--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As Elmore Leonard says, I write to find…" description: "\"As Elmore Leonard says, I write to find out what happens.\" — Kate DiCamillo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/kate-dicamillo-599_happens_as-elmore-leonard-says-i-write-to-find-o_2743134.png" --- # As Elmore Leonard says, I write to find out what happens. ![“As Elmore Leonard says, I write to find out what happens.” quote by Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/kate-dicamillo-599_happens_as-elmore-leonard-says-i-write-to-find-o_2743134.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/kate-dicamillo-599_happens_as-elmore-leonard-says-i-write-to-find-o_2743134.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/kate-dicamillo-599_happens_as-elmore-leonard-says-i-write-to-find-o_2743134.png) > “As Elmore Leonard says, I write to find out what happens.” [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing is a process of discovery; the act of writing reveals plot and character developments that were previously unknown. **In simple terms:** Writing uncovers story as it unfolds. Key Takeaway Write to explore unknown outcomes. Themes creativity process discovery Mood inquisitive enthusiastic Type creative reflective When to use this quote - novel drafting - screenwriting - story workshops Key Concepts narrative development authorial curiosity Questions to Reflect On - What unexpected twists have you discovered while writing? - How does uncertainty fuel your creativity? A Different Perspective Writer may become attached to initial ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elmore-leonard-938786/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leonard-658133/) [Leonard Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leonard-says-1877417/) [Says Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-write-650557/) [Write Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-happens-471164/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I wasn’t writing because I was reading,” Leonard says of those years, “and I was reading very closely—and deciding most people use way, way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-j-rzepka/i-wasn-t-writing-because-i-was-reading-leonard-says-of-those-years/) [Charles J. Rzepka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-j-rzepka/) > [“Leonard is far and away my least favorite relative, and I have no clue why I call him one night, collect, very late, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/leonard-is-far-and-away-my-least-favorite-relative-and-i-have-no-clue/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [If Elmore Leonard met Jim Thompson down a dark alley at midnight they might emerge a week later with thick beards, bloodshot eyes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/if-elmore-leonard-met-jim-thompson-down-a-dark-alley-at-midnight-they/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [Very little other than Elmore Leonard's crime writing inspiring me on my Batman run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-starlin/very-little-other-than-elmore-leonard-s-crime-writing-inspiring-me-on/) [Jim Starlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-starlin/) > [Let it Ride channels Elmore Leonard at the height of his powers, with dialogue Quentin Tarantino would kill for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-bruen/let-it-ride-channels-elmore-leonard-at-the-height-of-his-powers-with/) [Ken Bruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-bruen/) > [I'm a big fan of Elmore Leonard, and I've read Ian Rankin, Christopher Brookmyre and so on. But I'd never read a crime novel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gordon-sinclair/i-m-a-big-fan-of-elmore-leonard-and-i-ve-read-ian-rankin-christopher/) [John Gordon Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gordon-sinclair/) > [I love Elmore Leonard. To me, True Romance is basically like an Elmore Leonard movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-love-elmore-leonard-to-me-true-romance-is-basically-like-an-elmore/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [“I wanted to be a writer, that's all. I wanted to write about it all. Everything that happens in a moment. The way the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-that-s-all-i-wanted-to-write-about-it-all/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Sometimes you have a poem that you really want to write and it never happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-k-williams/sometimes-you-have-a-poem-that-you-really-want-to-write-and-it-never/) [C. K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-k-williams/) > [I only write about what I do, what happens to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brownie-mcghee/i-only-write-about-what-i-do-what-happens-to-me/) [Brownie McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brownie-mcghee/) > [I should like to write about what happens when fictive people encounter and are embellished by real people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giono/i-should-like-to-write-about-what-happens-when-fictive-people/) [Jean Giono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giono/) > [Some things are hard to write about. After something happens to you, you go to write it down, and either you over dramatize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/some-things-are-hard-to-write-about-after-something-happens-to-you/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [I write about what happens to me. It's all there. I couldn't do it any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-frampton/i-write-about-what-happens-to-me-it-s-all-there-i-couldn-t-do-it-any/) [Peter Frampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-frampton/) > [When I do write, it happens really easily. I'll just kind of sing along to whatever I'm playing, then find a line to build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-brock/when-i-do-write-it-happens-really-easily-i-ll-just-kind-of-sing-along/) [Isaac Brock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-brock/) > [I write about everything that happens in my life, whether or not the songs actually are released or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-simpson/i-write-about-everything-that-happens-in-my-life-whether-or-not-the/) [Cody Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-simpson/) ## More by Kate DiCamillo > [In luggage claim at the Minneapolis airport, the guy came up to me and said, "Maybe you're wrong, maybe stories do matter." I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/in-luggage-claim-at-the-minneapolis-airport-the-guy-came-up-to-me-and/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [“If every babe who cried were still alive, well, then, the world would be a very crowded place, indeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/if-every-babe-who-cried-were-still-alive-well-then-the-world-would-be/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [My father leaving the family shaped who I was and how I looked at the world. By the same token, my father telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/my-father-leaving-the-family-shaped-who-i-was-and-how-i-looked-at-the/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [Reader, you may ask this queston. In fact, you must ask this question. Is it ridiculous for a very small, sickly, big-eared mouse to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/reader-you-may-ask-this-queston-in-fact-you-must-ask-this-question-is/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [It wasn't until my fifth or sixth book where I realized I'm trying to do the same thing in every story I tell, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/it-wasn-t-until-my-fifth-or-sixth-book-where-i-realized-i-m-trying-to/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [ \[He\] had the soul of a poet, and because of this, he liked very much to consider questions that had no answers. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/he-had-the-soul-of-a-poet-and-because-of-this-he-liked-very-much-to/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [Everything about writing is hard for me except for that - the names pop into my head. That's one of the reasons why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/everything-about-writing-is-hard-for-me-except-for-that-the-names-pop/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [Reading a story should be a fabulous, wonderful thing. The most important thing that parents can do for kids is to read with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/reading-a-story-should-be-a-fabulous-wonderful-thing-the-most/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [You have to learn how to write each book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/you-have-to-learn-how-to-write-each-book/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [“If you have no intention of loving or being loved then the whole journey is pointless”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/if-you-have-no-intention-of-loving-or-being-loved-then-the-whole/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have found what I am supposed to do and to get to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-feel-like-the-luckiest-person-in-the-world-to-have-found-what-i-am/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [“Everything, as you well know (having lived in this world long enough to have figured out a thing or two for yourself), cannot always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/everything-as-you-well-know-having-lived-in-this-world-long-enough-to/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [“Dear God, thank you for warm summer nights and candlelight and good food. But thank you most of all for friends. We appreciate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/dear-god-thank-you-for-warm-summer-nights-and-candlelight-and-good/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [There ain't no point in making soup unless others eat it. Soup needs another mouth to taste it, another heart to be warmed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/there-ain-t-no-point-in-making-soup-unless-others-eat-it-soup-needs/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [ I remember wanting to write a book with someone, the someone being Kate \[DiCamillo\], and we decided to write about two friends. We had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-remember-wanting-to-write-a-book-with-someone-the-someone-being/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) [Explore all 442 Kate DiCamillo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) ## More Happens quotes > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [Faith is the avenue to salvation. Not intellectual understanding. Not money. Not your works. Just simple faith. How much faith? The faith of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/faith-is-the-avenue-to-salvation-not-intellectual-understanding-not/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) > [The amazing thing is that we live our lives with the hope that things will go right, that things will happen. And all along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-nakadate/the-amazing-thing-is-that-we-live-our-lives-with-the-hope-that-things/) [Laurel Nakadate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-nakadate/) > [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. I had all of that stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wright/i-had-sort-of-had-a-21st-birthday-when-i-was-17-18-years-old-living/) [Sarah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wright/) > [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) [Browse all 13,486 Happens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As Elmore Leonard says, I write to find out what happens.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kate DiCamillo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/as-elmore-leonard-says-i-write-to-find-out-what-happens/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happens" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/as-elmore-leonard-says-i-write-to-find-out-what-happens/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/kate-dicamillo-599_happens_as-elmore-leonard-says-i-write-to-find-o_2743134.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/kate-dicamillo-599_happens_as-elmore-leonard-says-i-write-to-find-o_2743134.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/kate-dicamillo-599_happens_as-elmore-leonard-says-i-write-to-find-o_2743134.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As Elmore Leonard says, I write to find out what happens.” — Kate DiCamillo", "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 DiCamillo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As Elmore Leonard says, I write...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/as-elmore-leonard-says-i-write-to-find-out-what-happens/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/as-elmore-leonard-says-i-write-to-find-out-what-happens/#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 } } ] } ```