--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's become fashionable these days to say…" description: "\"It's become fashionable these days to say that the writer writes because he is not whole, he has a wound, he writes to heal it, but who cares if the wr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/joy-williams-12254_care_it-s-become-fashionable-these-days-to-sa_1393349.jpg" --- # It's become fashionable these days to say that the writer… ![“It's become fashionable these days to say that the writer writes because he is not whole, he has a wound, he writes to heal it, but who cares if the writer is not whole; of course the writer is not whole, or even particularly well.” quote by Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/joy-williams-12254_care_it-s-become-fashionable-these-days-to-sa_1393349.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/joy-williams-12254_care_it-s-become-fashionable-these-days-to-sa_1393349.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/joy-williams-12254_care_it-s-become-fashionable-these-days-to-sa_1393349.jpg) > “It's become fashionable these days to say that the writer writes because he is not whole, he has a wound, he writes to heal it, but who cares if the writer is not whole; of course the writer is not whole, or even particularly well.” [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers often claim brokenness fuels creativity, yet incompleteness is common and not a prerequisite. **In simple terms:** Writers aren’t always broken. Key Takeaway Accept imperfection in creative work. Themes creativity imperfection authenticity artist myth Mood thoughtful analytical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journaling - artistic block - publishing Key Concepts literary theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you need a wound to create? - How does embracing wholeness affect your art? A Different Perspective Romanticizing suffering may excuse lack of effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Cares Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cares-writer-4862516/) [Fashionable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashionable/) [Heal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heal/) [These days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/these-days/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Who cares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who-cares/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Wound Writes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wound-writes-4862515/) [Wounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wounds/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Particularly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-particularly-1707508/) [Writer Writes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-writes/) [Writes Wound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writes-wound-4862514/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I think having a great range of experiences in my life had helped me as a writer, particularly a writer of fiction. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/i-think-having-a-great-range-of-experiences-in-my-life-had-helped-me/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [Salter is a writer who particularly rewards those for whom reading is an intense pleasure. He is among the very few North American writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/salter-is-a-writer-who-particularly-rewards-those-for-whom-reading-is/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“Why does the writer write? The writer writes to serve--hopelessly he writes in the hope that he might serve--not himself and not others, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/why-does-the-writer-write-the-writer-writes-to-serve-hopelessly-he-2/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [“Why does the writer write? The writer writes to serve — hopelessly he writes in the hope that he might serve — not himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/why-does-the-writer-write-the-writer-writes-to-serve-hopelessly-he/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [Why does the writer write? The writer writes to serve--hopeless ly he writes in the hope that he might serve--not himself and not others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/why-does-the-writer-write-the-writer-writes-to-serve-hopeless-ly-he/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [The writer trusts nothing she writes-it should be too reckless and alive for that, it should be beautiful and menacing and slightly out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/the-writer-trusts-nothing-she-writes-it-should-be-too-reckless-and/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [I'm a writer who never writes about sex. It's so far from my own fictional world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-m-a-writer-who-never-writes-about-sex-it-s-so-far-from-my-own/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [“A writer writes. There are no exceptions to this reality. No excuses. Stop wasting time talking about your stories and get them on paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-hall/a-writer-writes-there-are-no-exceptions-to-this-reality-no-excuses/) [Christy Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-hall/) > [I always say that I'm a writer who writes more from place than race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katori-hall/i-always-say-that-i-m-a-writer-who-writes-more-from-place-than-race/) [Katori Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katori-hall/) > [I dreamed of being an actress when I was a little kid because you don't know then that the writer writes everything the actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-dreamed-of-being-an-actress-when-i-was-a-little-kid-because-you-don/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [A popular writer writes about what people think. A wise writer offers them something to think about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-popular-writer-writes-about-what-people-think-a-wise-writer-offers/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [When it comes to writing characters, whether men or women, I think a good writer writes good characters. I know many men who, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoya-akhtar/when-it-comes-to-writing-characters-whether-men-or-women-i-think-a/) [Zoya Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoya-akhtar/) > [“Bill is a fiction writer, but he writes in the first-person voice in a style that is tell-all confessional; in fact, his fiction sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/bill-is-a-fiction-writer-but-he-writes-in-the-first-person-voice-in-a/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“A writer writes regardless... even though... notwithstanding... despite... at any rate... anyhow... nevertheless... in the face of... undeterred by... heedless of... and because. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/a-writer-writes-regardless-even-though-notwithstanding-despite-at-any/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“Writing is hard. Not as hard as not writing. Not writing is torturous, bloody, chaotic and a gruesome winless battle. A writer who writes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-weise/writing-is-hard-not-as-hard-as-not-writing-not-writing-is-torturous/) [Jamie Weise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-weise/) ## More by Joy Williams > [“We are saved not because we are worthy. We are saved because we are loved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/we-are-saved-not-because-we-are-worthy-we-are-saved-because-we-are/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [There is a certain type of conversation one hears only when one is drunk and it is like a dream, full of humor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/there-is-a-certain-type-of-conversation-one-hears-only-when-one-is/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [A side benefit of the new and developing technologies is that soon we won't have to feel guilty about the suffering and denigration of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/a-side-benefit-of-the-new-and-developing-technologies-is-that-soon-we/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [Good writing never soothes or comforts. It is no prescription, neither is it diversionary, although it can and should enchant while it explodes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/good-writing-never-soothes-or-comforts-it-is-no-prescription-neither/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [Words at night were feral things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/words-at-night-were-feral-things/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/writers-end-up-writing-stories-or-rather-stories-shadows-and-they-re/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [You have never seen such animals as these who without a sound or a sign carry you off. You race with them across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/you-have-never-seen-such-animals-as-these-who-without-a-sound-or-a/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [“Our treatment of animals and our attitude toward them are crucial not only to any pretensions we have to ethical behavior but the humankind's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/our-treatment-of-animals-and-our-attitude-toward-them-are-crucial-not/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [“For centuries poets, some poets, have tried to give a voice to the animals, and readers, some readers, have felt empathy and sorrow. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/for-centuries-poets-some-poets-have-tried-to-give-a-voice-to-the/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [The writer trusts nothing she writes-it should be too reckless and alive for that, it should be beautiful and menacing and slightly out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/the-writer-trusts-nothing-she-writes-it-should-be-too-reckless-and/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [“Down in the kitchen, I open the refrigerator. There is nothing there but the prize steer of the county fair, rearranged in neat and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/down-in-the-kitchen-i-open-the-refrigerator-there-is-nothing-there/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [Writers are like eremites or anchorites - natural-born eremites or anchorites - who seem puzzled as to why they went up the pole or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/writers-are-like-eremites-or-anchorites-natural-born-eremites-or/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [A writer starts out, I think, wanting to be a transfiguring agent, and ends up usually just making contact, contact with other human beings.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/a-writer-starts-out-i-think-wanting-to-be-a-transfiguring-agent-and/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [But who knows what good might come from the least of us? From the bones of old horses is made the most beautiful Prussian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/but-who-knows-what-good-might-come-from-the-least-of-us-from-the/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [Why does the writer write? The writer writes to serve--hopeless ly he writes in the hope that he might serve--not himself and not others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/why-does-the-writer-write-the-writer-writes-to-serve-hopeless-ly-he/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) [Explore all 55 Joy Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) ## More Care quotes > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/) [Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/) [James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/) [Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/) > [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) [Browse all 19,019 Care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's become fashionable these days to say that the writer writes because he is not whole, he has a wound, he writes to heal it, but who cares if the writer is not whole; of course the writer is not whole, or even particularly well.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joy Williams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/it-s-become-fashionable-these-days-to-say-that-the-writer-writes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Care" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/it-s-become-fashionable-these-days-to-say-that-the-writer-writes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/joy-williams-12254_care_it-s-become-fashionable-these-days-to-sa_1393349.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/joy-williams-12254_care_it-s-become-fashionable-these-days-to-sa_1393349.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff9/joy-williams-12254_care_it-s-become-fashionable-these-days-to-sa_1393349.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's become fashionable these days to say that the writer writes because he is not whole, he has a wound, he…” — Joy Williams", "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": "Joy Williams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's become fashionable these days to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/it-s-become-fashionable-these-days-to-say-that-the-writer-writes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/it-s-become-fashionable-these-days-to-say-that-the-writer-writes/#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 } } ] } ```