--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For about as long as I've been writing…" description: "\"For about as long as I've been writing fiction, I've kept a record of the books I've read.\" — Katie Kitamura" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/katie-kitamura-13105_book_for-about-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-f_2255512.jpg" --- # For about as long as I've been writing fiction, I've kept… ![“For about as long as I've been writing fiction, I've kept a record of the books I've read.” quote by Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/katie-kitamura-13105_book_for-about-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-f_2255512.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/katie-kitamura-13105_book_for-about-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-f_2255512.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/katie-kitamura-13105_book_for-about-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-f_2255512.jpg) > “For about as long as I've been writing fiction, I've kept a record of the books I've read.” [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Keeping a reading log sharpens a writer's awareness of craft and influences. **In simple terms:** Tracking books improves writing insight. Key Takeaway Maintain a reading journal. Themes writing reading self‑improvement Mood analytical curious Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - academic research - personal development - book clubs Key Concepts literary analysis creative process Questions to Reflect On - What patterns emerge in your reading? - How does reading shape your own stories? A Different Perspective A log may become a crutch, limiting spontaneous discovery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [I've never kept a record of anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-connery/i-ve-never-kept-a-record-of-anything/) [Sean Connery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-connery/) > [I've never kept a record of anything. I gave away everything: all the posters, the memorabilia that would have been helpful - and financially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-connery/i-ve-never-kept-a-record-of-anything-i-gave-away-everything-all-the/) [Sean Connery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-connery/) > [As I view it, in every family a record should be kept...that record should be the first stone, if you choose, in the family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-andreas-widtsoe/as-i-view-it-in-every-family-a-record-should-be-kept-that-record/) [John Andreas Widtsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-andreas-widtsoe/) > [Before computers were everywhere I used record books, the old-fashioned way. I loved to cram, and I still love to cram, anything I write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-bunce/before-computers-were-everywhere-i-used-record-books-the-old/) [Steve Bunce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-bunce/) > [They say that being humble leaves you out of the record books. I want to be in the record books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-garcia/they-say-that-being-humble-leaves-you-out-of-the-record-books-i-want/) [Danny Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-garcia/) > [The record books aren't going to lie. They aren't going to say I sold out. They aren't going to say anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheamus/the-record-books-aren-t-going-to-lie-they-aren-t-going-to-say-i-sold/) [Sheamus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheamus/) > [I think 15 to 18 title defenses is something that would be in the record books forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetrious-johnson/i-think-15-to-18-title-defenses-is-something-that-would-be-in-the/) [Demetrious Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetrious-johnson/) > [That was a kiss for the record books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-oliver/that-was-a-kiss-for-the-record-books/) [Jana Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-oliver/) > [I'm already in the (record) books three or four times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickey-henderson/i-m-already-in-the-record-books-three-or-four-times/) [Rickey Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickey-henderson/) > [I've never been a guy to chase the record books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hughes/i-ve-never-been-a-guy-to-chase-the-record-books/) [Matt Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hughes/) > [To go in the record books as British champion is something else and a step towards being top of the division.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dubois/to-go-in-the-record-books-as-british-champion-is-something-else-and-a/) [Daniel Dubois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dubois/) > [We want to win trophies and be in the record books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-benitez/we-want-to-win-trophies-and-be-in-the-record-books/) [Rafael Benitez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-benitez/) > [I want to check the record books and see how many fathers and daughters have won Grammys together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-jones/i-want-to-check-the-record-books-and-see-how-many-fathers-and/) [Norah Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-jones/) > [You know, I don't only play for the record books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-federer/you-know-i-don-t-only-play-for-the-record-books/) [Roger Federer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-federer/) > [You've got to do something with all the books you've read, so you might as well imagine you've optioned them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/you-ve-got-to-do-something-with-all-the-books-you-ve-read-so-you/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) ## More by Katie Kitamura > [Translated literature can be fascinating. There's something so intriguing about reading the text second hand - a piece of prose that has already been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/translated-literature-can-be-fascinating-there-s-something-so/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [The point about sales is relevant because it suggests there are cultures out there that are supporting and consuming, on a vast scale, challenging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/the-point-about-sales-is-relevant-because-it-suggests-there-are/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [It took me a long time to accept that I was a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-accept-that-i-was-a-writer/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“life rarely finds its exact likeness in a novel, that is hardly fiction’s purpose,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/life-rarely-finds-its-exact-likeness-in-a-novel-that-is-hardly/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [As a writer, I think the greatest danger would be self-censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger-would-be-self-censorship/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [There's a long relationship between science fiction and the 'novel of ideas,' and I think writers of science fiction are able to draw on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/there-s-a-long-relationship-between-science-fiction-and-the-novel-of/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I write some art criticism, and one thing that's clear to me is that politics is fashionable in the American art world in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-write-some-art-criticism-and-one-thing-that-s-clear-to-me-is-that/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I'm often a little perplexed, when I read a review of a book, by the quotes that are pulled out as evidence of excellent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-m-often-a-little-perplexed-when-i-read-a-review-of-a-book-by-the/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I don't speak any languages well enough to make an expert assessment on writing in translation, but since I'm interested in awkwardness in prose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-don-t-speak-any-languages-well-enough-to-make-an-expert-assessment/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I think it's poignant and powerful, this idea that if someone knows your name, they have the ability to kind of hail you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-think-it-s-poignant-and-powerful-this-idea-that-if-someone-knows/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“A place has a curious quality when you have only a partial understanding of its language, and in those early months the sensation was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/a-place-has-a-curious-quality-when-you-have-only-a-partial/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“People were capable of living their lives in a state of permanent disappointment, there were plenty of people who did not marry the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/people-were-capable-of-living-their-lives-in-a-state-of-permanent/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I was introduced to fighting by my brother - he's a tattooer, a tough guy - and I completely fell in love with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-was-introduced-to-fighting-by-my-brother-he-s-a-tattooer-a-tough/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I don't know why I write. The honest answer is that I don't have an answer. I wouldn't die if I couldn't write fiction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-don-t-know-why-i-write-the-honest-answer-is-that-i-don-t-have-an/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“It was a terrible thing, to love and not know whether you were loved in return, it led to the worst sensations--jealousy, rage, self-loathing--to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/it-was-a-terrible-thing-to-love-and-not-know-whether-you-were-loved/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) [Explore all 51 Katie Kitamura quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) ## More Book 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/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For about as long as I've been writing fiction, I've kept a record of the books I've read.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Katie Kitamura" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/for-about-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-fiction-i-ve-kept-a-record-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/for-about-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-fiction-i-ve-kept-a-record-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/katie-kitamura-13105_book_for-about-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-f_2255512.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/katie-kitamura-13105_book_for-about-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-f_2255512.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a0/katie-kitamura-13105_book_for-about-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-f_2255512.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For about as long as I've been writing fiction, I've kept a record of the books I've read.” — Katie Kitamura", "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": "Katie Kitamura", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For about as long as I've...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/for-about-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-fiction-i-ve-kept-a-record-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/for-about-as-long-as-i-ve-been-writing-fiction-i-ve-kept-a-record-of/#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 } } ] } ```