 hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/though-little-known-in-the-u-s-the-dakar-is-a-sports-juggernaut-in/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [I find airports to be purgatorial in many ways. I mean, even from the basics of the design: you know, this sort of -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/i-find-airports-to-be-purgatorial-in-many-ways-i-mean-even-from-the/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [Poyha is a venison dish handed down from the Cherokee tribe. You can think of it as a meatloaf, which it is, or as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/poyha-is-a-venison-dish-handed-down-from-the-cherokee-tribe-you-can/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [I once stumped Jimmy Buffett by calling him a saint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/i-once-stumped-jimmy-buffett-by-calling-him-a-saint/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

> [For me, there's something likable but not quite lovable about poached fish: the ultraclean flavor, the melt-away texture, the no-fat virtuousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/for-me-there-s-something-likable-but-not-quite-lovable-about-poached/)

[Jonathan Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

[Explore all 79 Jonathan Miles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/)

## More Horse quotes

> [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. Even now, off caffeine, I talk faster than anyone you've ever met. I finally recognized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-would-drink-gallons-of-coffee-a-day-even-now-off-caffeine-i-talk/)

[Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/)

> [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/)

> [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/)

[Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/)

> [I don't know where horse riding could have taken me, and it's something I can always go back to when I've retired from football,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millie-bright/i-don-t-know-where-horse-riding-could-have-taken-me-and-it-s/)

[Millie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millie-bright/)

> [I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given me to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-promise-myself-that-i-will-enjoy-every-minute-of-the-day-that-is/)

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

> [It is a pity that, commonly, more care is had--yea, and that among very wise men--to find out rather a cunning man for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ascham/it-is-a-pity-that-commonly-more-care-is-had-yea-and-that-among-very/)

[Roger Ascham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ascham/)

> [I always like to look for adventure when I go away. I have gone on several horse adventures with my wife - from Guangxi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-always-like-to-look-for-adventure-when-i-go-away-i-have-gone-on/)

[Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/)

> [Plato compared the intellect to a charioteer guiding the powerful horses of the passions, i.e., he gave it both the power of perception and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-cattell/plato-compared-the-intellect-to-a-charioteer-guiding-the-powerful/)

[Raymond Cattell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-cattell/)

> [There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-those-that-say-if-you-do-the-uncomfortable-thing-long/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [If some beggar steals a bridle he'll be hung by a man who's stolen a horse. There's no surer justice in the world than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peire-cardenal/if-some-beggar-steals-a-bridle-he-ll-be-hung-by-a-man-who-s-stolen-a/)

[Peire Cardenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peire-cardenal/)

> [Despite the reams of paperwork, obstacles worthy of a horse show, and a wait that can rival an elephant's gestation, adoption feels no different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-simon/despite-the-reams-of-paperwork-obstacles-worthy-of-a-horse-show-and-a/)

[Scott Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-simon/)

> [“I have never heard anyone say, 'Oh, ick! A horse!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elinor-goulding-smith/i-have-never-heard-anyone-say-oh-ick-a-horse/)

[Elinor Goulding Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elinor-goulding-smith/)

> [My friends and I would get up early and take our horses through the national forest. My mom was very free. It was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-torv/my-friends-and-i-would-get-up-early-and-take-our-horses-through-the/)

[Anna Torv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-torv/)

> [Blind with love, my daughter has cried nightly for horses, those long-necked marchers and churners that she has mastered, any and all, reigning them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/blind-with-love-my-daughter-has-cried-nightly-for-horses-those-long/)

[Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/)

> [In the Christianity of Christendom the Cross has become something like the child’s hobby-horse and trumpet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-christianity-of-christendom-the-cross-has-become-something/)

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

[Browse all 3,533 Horse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "So much magazine writing is playing to an empty room. You work like a plow horse, your words get printed on a half-million or more copies, and then it often just disappears into this national vacuum.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Miles"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/so-much-magazine-writing-is-playing-to-an-empty-room-you-work-like-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Horse"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/so-much-magazine-writing-is-playing-to-an-empty-room-you-work-like-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/jonathan-miles-8639_horse_so-much-magazine-writing-is-playing-to-a_1064428.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/jonathan-miles-8639_horse_so-much-magazine-writing-is-playing-to-a_1064428.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e86/jonathan-miles-8639_horse_so-much-magazine-writing-is-playing-to-a_1064428.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“So much magazine writing is playing to an empty room. You work like a plow horse, your words get printed on…” — Jonathan Miles",
                "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 Miles",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miles/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "So much magazine writing is playing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/so-much-magazine-writing-is-playing-to-an-empty-room-you-work-like-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miles/so-much-magazine-writing-is-playing-to-an-empty-room-you-work-like-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
