--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was working on 'Drown' - this was…" description: "\"When I was working on 'Drown' - this was way back in the mid-'90s - I had this idea that I wanted to do another collected stories. I wanted to do anoth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/junot-diaz-531_betrayal_when-i-was-working-on-drown-this-was-way_3191652.jpg" --- # When I was working on 'Drown' - this was way back in the… ![“When I was working on 'Drown' - this was way back in the mid-'90s - I had this idea that I wanted to do another collected stories. I wanted to do another book like 'Drown' that focused specifically on infidelity.” quote by Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/junot-diaz-531_betrayal_when-i-was-working-on-drown-this-was-way_3191652.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/junot-diaz-531_betrayal_when-i-was-working-on-drown-this-was-way_3191652.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/junot-diaz-531_betrayal_when-i-was-working-on-drown-this-was-way_3191652.jpg) > “When I was working on 'Drown' - this was way back in the mid-'90s - I had this idea that I wanted to do another collected stories. I wanted to do another book like 'Drown' that focused specifically on infidelity.” [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Considers writing a follow‑up to explore infidelity through collected stories. **In simple terms:** Wants to explore infidelity in a new book. Key Takeaway Write a story collection on infidelity. Themes relationships infidelity storytelling Mood reflective introspective Type literary creative When to use this quote - literary festivals - writing workshops - editor meetings Key Concepts Narrative nonfiction personal essays Questions to Reflect On - What narrative techniques reveal hidden truths? - How does personal experience shape storytelling? A Different Perspective Readers may find the topic uncomfortable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Betrayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Drown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drown/) [Drown Focused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drown-focused-5888857/) [Focused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focused/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Infidelity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infidelity/) [Like Drown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-drown-4074861/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Stories Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-wanted-279017/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Working Drown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-drown-5888858/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm sorry to say that too often, I haven't a clue why people do things like this. Why they drown their babies or strangle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/i-m-sorry-to-say-that-too-often-i-haven-t-a-clue-why-people-do-things/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“I feel like she could drown me in a spoonful of water or crush me with her fingernail clippings. I realize I have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-trope/i-feel-like-she-could-drown-me-in-a-spoonful-of-water-or-crush-me/) [Zoe Trope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-trope/) > [Everywhere is still everything is restless in my heart I hate the way this feels suddenly I'm scared to be apart. The days are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rihanna/everywhere-is-still-everything-is-restless-in-my-heart-i-hate-the-way/) [RiHanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rihanna/) > [You seemed so desperate, like you might drown if someone didn't save you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/you-seemed-so-desperate-like-you-might-drown-if-someone-didn-t-save/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [All my life I've been interested in other people's stories. I wanted to know them, understand them, feel them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/all-my-life-i-ve-been-interested-in-other-people-s-stories-i-wanted/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [There are stories I wanted to tell, and they are not defined by what I look like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malachi-kirby/there-are-stories-i-wanted-to-tell-and-they-are-not-defined-by-what-i/) [Malachi Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malachi-kirby/) > [For 25 or 30 years I never had an assignment. These were all stories I wanted to do myself. So they were always about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/for-25-or-30-years-i-never-had-an-assignment-these-were-all-stories-i/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [“Often, she was a princess because they were her stories and she wanted to be a princess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-brightley/often-she-was-a-princess-because-they-were-her-stories-and-she-wanted/) [C.J. Brightley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-brightley/) > [“Stories come alive in the telling. Without a human voice to read them aloud, or a pair of wide eyes following them by flashlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/stories-come-alive-in-the-telling-without-a-human-voice-to-read-them/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [My works are a direct response to the typical space opera. I grew tired of always reading about how the people with power, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/my-works-are-a-direct-response-to-the-typical-space-opera-i-grew/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [I want to shine a spotlight on a new generation of women, who are creating, funding and managing some of the hottest companies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willow-bay/i-want-to-shine-a-spotlight-on-a-new-generation-of-women-who-are/) [Willow Bay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willow-bay/) > [I wanted to do what I was seeing Dorothy Dandridge doing, what I saw Marilyn Monroe do, what I saw Bette Davis do. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-whitfield/i-wanted-to-do-what-i-was-seeing-dorothy-dandridge-doing-what-i-saw/) [Lynn Whitfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-whitfield/) > [I just knew there were stories I wanted to tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-just-knew-there-were-stories-i-wanted-to-tell/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love is understood, in a historical way, as one of the great human vocations - but its counterspell has always been infidelity. This terrible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/love-is-understood-in-a-historical-way-as-one-of-the-great-human/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I find infidelity interesting because it's so revelatory about people. It's this really silent thing. Everyone acknowledges it as a general practice, but nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-find-infidelity-interesting-because-it-s-so-revelatory-about-people/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## More by Junot Diaz > [It might interest you that just as the U.S. was ramping up its involvement in Vietnam, LBJ launched an illegal invasion of the Dominican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-might-interest-you-that-just-as-the-u-s-was-ramping-up-its/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in truth, you love them more than you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/tell-her-that-you-love-her-hair-that-you-love-her-skin-her-lips/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [It took me sixteen years to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-took-me-sixteen-years-to-write/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [You ask everybody you know: How long does it usually take to get over it? There are many formulas. One year for every year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-ask-everybody-you-know-how-long-does-it-usually-take-to-get-over/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The one thing about being a dude and writing from a female perspective is that the baseline is, you suck. The baseline is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-one-thing-about-being-a-dude-and-writing-from-a-female/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I used to think those were the barrio rules, Latinos and blacks in, whites out —a place we down cats weren’t supposed to go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-used-to-think-those-were-the-barrio-rules-latinos-and-blacks-in/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I put my hand on her knee. I just wish you'd say you love me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-put-my-hand-on-her-knee-i-just-wish-you-d-say-you-love-me/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I've always thought that you don't love a country by turning a blind eye to its crimes and to a problem. The way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-ve-always-thought-that-you-don-t-love-a-country-by-turning-a-blind/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Called her a whore and attacked her walls, tearing down her posters and throwing her books everywhere. I found out because some whitegirl ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/called-her-a-whore-and-attacked-her-walls-tearing-down-her-posters/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [You're Dominican only if you do this, this, and that. And if you do this and that, you'll be accepted to a certain degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-re-dominican-only-if-you-do-this-this-and-that-and-if-you-do-this/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Ramfis fled the country after Trujillo's death, lived dissolutely off his father's swag, and ended up dying in a car crash of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/ramfis-fled-the-country-after-trujillo-s-death-lived-dissolutely-off/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [If you didn't grow up like I did then you don't know, and if you don't know it's probably better you don't judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-didn-t-grow-up-like-i-did-then-you-don-t-know-and-if-you-don-t/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“If you ask me I don't think there are any such things as curses. I think there is only life. That's enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-ask-me-i-don-t-think-there-are-any-such-things-as-curses-i/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The only difference between a published and unpublished writer is a tolerance for imperfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-only-difference-between-a-published-and-unpublished-writer-is-a/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) [Explore all 486 Junot Diaz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## More Betrayal quotes > [“That's the catch about betrayal, of course: that it feels good, that there's something immensely pleasurable about moving from a complicated relationship which involves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/that-s-the-catch-about-betrayal-of-course-that-it-feels-good-that/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [God’s faithfulness is stronger than our unfaithfulness and our infidelities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-s-faithfulness-is-stronger-than-our-unfaithfulness-and-our/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/there-is-no-deceit-in-death-it-delivers-precisely-what-it-has/) [KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/) > [If you leave someone for another person, don't be surprised if that person leaves you for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-leave-someone-for-another-person-don-t-be-surprised-if-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As they say in New York, Get over it and, if you can't get over it, Get over talking about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/as-they-say-in-new-york-get-over-it-and-if-you-can-t-get-over-it-get/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [“He returned her gaze, yearning for sentimental solace; love which emanated from a familiar source, mattered little how bedevilling. They shared an intimate moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-h-septimius/he-returned-her-gaze-yearning-for-sentimental-solace-love-which/) [A. H. Septimius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-h-septimius/) > [I was always here for you,you knew you could count on me and trust me blindly, and you knew that I would never tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hayssus/i-was-always-here-for-you-you-knew-you-could-count-on-me-and-trust-me/) [Michael Hayssus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hayssus/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Betrayal and love are not mutually exclusive." (Mordred)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-mercer/betrayal-and-love-are-not-mutually-exclusive-mordred/) [Aldous Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-mercer/) > [Love comes exactly... To those who still hope, even though they've been disappointed. To those who still believe, even though they've been betrayed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mizhan/love-comes-exactly-to-those-who-still-hope-even-though-they-ve-been/) [Mizhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mizhan/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Betrayal is a serious thing in this world,you know what else is serious? Being lied to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina/betrayal-is-a-serious-thing-in-this-world-you-know-what-else-is/) [Sabrina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina/) > [The greatest temptation for the like of us is: to renounce violence, to repent, to make peace with oneself. Most revolutionaries fell before this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-greatest-temptation-for-the-like-of-us-is-to-renounce-violence-to/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [“Sarai, you never know who might betray you until it’s too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-redmerski/sarai-you-never-know-who-might-betray-you-until-it-s-too-late/) [J.A. Redmerski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-redmerski/) [Browse all 2,050 Betrayal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was working on 'Drown' - this was way back in the mid-'90s - I had this idea that I wanted to do another collected stories. I wanted to do another book like 'Drown' that focused specifically on infidelity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Junot Diaz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/when-i-was-working-on-drown-this-was-way-back-in-the-mid-90s-i-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Betrayal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/when-i-was-working-on-drown-this-was-way-back-in-the-mid-90s-i-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/junot-diaz-531_betrayal_when-i-was-working-on-drown-this-was-way_3191652.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/junot-diaz-531_betrayal_when-i-was-working-on-drown-this-was-way_3191652.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/junot-diaz-531_betrayal_when-i-was-working-on-drown-this-was-way_3191652.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was working on 'Drown' - this was way back in the mid-'90s - I had this idea that I wanted to do…” — Junot Diaz", "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": "Junot Diaz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was working on 'Drown'...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/when-i-was-working-on-drown-this-was-way-back-in-the-mid-90s-i-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/when-i-was-working-on-drown-this-was-way-back-in-the-mid-90s-i-had/#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 } } ] } ```