--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Write a lot. And I mean a ridiculous…" description: "\"Write a lot. And I mean a ridiculous amount. You have to write so much that you don't mind throwing away and changing things that you've written - whic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/josh-lieb-19178_amount_write-a-lot-and-i-mean-a-ridiculous-amou_1756121.jpg" --- # Write a lot. And I mean a ridiculous amount. You have to… ![“Write a lot. And I mean a ridiculous amount. You have to write so much that you don't mind throwing away and changing things that you've written - which is the second thing you have to do. A lot of young writers are very precious about their words. Don't be - you've got to be ready to burn stuff…” quote by Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/josh-lieb-19178_amount_write-a-lot-and-i-mean-a-ridiculous-amou_1756121.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/josh-lieb-19178_amount_write-a-lot-and-i-mean-a-ridiculous-amou_1756121.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/josh-lieb-19178_amount_write-a-lot-and-i-mean-a-ridiculous-amou_1756121.jpg) > “Write a lot. And I mean a ridiculous amount. You have to write so much that you don't mind throwing away and changing things that you've written - which is the second thing you have to do. A lot of young writers are very precious about their words. Don't be - you've got to be ready to burn stuff. You're not as good as you think you are, at least not yet. The more you write, the faster you'll write, and the less you'll mind throwing stuff out.” [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Write abundantly, discard ruthlessly; practice reduces fear of criticism and improves skill. **In simple terms:** Write a lot, edit more. Key Takeaway Write often, edit freely. Themes creativity discipline growth Mood encouraging practical Type inspirational educational When to use this quote - novel drafting - blog posts - academic papers - screenplays Key Concepts writing process iteration self‑critique Questions to Reflect On - How many drafts do you need? - What scares you about deleting your work? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Changing Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing-things/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Throwing away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/throwing-away/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Young writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-writers/) ## Related quotes > [The more you write, the faster you'll write, and the less you'll mind throwing stuff out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/the-more-you-write-the-faster-you-ll-write-and-the-less-you-ll-mind/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [I think I write a lot, but it's always a continuous stream of consciousness, I guess. It's a mechanic. It's a discipline and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-merilahti/i-think-i-write-a-lot-but-it-s-always-a-continuous-stream-of/) [Olivia Merilahti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-merilahti/) > [If you want to do this - either write for TV, or write books - the first thing you have to do is write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/if-you-want-to-do-this-either-write-for-tv-or-write-books-the-first/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [A lot of young writers are very precious about their words. Don't be - you've got to be ready to burn stuff. You're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/a-lot-of-young-writers-are-very-precious-about-their-words-don-t-be/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“If you want to write faster, the first step is to know what you're writing before you write it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/if-you-want-to-write-faster-the-first-step-is-to-know-what-you-re/) [Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/) > [I can write better than anyone who can write faster,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/i-can-write-better-than-anyone-who-can-write-faster/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [“Writing is more fun when you have a partner, so find friends who share your research interests. Two authors can write faster, can complement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-silvia/writing-is-more-fun-when-you-have-a-partner-so-find-friends-who-share/) [Paul J. Silvia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-silvia/) > [Take your time, however long the book needs. I've seen a lot of promising careers go into decline because writers succumbed to the pressure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-day/take-your-time-however-long-the-book-needs-i-ve-seen-a-lot-of/) [Sylvia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-day/) > [I can write better than anybody who can write faster, and I can write faster than anybody who can write better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/i-can-write-better-than-anybody-who-can-write-faster-and-i-can-write/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [My husband and I are writers, and I wish I could write faster. There are not a lot of movies made with black actors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/my-husband-and-i-are-writers-and-i-wish-i-could-write-faster-there/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [Technology must remain a tool. It's a great tool, but technology is the pen to write the book. It's not the book. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cage/technology-must-remain-a-tool-it-s-a-great-tool-but-technology-is-the/) [David Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cage/) > [I can write faster on a typewriter than you can on a computer. I do 120 words a minute, and you can't do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-can-write-faster-on-a-typewriter-than-you-can-on-a-computer-i-do/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I'm trying to learn how to write faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-trying-to-learn-how-to-write-faster/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Read a lot. Read broadly... Tell stories to your friends, and pay attention to when they get bored... Write a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/read-a-lot-read-broadly-tell-stories-to-your-friends-and-pay/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I write a lot, and then forget what I've written, and then come back to it and say, "Not bad, I should do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-joseph/i-write-a-lot-and-then-forget-what-i-ve-written-and-then-come-back-to/) [Allison Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-joseph/) ## More by Josh Lieb > [I keep my TV writing and my book writing almost wholly separate. The audiences feel so different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/i-keep-my-tv-writing-and-my-book-writing-almost-wholly-separate-the/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [The more you write, the faster you'll write, and the less you'll mind throwing stuff out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/the-more-you-write-the-faster-you-ll-write-and-the-less-you-ll-mind/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“Boys are idiots. Girls are idiots, too, of course, but boys are a special kind of idiot. A girl, for instance, will vote for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/boys-are-idiots-girls-are-idiots-too-of-course-but-boys-are-a-special/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [It doesn't pay to be good at something unless you are the absolute best at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/it-doesn-t-pay-to-be-good-at-something-unless-you-are-the-absolute/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [Fahrenheit 451 is one of those books that is about how amazing books are and how amazing the people who write books are. Writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/fahrenheit-451-is-one-of-those-books-that-is-about-how-amazing-books/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [Gratitude can sometimes be as annoying as whininess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/gratitude-can-sometimes-be-as-annoying-as-whininess/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“What is evil?' you ask. To which I reply, 'Who are you, Friedrich Nietzsche?' To which you respond, 'Duh, wha? Me no understand.' Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/what-is-evil-you-ask-to-which-i-reply-who-are-you-friedrich-nietzsche/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“Sunrises and sunsets are real jerks about putting things in perspective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/sunrises-and-sunsets-are-real-jerks-about-putting-things-in/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“Moorehead is one of those sad people who go into teaching so they can be worshipped by the only people sadder than they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/moorehead-is-one-of-those-sad-people-who-go-into-teaching-so-they-can/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“According to the fortune-cookie logic most people live by, the best things in life are free. That's crap. I have a gold-plated robot that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/according-to-the-fortune-cookie-logic-most-people-live-by-the-best/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [I read an awful lot in college - a lot of Dickens, a lot of 19th century American stuff, a lot of old mysteries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/i-read-an-awful-lot-in-college-a-lot-of-dickens-a-lot-of-19th-century/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [Important days don't look like anything special when they start. Invariably, the sun rises and people wake up. Coffee is swilled and eggs are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/important-days-don-t-look-like-anything-special-when-they-start/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [If you want to do this - either write for TV, or write books - the first thing you have to do is write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/if-you-want-to-do-this-either-write-for-tv-or-write-books-the-first/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [You have to know writing styles well before you can copy them - and then incorporate parts of them into your own style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/you-have-to-know-writing-styles-well-before-you-can-copy-them-and/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [I have to start writing down things that happen, or I'll forget my life entirely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/i-have-to-start-writing-down-things-that-happen-or-i-ll-forget-my/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) [Explore all 33 Josh Lieb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) ## More Amount quotes > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [The amount you give isn't important. What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/) [Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/) > [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/) [Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/) F. A. Harper > [You have a little bit of talent, a certain amount of good fortune and a lot of hard work in pursuit of whatever truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sutherland/you-have-a-little-bit-of-talent-a-certain-amount-of-good-fortune-and/) [Donald Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sutherland/) > [I have a tremendous amount of respect for military families. To have to worry about your loved ones and still try and live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashanti/i-have-a-tremendous-amount-of-respect-for-military-families-to-have/) [Ashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashanti/) > [In sports teams, apart from talk of sporting prowess and the imparting of inspirational thought, an extraordinary amount of time is spent discussing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/in-sports-teams-apart-from-talk-of-sporting-prowess-and-the-imparting/) [Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/) Browse all 4,202 Amount quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Write a lot. And I mean a ridiculous amount. You have to write so much that you don't mind throwing away and changing things that you've written - which is the second thing you have to do. A lot of young writers are very precious about their words. Don't be - you've got to be ready to burn stuff. You're not as good as you think you are, at least not yet. The more you write, the faster you'll write, and the less you'll mind throwing stuff out.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Josh Lieb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/write-a-lot-and-i-mean-a-ridiculous-amount-you-have-to-write-so-much/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Amount" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/write-a-lot-and-i-mean-a-ridiculous-amount-you-have-to-write-so-much/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/josh-lieb-19178_amount_write-a-lot-and-i-mean-a-ridiculous-amou_1756121.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/josh-lieb-19178_amount_write-a-lot-and-i-mean-a-ridiculous-amou_1756121.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/josh-lieb-19178_amount_write-a-lot-and-i-mean-a-ridiculous-amou_1756121.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Write a lot. And I mean a ridiculous amount. You have to write so much that you don't mind throwing away and…” — Josh Lieb", "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": "Josh Lieb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Write a lot. And I mean...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/write-a-lot-and-i-mean-a-ridiculous-amount-you-have-to-write-so-much/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/write-a-lot-and-i-mean-a-ridiculous-amount-you-have-to-write-so-much/#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 } } ] } ```