Abandon Quote by Kate Atkinson
“I usually start writing a novel that I then abandon. When I say abandon, I don't think any writer ever abandons anything that they regard as even a half-good sentence. So you recycle. I mean, I can hang on to a sentence for several years and then put it into a book that's completely different from the one it started in.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Guardian, 2015
Writers often cling to sentences, repurposing them across projects, reflecting the fluidity of creative work.
In simple terms: Writers recycle sentences across works.
Key Takeaway
Embrace fluid creative process.
Themes
writing
creativity
revision
Mood
reflective
inspirational
Type
advice
creative
When to use this quote
- novel drafting
- screenwriting
- blogging
Key Concepts
iterative drafting
authorial persistence
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you decide when to discard a sentence?
- Can you separate a sentence from its original context?
A Different Perspective
Perfectionism may stall progress.
