Can do Quote by Joy Williams
“Writers end up writing stories-or rather, stories' shadows-and they're grateful if they can, but it is not enough. Nothing the writer can do is ever enough”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Quickening (short story collection) by Joy Williams, 1998
Writers constantly feel inadequate, never satisfied with their output, and their efforts are never fully appreciated.
In simple terms: Writers never feel they do enough.
Key Takeaway
Accept imperfection and value progress.
Themes
creativity
self‑criticism
gratitude
artistic struggle
Mood
melancholic
hopeful
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- publishing
- personal projects
- creative practice
- self‑reflection
Key Concepts
perfectionism
writer’s block
self‑esteem
Questions to Reflect On
- What would you create if you stopped self‑editing?
- How can you celebrate small successes?
A Different Perspective
Perfectionism can paralyze productivity.
![“Writing two stories [in the Thorn and the Blossom] about the same set of events that were complete stories in themselves, but also added up to a larger story. As I was writing them, I kept going back and forth, because something would happen in one story that would have to be reflected in the…” quote by Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c0d/theodora-goss-10051_back-and-forth_writing-two-stories-in-the-thorn-and-the_213001.jpg)
