---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't imagine what it would be like to…"
description: "\"I can't imagine what it would be like to write in a relaxed state. I'm going to be writing some stories for my own interest. I want to experiment with ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/kate-atkinson-1265_approach_i-can-t-imagine-what-it-would-be-like-to_1321092.jpg"
---

#  I can't imagine what it would be like to write in a…

![“I can't imagine what it would be like to write in a relaxed state. I'm going to be writing some stories for my own interest. I want to experiment with different things and see if I can approach writing with much less control and in a better psychological state. It will be like breaking out of a…” quote by Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/kate-atkinson-1265_approach_i-can-t-imagine-what-it-would-be-like-to_1321092.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/kate-atkinson-1265_approach_i-can-t-imagine-what-it-would-be-like-to_1321092.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/kate-atkinson-1265_approach_i-can-t-imagine-what-it-would-be-like-to_1321092.jpg)

> “I can't imagine what it would be like to write in a relaxed state. I'm going to be writing some stories for my own interest. I want to experiment with different things and see if I can approach writing with much less control and in a better psychological state. It will be like breaking out of a straitjacket.”

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The author seeks to write while relaxed, freeing creativity from self‑imposed constraints.

**In simple terms:** Write relaxed to unlock creativity.

Key Takeaway

Try writing without over‑controlling thoughts.

Themes

creativity freedom psychology writing experimentation

Mood

curious optimistic reflective

Type

advice personal inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal writing
- creative workshops
- self‑directed projects
- mental health practices

Key Concepts

flow state creative inhibition mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How does relaxation change your storytelling?
- What risks arise when control is reduced?

A Different Perspective

Relaxation may not guarantee quality; discipline still matters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better/) [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-things/) [Going Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-writing-793222/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological/) [Psychological State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological-state-342088/) [Relaxed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relaxed/) [Relaxed State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relaxed-state-1000776/) [State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [Write Relaxed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-relaxed-4403419/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [When you're in the ring, you're ready to do your thing, but in a relaxed state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-parker/when-you-re-in-the-ring-you-re-ready-to-do-your-thing-but-in-a/)

[Joseph Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-parker/)

> [I wonder if Watson is in the relaxed state of mind he's in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-walker/i-wonder-if-watson-is-in-the-relaxed-state-of-mind-he-s-in/)

[Murray Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-walker/)

> [Now focus on your cheeks, mouth and throat. Feel the areas and feel the cells under the skin slowing to a relaxed state. Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/now-focus-on-your-cheeks-mouth-and-throat-feel-the-areas-and-feel-the/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [Often, we ignore the fact that our spiritual condition and psychological state of mind are highly affected by what is happening to us physically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-campolo/often-we-ignore-the-fact-that-our-spiritual-condition-and-2/)

[Tony Campolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-campolo/)

> [The society in which we live is the result of our psychological state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/the-society-in-which-we-live-is-the-result-of-our-psychological-state/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [“The comfort zone is a psychological state in which one feels familiar, safe, at ease, and secure. If you always do what is easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/the-comfort-zone-is-a-psychological-state-in-which-one-feels-familiar/)

[Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/)

> [Empathy involves the inner experience of sharing in and comprehending the momentary psychological state of another person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-schafer/empathy-involves-the-inner-experience-of-sharing-in-and-comprehending/)

[Roy Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-schafer/)

> [“Comfort zone: simply means the routine of one’s daily life – it is a psychological state in which one feels familiar, safe, at ease,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/comfort-zone-simply-means-the-routine-of-one-s-daily-life-it-is-a/)

[Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/)

> [“Stoic tranquility was a psychological state marked by the absence of negative emotions, such as grief, anger, and anxiety, and the presence of positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/stoic-tranquility-was-a-psychological-state-marked-by-the-absence-of/)

[William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/)

> [Yearning is the word that best describes a common psychological state shared by many of us, cutting across boundaries of race, class, gender, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/yearning-is-the-word-that-best-describes-a-common-psychological-state/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [I have made it a habit not to speculate over the psychological state of our elected leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wladyslaw-bartoszewski/i-have-made-it-a-habit-not-to-speculate-over-the-psychological-state/)

[Wladyslaw Bartoszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wladyslaw-bartoszewski/)

> [In my films quite often, paranoia usually leads to the truth so it is kind of a psychological state of mind to think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-fessenden/in-my-films-quite-often-paranoia-usually-leads-to-the-truth-so-it-is/)

[Larry Fessenden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-fessenden/)

> [I want to describe the psychological state of the people in a certain city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-want-to-describe-the-psychological-state-of-the-people-in-a-certain/)

[Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/)

> [In my early work, I tried to hide my personality, my psychological state, my emotions. This was partly due to my feelings about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/in-my-early-work-i-tried-to-hide-my-personality-my-psychological/)

[Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/)

> [They must move from a psychological state of victimization to a psychological state of accepting responsibility. The Palestinians must leave behind their revolutionary adolescence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shavit/they-must-move-from-a-psychological-state-of-victimization-to-a/)

[Ari Shavit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shavit/)

## More by Kate Atkinson

> [“Sweet sixteen," Hugh said, kissing her affectionately. "Happy birthday, little bear. Your future's all ahead of you." Ursula still harbored the feeling that some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/sweet-sixteen-hugh-said-kissing-her-affectionately-happy-birthday/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [When you chopped logs with the ax and they split open they smelled beautiful, like Christmas. But when you split someone's head open it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-you-chopped-logs-with-the-ax-and-they-split-open-they-smelled/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [“He had made a vow, a private promise to the world in the long dark watches of the night, that if he did survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/he-had-made-a-vow-a-private-promise-to-the-world-in-the-long-dark/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [“When she was little they had lived in an old farmhouse too, in the middle of nothing of but landscape.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-she-was-little-they-had-lived-in-an-old-farmhouse-too-in-the/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [“Do you keep time in the same place that you save it? If so why is it always so difficult to find? It must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/do-you-keep-time-in-the-same-place-that-you-save-it-if-so-why-is-it/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [I was on the verge of something numinous and profound and in one more second the universe was going to crack open and arcana…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-was-on-the-verge-of-something-numinous-and-profound-and-in-one-more/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [I feel as if I’m waiting for something dreadful to happen, and then I realize it already has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-feel-as-if-i-m-waiting-for-something-dreadful-to-happen-and-then-i/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [“If she had been in charge of designing the human race she would have gone about things differently. (A golden shaft of light through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/if-she-had-been-in-charge-of-designing-the-human-race-she-would-have/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [The beginning is the word and the end is silence. And in between are all the stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/the-beginning-is-the-word-and-the-end-is-silence-and-in-between-are/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [“The only way to stop the tears was to keep drinking the whisky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/the-only-way-to-stop-the-tears-was-to-keep-drinking-the-whisky/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [I don't want to spoil the magic, but it's a very curious thing that honestly baffles me. It's the nearest we'll ever get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-don-t-want-to-spoil-the-magic-but-it-s-a-very-curious-thing-that/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [“What did science ever do for the world, apart from make better ways of killing people?” Sylvie said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/what-did-science-ever-do-for-the-world-apart-from-make-better-ways-of/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [Because I write fiction, I don't write autobiography, and to me they are very different things. The first-person narrative is a very intimate thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/because-i-write-fiction-i-don-t-write-autobiography-and-to-me-they/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [“she could see Sylvie and her friends on the lawn below, their dresses fluttering like moths in the encroaching dusk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/she-could-see-sylvie-and-her-friends-on-the-lawn-below-their-dresses/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [“misquote Edmund Burke rather than Milton. All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/misquote-edmund-burke-rather-than-milton-all-that-is-necessary-for/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

[Explore all 261 Kate Atkinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

## More Approach quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/)

[Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/)

> [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/)

[Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/)

[Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/)

> [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/)

[Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/)

> [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/)

[Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/)

> [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/)

[Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/)

> [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. Because you have to force a utopia on a free people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/what-begins-as-a-utopian-vision-always-always-ends-in-bloodshed/)

[Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/)

> [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/)

[Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/)

[Browse all 3,949 Approach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I can't imagine what it would be like to write in a relaxed state. I'm going to be writing some stories for my own interest. I want to experiment with different things and see if I can approach writing with much less control and in a better psychological state. It will be like breaking out of a straitjacket.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kate Atkinson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-can-t-imagine-what-it-would-be-like-to-write-in-a-relaxed-state-i-m/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Approach"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-can-t-imagine-what-it-would-be-like-to-write-in-a-relaxed-state-i-m/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/kate-atkinson-1265_approach_i-can-t-imagine-what-it-would-be-like-to_1321092.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/kate-atkinson-1265_approach_i-can-t-imagine-what-it-would-be-like-to_1321092.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4e/kate-atkinson-1265_approach_i-can-t-imagine-what-it-would-be-like-to_1321092.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I can't imagine what it would be like to write in a relaxed state. I'm going to be writing some stories for…” — Kate Atkinson",
                "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": "Kate Atkinson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I can't imagine what it would...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-can-t-imagine-what-it-would-be-like-to-write-in-a-relaxed-state-i-m/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-can-t-imagine-what-it-would-be-like-to-write-in-a-relaxed-state-i-m/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
