--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writers end up writing stories-or rather…" description: "\"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 en..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/joy-williams-12254_can-do_writers-end-up-writing-stories-or-rather_342372.jpg" --- # Writers end up writing stories-or rather, stories'… ![“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” quote by Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/joy-williams-12254_can-do_writers-end-up-writing-stories-or-rather_342372.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/joy-williams-12254_can-do_writers-end-up-writing-stories-or-rather_342372.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfa/joy-williams-12254_can-do_writers-end-up-writing-stories-or-rather_342372.jpg) > “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” [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 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. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Grateful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grateful/) [Grateful Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grateful-writer-814663/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Stories Shadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-shadows-3180595/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writers End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-end-3180596/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-stories/) ## Related quotes > [Don't mistake a good setup for a satisfying conclusion - many beginning writers end their stories when the real story is just ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/don-t-mistake-a-good-setup-for-a-satisfying-conclusion-many-beginning/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [Many people worked hard in order to create 'Crash Landing on You.' I am grateful to the writer, the directors, and all the production…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyun-bin/many-people-worked-hard-in-order-to-create-crash-landing-on-you-i-am/) [Hyun Bin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyun-bin/) > [I am so grateful to be a writer. I hope every child grows up and finds something to do that will seem important and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-rylant/i-am-so-grateful-to-be-a-writer-i-hope-every-child-grows-up-and-finds/) [Cynthia Rylant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-rylant/) > [“And I love being a writer because I want to leave something here on earth to make it better, prettier, stronger. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-rylant/and-i-love-being-a-writer-because-i-want-to-leave-something-here-on/) [Cynthia Rylant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-rylant/) > [“When people stop writing down their stories, the soul the world is lost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/when-people-stop-writing-down-their-stories-the-soul-the-world-is-lost/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [I usually start writing stories from tone and not from content - kind of like people who create music and invent the lyrics later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-usually-start-writing-stories-from-tone-and-not-from-content-kind/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [I didn't do anything as active as deciding that I wanted to be a writer. For one thing, I didn't feel like I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-didn-t-do-anything-as-active-as-deciding-that-i-wanted-to-be-a/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [ Writing two stories \[in the Thorn and the Blossom\] about the same set of events that were complete stories in themselves, but also added… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/writing-two-stories-in-the-thorn-and-the-blossom-about-the-same-set/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) > [All the words I use in my stories can be found in the dictionary-it's just a matter of arranging them into the right sentences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/all-the-words-i-use-in-my-stories-can-be-found-in-the-dictionary-it-s/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [When I was writing stories about Chinese American characters in my fiction classes, I'd get comments like, 'You should consider writing more universal stories.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/when-i-was-writing-stories-about-chinese-american-characters-in-my/) [Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) > [Dancing used to be my one and only thing and then I started getting into poetry and writing stories and then music just ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tate-mcrae/dancing-used-to-be-my-one-and-only-thing-and-then-i-started-getting/) [Tate McRae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tate-mcrae/) > [I have always loved to read, and now that I have penned 10 novels and a few magazine articles, I have fallen seriously in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-benton-frank/i-have-always-loved-to-read-and-now-that-i-have-penned-10-novels-and/) [Dorothea Benton Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-benton-frank/) > [“A little reminder I needed today as I dive deeper into this incredible publishing journey. Surround yourself with those who lift you higher, believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-rosa/a-little-reminder-i-needed-today-as-i-dive-deeper-into-this/) [Paula Rosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-rosa/) > [My family life reads a bit like 'Little House on the Prairie.' I was big sister to Joan, Renee, and brother William, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/my-family-life-reads-a-bit-like-little-house-on-the-prairie-i-was-big/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [Creativity was definitely a big part of our household, and I remember always writing stories and being encouraged to be creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-lake/creativity-was-definitely-a-big-part-of-our-household-and-i-remember/) [Katrina Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-lake/) ## 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. 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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/) > [Nothing we do is inevitable, but everything we do is irreversible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/nothing-we-do-is-inevitable-but-everything-we-do-is-irreversible/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) [Explore all 55 Joy Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) ## More Can do quotes > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [Anybody can be Prince Charming one day a year, with the dinner and the flowers and all that. But you know what impresses me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-howard/anybody-can-be-prince-charming-one-day-a-year-with-the-dinner-and-the/) [Ryan Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-howard/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [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/) > [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [If people don't have their own vision, all they can do is 'sign-up' for someone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/if-people-don-t-have-their-own-vision-all-they-can-do-is-sign-up-for/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [The one thing that flies in the face of all human history and experience, is that the government can do a superior job than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/the-one-thing-that-flies-in-the-face-of-all-human-history-and/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. 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