--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Still, I kept writing. I had no guarantee…" description: "\"Still, I kept writing. I had no guarantee that I would someday win awards for writing. Heavens, the only person during that time who seemed to think I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/katherine-paterson-2365_add_still-i-kept-writing-i-had-no-guarantee_2384670.jpg" --- # Still, I kept writing. I had no guarantee that I would… ![“Still, I kept writing. I had no guarantee that I would someday win awards for writing. Heavens, the only person during that time who seemed to think I could write something worth publishing was my loyal husband. But I always remembered the professor from graduate school who urged me to write and…” quote by Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/katherine-paterson-2365_add_still-i-kept-writing-i-had-no-guarantee_2384670.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/katherine-paterson-2365_add_still-i-kept-writing-i-had-no-guarantee_2384670.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/katherine-paterson-2365_add_still-i-kept-writing-i-had-no-guarantee_2384670.jpg) > “Still, I kept writing. I had no guarantee that I would someday win awards for writing. Heavens, the only person during that time who seemed to think I could write something worth publishing was my loyal husband. But I always remembered the professor from graduate school who urged me to write and who recommended me for that first writing assignment in 1964. When I protested to Sara Little that I didn't want to add another mediocre writer to the world, she gently reminded me that if I didn't dare mediocrity, I would never write anything at all.” [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Persistence in writing despite uncertainty, driven by supportive relationships and mentorship. **In simple terms:** Keep writing even without guarantees. Key Takeaway Write regardless of awards. Themes persistence mentorship creativity Mood reflective determined Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - writing - career development - overcoming self‑doubt Key Concepts self‑efficacy intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay motivated when success is uncertain? - What role does a supportive partner play in creative work? A Different Perspective Recognition may never come, yet growth continues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Add](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/) [Assignments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assignments/) [Awards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awards/) [Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dare/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Graduate school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduate-school/) [Graduates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduates/) [Guarantees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guarantees/) [Guarantees that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guarantees-that/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kept Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kept-writing-424562/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Loyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loyal/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Mediocre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocre/) [Mediocrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocrity/) [Mediocrity Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocrity-write-5918343/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Professors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professors/) [Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing/) [Remembered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembered/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Someday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/someday/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Urged Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urged-write-1561307/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Still, to be urged to write and to be urged to publish are two different things and nobody so far was urging her to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett-the-uncommon-reader/still-to-be-urged-to-write-and-to-be-urged-to-publish-are-two/) [Alan Bennett The Uncommon Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett-the-uncommon-reader/) > [When a psychiatrist writes a bestseller, he is then urged to write a book of advice. But I think our culture's awash in advice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-d-kramer/when-a-psychiatrist-writes-a-bestseller-he-is-then-urged-to-write-a/) [Peter D. Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-d-kramer/) > [When I started writing, I thought nobody would understand the things that I liked. Then I began getting a lot of letters from people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novala-takemoto/when-i-started-writing-i-thought-nobody-would-understand-the-things/) [Novala Takemoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novala-takemoto/) > [I held a variety of jobs - most notably ten years working in universities - and kept on writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perry/i-held-a-variety-of-jobs-most-notably-ten-years-working-in/) [Thomas Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perry/) > [I've always kept writing. There's never been a moment where I went through a spell where I just don't write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassadee-pope/i-ve-always-kept-writing-there-s-never-been-a-moment-where-i-went/) [Cassadee Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassadee-pope/) > [I guess the thing that I'm most proud of is that I kept on writing poetry. I understand that poetry is sort of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-guess-the-thing-that-i-m-most-proud-of-is-that-i-kept-on-writing/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Nobody wanted me. I just kept writing books and learning my craft. Most writers aren't very good in the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/nobody-wanted-me-i-just-kept-writing-books-and-learning-my-craft-most/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [I was kind of an outcast in school 'cause I always kept to myself and was writing poetry and then going on tour with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-perri/i-was-kind-of-an-outcast-in-school-cause-i-always-kept-to-myself-and/) [Christina Perri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-perri/) > [And eventually as I kept writing it, something emerged that was not quite me but a version of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-david/and-eventually-as-i-kept-writing-it-something-emerged-that-was-not/) [Larry David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-david/) > [What I've found as I have kept writing stories is that more and more your way is barred. I feel really choked by what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-brady/what-i-ve-found-as-i-have-kept-writing-stories-is-that-more-and-more/) [Catherine Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-brady/) > [This is a stamina game, so don't despair if you run down a blind alley and have to start over, or if you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-maleeny/this-is-a-stamina-game-so-don-t-despair-if-you-run-down-a-blind-alley/) [Tim Maleeny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-maleeny/) > [I kept writing short stories and sending out my manuscript, and it kept coming back like a bad penny. It was rejected all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-kept-writing-short-stories-and-sending-out-my-manuscript-and-it/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [I was always a wannabe 'singer-songwriter' but nothing was happening. I was trying for albums. I was too afraid to quit my job for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anupam-roy/i-was-always-a-wannabe-singer-songwriter-but-nothing-was-happening-i/) [Anupam Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anupam-roy/) > [I was aware that you weren't supposed to write about suburbia, that it was undignified in some way, the subject matter not momentous enough.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-was-aware-that-you-weren-t-supposed-to-write-about-suburbia-that-it/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I didn't do anything as active as deciding that I wanted to be a writer. For one thing, I didn't feel like I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-didn-t-do-anything-as-active-as-deciding-that-i-wanted-to-be-a/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) ## More by Katherine Paterson > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [“You're the proverbial diamond in the rough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/you-re-the-proverbial-diamond-in-the-rough/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [We do have trouble dealing with death, but it's the one thing that is guaranteed we are all going to have to do, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/we-do-have-trouble-dealing-with-death-but-it-s-the-one-thing-that-is/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Everybody gets scared sometimes, May Belle. You don't have to be ashamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/everybody-gets-scared-sometimes-may-belle-you-don-t-have-to-be-ashamed/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Obviously, I love to do both contemporary and historical fiction. When a hint of a story grabs me, I try to go with it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/obviously-i-love-to-do-both-contemporary-and-historical-fiction-when/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [I love revisions...We can't go back and revise our lives, but being allowed to go back and revise what we have written comes closest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-love-revisions-we-can-t-go-back-and-revise-our-lives-but-being/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [I woke up one morning and realized that what I wanted to say to everyone - children, young people, adults - was: Read for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-woke-up-one-morning-and-realized-that-what-i-wanted-to-say-to/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Our fundamental task as human beings is to seek out connections-to exercise our imaginations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/our-fundamental-task-as-human-beings-is-to-seek-out-connections-to/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [a work that intends to be art must first be entertaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/a-work-that-intends-to-be-art-must-first-be-entertaining/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [I do know that I need solitude, not only to write but to nourish myself (being, like most writers, an introvert) so that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-do-know-that-i-need-solitude-not-only-to-write-but-to-nourish/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Everything comes in useful once in a hundred years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/everything-comes-in-useful-once-in-a-hundred-years/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [“I had no study in those days, not even a desk or file or bookcase to call mine alone…It might have happened sooner \[the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-had-no-study-in-those-days-not-even-a-desk-or-file-or-bookcase-to/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [The challenge for those of us who care about our faith and about a hurting world is to tell stories which will carry the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/the-challenge-for-those-of-us-who-care-about-our-faith-and-about-a/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [One thing living in Japan did for me was to make me feel that what is left out of a work of art is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/one-thing-living-in-japan-did-for-me-was-to-make-me-feel-that-what-is/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [“We need a place," she said, "just for us. It would be so secret that we would never tell anyone in the whole world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/we-need-a-place-she-said-just-for-us-it-would-be-so-secret-that-we/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) [Explore all 166 Katherine Paterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) ## More Add quotes > [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. 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The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. 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Once they get outside their own heads and their own communities and see themselves in a broader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-calvin/global-is-a-unifying-bond-for-people-once-they-get-outside-their-own/) [Kathy Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-calvin/) [Browse all 2,710 Add quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Still, I kept writing. I had no guarantee that I would someday win awards for writing. Heavens, the only person during that time who seemed to think I could write something worth publishing was my loyal husband. But I always remembered the professor from graduate school who urged me to write and who recommended me for that first writing assignment in 1964. 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