---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I'm writing, my neural pathways get…"
description: "\"When I'm writing, my neural pathways get blocked. I can't read. I can barely hold a conversation without forgetting words and names. I wish I could wea..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/kate-atkinson-1265_blocked_when-i-m-writing-my-neural-pathways-get_2971993.jpg"
---

#  When I'm writing, my neural pathways get blocked. I can't…

![“When I'm writing, my neural pathways get blocked. I can't read. I can barely hold a conversation without forgetting words and names. I wish I could wear the same clothes and eat the same food each day.” quote by Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/kate-atkinson-1265_blocked_when-i-m-writing-my-neural-pathways-get_2971993.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/kate-atkinson-1265_blocked_when-i-m-writing-my-neural-pathways-get_2971993.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/kate-atkinson-1265_blocked_when-i-m-writing-my-neural-pathways-get_2971993.jpg)

> “When I'm writing, my neural pathways get blocked. I can't read. I can barely hold a conversation without forgetting words and names. I wish I could wear the same clothes and eat the same food each day.”

[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.

Creative blocks and routine cravings can disrupt communication and focus.

**In simple terms:** Routine can stifle creativity and memory.

Key Takeaway

Introduce varied stimuli to refresh cognition.

Themes

creativity memory routine

Mood

frustrated introspective

Type

psychological motivational

When to use this quote

- writing sessions
- learning new skills
- dietary changes
- social interaction

Key Concepts

cognitive psychology habit formation

Questions to Reflect On

- What habits hinder your creativity?
- How can variety improve mental clarity?

A Different Perspective

Rigid routines may limit growth and adaptability.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Forgetting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I just thought making machines intelligent was the coolest thing you could do. I had a summer internship in AI in high school, writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ng/i-just-thought-making-machines-intelligent-was-the-coolest-thing-you/)

[Andrew Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ng/)

> [When I started Kernel in 2016, my objective was to make the most revolutionary advance in the field of neuroscience around reading and writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-johnson/when-i-started-kernel-in-2016-my-objective-was-to-make-the-most/)

[Bryan Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-johnson/)

> [I've always thought it was important not to attach too much superstition to the space where you're writing, because once you get into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-ve-always-thought-it-was-important-not-to-attach-too-much/)

[Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/)

> [How it seemed like you could see everything, but certain things were blocked out, hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/how-it-seemed-like-you-could-see-everything-but-certain-things-were/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I remember secretly going off and crying. All of a sudden I'm being blocked and have to be intimate in a scene, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-rigby/i-remember-secretly-going-off-and-crying-all-of-a-sudden-i-m-being/)

[Cathy Rigby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-rigby/)

> [At the drabber moments of my life (swilling some excrement from the steps, for instance, or rooting with a bent coat-hanger down a blocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/at-the-drabber-moments-of-my-life-swilling-some-excrement-from-the/)

[Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/)

> [Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it. It is a corrective to the sluggishness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/protest-beyond-the-law-is-not-a-departure-from-democracy-it-is/)

[Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/)

> [There were probably about five games in my career where everything was moving in slow motion and you could be out there all day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-taylor/there-were-probably-about-five-games-in-my-career-where-everything/)

[Lawrence Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-taylor/)

> [Hillary Clinton has pledged to keep both of these illegal amnesty programs, including the 2014 amnesty which has been blocked by the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/hillary-clinton-has-pledged-to-keep-both-of-these-illegal-amnesty/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-write-write-and-write-and-write-if-you/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“I recommend reading #FourBloodMoons by @PastorJohnHagee // @worthypub” // #BloodMoons”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/i-recommend-reading-fourbloodmoons-by-pastorjohnhagee-worthypub/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [Your my Boo thang(;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/your-my-boo-thang/)

[Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/)

> [Another mistake a director can make is not to be prepared, so you get there on the day to shoot the scene, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/another-mistake-a-director-can-make-is-not-to-be-prepared-so-you-get/)

[William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/)

> [“You cannot block someone from your life who doesn't want to be blocked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamar-cohen/you-cannot-block-someone-from-your-life-who-doesn-t-want-to-be-blocked/)

[Tamar Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamar-cohen/)

> [ \[Sport officials\] blocked their support of us. But those individuals \[ Muhammad Ali, the Jim Browns, the Bill Russells, Kareem Abdul Jabbar \] were… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carlos/sport-officials-blocked-their-support-of-us-but-those-individuals/)

[John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carlos/)

## 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 Blocked quotes

> [ \[Sport officials\] blocked their support of us. But those individuals \[ Muhammad Ali, the Jim Browns, the Bill Russells, Kareem Abdul Jabbar \] were… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carlos/sport-officials-blocked-their-support-of-us-but-those-individuals/)

[John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carlos/)

> [“You cannot block someone from your life who doesn't want to be blocked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamar-cohen/you-cannot-block-someone-from-your-life-who-doesn-t-want-to-be-blocked/)

[Tamar Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamar-cohen/)

> [Another mistake a director can make is not to be prepared, so you get there on the day to shoot the scene, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/another-mistake-a-director-can-make-is-not-to-be-prepared-so-you-get/)

[William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/)

> [Your my Boo thang(;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/your-my-boo-thang/)

[Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/)

> [“I recommend reading #FourBloodMoons by @PastorJohnHagee // @worthypub” // #BloodMoons”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/i-recommend-reading-fourbloodmoons-by-pastorjohnhagee-worthypub/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-write-write-and-write-and-write-if-you/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [Hillary Clinton has pledged to keep both of these illegal amnesty programs, including the 2014 amnesty which has been blocked by the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/hillary-clinton-has-pledged-to-keep-both-of-these-illegal-amnesty/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [There were probably about five games in my career where everything was moving in slow motion and you could be out there all day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-taylor/there-were-probably-about-five-games-in-my-career-where-everything/)

[Lawrence Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-taylor/)

> [Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it. It is a corrective to the sluggishness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/protest-beyond-the-law-is-not-a-departure-from-democracy-it-is/)

[Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/)

> [At the drabber moments of my life (swilling some excrement from the steps, for instance, or rooting with a bent coat-hanger down a blocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/at-the-drabber-moments-of-my-life-swilling-some-excrement-from-the/)

[Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/)

> [I remember secretly going off and crying. All of a sudden I'm being blocked and have to be intimate in a scene, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-rigby/i-remember-secretly-going-off-and-crying-all-of-a-sudden-i-m-being/)

[Cathy Rigby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-rigby/)

> [How it seemed like you could see everything, but certain things were blocked out, hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/how-it-seemed-like-you-could-see-everything-but-certain-things-were/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I've always thought it was important not to attach too much superstition to the space where you're writing, because once you get into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-ve-always-thought-it-was-important-not-to-attach-too-much/)

[Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/)

> [“Sometimes feeling blocked is simply a sign that we need to wait and let the natural course of events to unfold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-e-smith/sometimes-feeling-blocked-is-simply-a-sign-that-we-need-to-wait-and/)

[Laurie E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-e-smith/)

> [Luckily my fans are so lovely and I haven't really had to - what's the phrase? - "Clap back at the trolls?" Every now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-brooks/luckily-my-fans-are-so-lovely-and-i-haven-t-really-had-to-what-s-the/)

[Danielle Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-brooks/)

Browse all 372 Blocked quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I'm writing, my neural pathways get blocked. I can't read. I can barely hold a conversation without forgetting words and names. I wish I could wear the same clothes and eat the same food each day.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kate Atkinson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-i-m-writing-my-neural-pathways-get-blocked-i-can-t-read-i-can/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blocked"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-i-m-writing-my-neural-pathways-get-blocked-i-can-t-read-i-can/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/kate-atkinson-1265_blocked_when-i-m-writing-my-neural-pathways-get_2971993.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/kate-atkinson-1265_blocked_when-i-m-writing-my-neural-pathways-get_2971993.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a65/kate-atkinson-1265_blocked_when-i-m-writing-my-neural-pathways-get_2971993.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I'm writing, my neural pathways get blocked. I can't read. I can barely hold a conversation without…” — 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": "When I'm writing, my neural pathways...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-i-m-writing-my-neural-pathways-get-blocked-i-can-t-read-i-can/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-i-m-writing-my-neural-pathways-get-blocked-i-can-t-read-i-can/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
