--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think I had actually served my…" description: "\"I think I had actually served my apprenticeship as a writer of fiction by writing all those songs. I had already been through phases of autobiographica..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93a/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_apprenticeship_i-think-i-had-actually-served-my-apprent_1780552.jpg" --- # I think I had actually served my apprenticeship as a… ![“I think I had actually served my apprenticeship as a writer of fiction by writing all those songs. I had already been through phases of autobiographical or experimental stuff.” quote by Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93a/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_apprenticeship_i-think-i-had-actually-served-my-apprent_1780552.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93a/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_apprenticeship_i-think-i-had-actually-served-my-apprent_1780552.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93a/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_apprenticeship_i-think-i-had-actually-served-my-apprent_1780552.jpg) > “I think I had actually served my apprenticeship as a writer of fiction by writing all those songs. I had already been through phases of autobiographical or experimental stuff.” [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing songs served as a practical apprenticeship for fiction, teaching narrative, rhythm, and emotional honesty. **In simple terms:** Songs taught fiction skills. Key Takeaway Use songwriting to sharpen storytelling. Themes creativity craft learning discipline music fiction Mood reflective inspired Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - songwriting workshops - creative writing classes - personal artistic development Key Concepts narrative structure emotional resonance disciplinary crossover Questions to Reflect On - How can musical techniques improve prose? - What aspects of songwriting translate best to fiction? A Different Perspective May not replace formal training for complex prose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apprenticeship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apprenticeship/) [Autobiographical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiographical/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writing/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [You cannot be a good writer of serious fiction if you are not depressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-cannot-be-a-good-writer-of-serious-fiction-if-you-are-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a writer of fiction. I try to write about my time, but it's dangerous if I'm seen as an investigative writer. I manipulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-m-a-writer-of-fiction-i-try-to-write-about-my-time-but-it-s/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I don't know any writer of fiction who enjoys trying to point out or dissect whatever they produced with strangers and let them go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-baumbach/i-don-t-know-any-writer-of-fiction-who-enjoys-trying-to-point-out-or/) [Noah Baumbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-baumbach/) > [“And yet, for a writer of fiction, part of the heart remains that of a stranger, for what we are trying to do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/and-yet-for-a-writer-of-fiction-part-of-the-heart-remains-that-of-a/) [Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/) > [“By the age of four one has experienced nearly everything one needs to be a writer of fiction; love, pain, loss, boredom, rage, guilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-delbanco/by-the-age-of-four-one-has-experienced-nearly-everything-one-needs-to/) [Nicholas Delbanco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-delbanco/) > [The truth is that every writer, whether it's fiction or nonfiction, is trying to write something truly original and that's what I think I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-scottoline/the-truth-is-that-every-writer-whether-it-s-fiction-or-nonfiction-is/) [Lisa Scottoline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-scottoline/) > [There's a certain grain of stupidity that the writer of fiction can hardly do without, and this is the quality of having to stare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/there-s-a-certain-grain-of-stupidity-that-the-writer-of-fiction-can/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [As a writer of fiction, I spend my days inventing real lives for make-believe people; what I create can only seem real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/as-a-writer-of-fiction-i-spend-my-days-inventing-real-lives-for-make/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [In a sense, journalism can be both helpful and detrimental to a writer of fiction because the kind of writing you need to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/in-a-sense-journalism-can-be-both-helpful-and-detrimental-to-a-writer/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [“The life of a writer is absolute hell compared with the life of a businessman. The writer has to force himself to work. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-life-of-a-writer-is-absolute-hell-compared-with-the-life-of-a/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [You can't be a serious writer of fiction unless you believe the story you are telling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/you-can-t-be-a-serious-writer-of-fiction-unless-you-believe-the-story/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [What is a writer of fiction but a liar with a licence?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/what-is-a-writer-of-fiction-but-a-liar-with-a-licence/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [Sometimes life coughs up coincidences no writer of fiction would dare copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/sometimes-life-coughs-up-coincidences-no-writer-of-fiction-would-dare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It's important, I think, for a writer of fiction to maintain an awareness of the pace and shape of the book as he's writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perry/it-s-important-i-think-for-a-writer-of-fiction-to-maintain-an/) [Thomas Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perry/) > [There can be nothing more humiliating for a writer of fiction to have to do than restate a case that has already been made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/there-can-be-nothing-more-humiliating-for-a-writer-of-fiction-to-have/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## More by Kazuo Ishiguro > [The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-evening-s-the-best-part-of-the-day-you-ve-done-your-day-s-work/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [As a writer, I'm more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/as-a-writer-i-m-more-interested-in-what-people-tell-themselves/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“About him and his wife voting for different parties. A few years ago that would have been unthinkable.” “No doubt.” “Quite extraordinary the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/about-him-and-his-wife-voting-for-different-parties-a-few-years-ago/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But what is the sense in forever speculating what might have happened had such and such a moment turned out differently? One could presumably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-what-is-the-sense-in-forever-speculating-what-might-have-happened/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“Silence is just as likely to indicate the most profound ideas forming, the deepest energies being summoned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/silence-is-just-as-likely-to-indicate-the-most-profound-ideas-forming/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“I don't know why, but it didn't seem an option for more than one of us to storm off, and I wanted to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-know-why-but-it-didn-t-seem-an-option-for-more-than-one-of-us/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Our family arrived in England in 1960. At that time I thought the war was ancient history. But if I think of 15 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/our-family-arrived-in-england-in-1960-at-that-time-i-thought-the-war/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/he-chose-a-certain-path-in-life-it-proved-to-be-a-misguided-one-but/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“For however one may come in later years to reassess one’s achievements, it is always a consolation to know that one’s life has contained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/for-however-one-may-come-in-later-years-to-reassess-one-s/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [You're always in a rush, or else you're too exhausted to have a proper conversation. Soon enough, the long hours, the traveling, the broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/you-re-always-in-a-rush-or-else-you-re-too-exhausted-to-have-a-proper/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I don't think it's any fun, even if you are one of the most respected authors in the world like Margaret Atwood, to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-think-it-s-any-fun-even-if-you-are-one-of-the-most-respected/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I think it's quite difficult to understand what kind of life a writer leads. They might be millionaires, or they might be starving people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-think-it-s-quite-difficult-to-understand-what-kind-of-life-a-writer/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But this small episode is as good an illustration as any of the hazards of uttering witticisms. By the very nature of a witticism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-this-small-episode-is-as-good-an-illustration-as-any-of-the/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or-less-count-the-number-of/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [My wife is the most savage critic. She doesn't feel intimidated by my reputation. As far as she's concerned, she's just criticising a boyfriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/my-wife-is-the-most-savage-critic-she-doesn-t-feel-intimidated-by-my/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) [Explore all 292 Kazuo Ishiguro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## More Apprenticeship quotes > [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [From 1965 to 1974, I served the best possible apprenticeship for an actor. I learned firsthand how a truck driver lives, what a bartender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-dennehy/from-1965-to-1974-i-served-the-best-possible-apprenticeship-for-an/) [Brian Dennehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-dennehy/) > [I was in the U.K. and Germany and went to Volkswagen and learned about their apprenticeship model - young people become paid apprentices in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perez/i-was-in-the-u-k-and-germany-and-went-to-volkswagen-and-learned-about/) [Tom Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perez/) > [There has never been a boy painter, nor can there be. The art requires a long apprenticeship, being mechanical, as well as intellectual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/there-has-never-been-a-boy-painter-nor-can-there-be-the-art-requires/) [John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/) > [Every endeavor should be used to weaken and destroy all those institutions relating to corporations, apprenticeships, &c, which cause the labours of agriculture to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/every-endeavor-should-be-used-to-weaken-and-destroy-all-those/) [Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/) > [The best thing about writing programs is that it rationalized the apprenticeship of a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-banks/the-best-thing-about-writing-programs-is-that-it-rationalized-the/) [Russell Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-banks/) > [Every day should be Labor Day. We have to fight for the basic proposition that apprenticeship is a wonderful ticket to the middle class.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/every-day-should-be-labor-day-we-have-to-fight-for-the-basic/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [The apprenticeship of difficulty is one which the greatest of men have had to serve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/the-apprenticeship-of-difficulty-is-one-which-the-greatest-of-men/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [ For the production of man a different apprenticeship \[from forests\] was needed to sharpen the wits and quicken the higher manifestations of intellect -… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-dart/for-the-production-of-man-a-different-apprenticeship-from-forests-was/) Raymond Dart > [Life is an apprenticeship to the constant renunciations, to the steady failure of our claims, our hopes, our powers, our liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/life-is-an-apprenticeship-to-the-constant-renunciations-to-the-steady/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [I come from a family with a long tradition in shoemaking, and I still live in a region famous for its shoemakers. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-della-valle/i-come-from-a-family-with-a-long-tradition-in-shoemaking-and-i-still/) [Diego Della Valle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-della-valle/) > [Work-based learning is a game changer. It's like test driving a career, and I have seen it in action with our registered apprenticeship programs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-reynolds/work-based-learning-is-a-game-changer-it-s-like-test-driving-a-career/) [Kim Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-reynolds/) > [Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth that around every circle another can be drawn; that there is no end in nature, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/our-life-is-an-apprenticeship-to-the-truth-that-around-every-circle/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Most people won't realise that writing is a craft. You have to take your apprenticeship in it like anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/most-people-won-t-realise-that-writing-is-a-craft-you-have-to-take/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [I've been working for many years and I think I've managed to work with some of the best people in the business, which has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-eckhart/i-ve-been-working-for-many-years-and-i-think-i-ve-managed-to-work/) [Aaron Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-eckhart/) [Browse all 134 Apprenticeship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apprenticeship/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think I had actually served my apprenticeship as a writer of fiction by writing all those songs. 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