--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because my writing time has always been…" description: "\"Because my writing time has always been very limited, I try to be very choosy about which stories I work on. There are many ideas that would make inter..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/ken-liu-4222_ideas_because-my-writing-time-has-always-been_894436.jpg" --- # Because my writing time has always been very limited, I… ![“Because my writing time has always been very limited, I try to be very choosy about which stories I work on. There are many ideas that would make interesting stories - too many - so it's important to be ruthless and say no to most of them.” quote by Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/ken-liu-4222_ideas_because-my-writing-time-has-always-been_894436.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/ken-liu-4222_ideas_because-my-writing-time-has-always-been_894436.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/170/ken-liu-4222_ideas_because-my-writing-time-has-always-been_894436.jpg) > “Because my writing time has always been very limited, I try to be very choosy about which stories I work on. There are many ideas that would make interesting stories - too many - so it's important to be ruthless and say no to most of them.” [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He limits his writing projects by being selective, rejecting most ideas to focus on the few that matter. **In simple terms:** Be ruthless with ideas; focus on the best ones. Key Takeaway Prioritize quality over quantity in creative work. Themes creativity focus discipline Mood reflective analytical Type creative strategic When to use this quote - novel planning - short story submissions - pitch meetings - content calendars Key Concepts decision making story selection creative productivity Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide which ideas to pursue? - What criteria define a story worth telling? A Different Perspective Being overly selective may cause missed opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I do believe in the power of story. I believe that stories have an important role to play in the formation of human beings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayao-miyazaki/i-do-believe-in-the-power-of-story-i-believe-that-stories-have-an/) [Hayao Miyazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayao-miyazaki/) > [“Some years ago I had a conversation with a man who thought that writing and editing fantasy books was a rather frivolous job for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/some-years-ago-i-had-a-conversation-with-a-man-who-thought-that/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“ Stories are important, the monster said. They can be more important than anything. If they carry the truth. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/stories-are-important-the-monster-said-they-can-be-more-important/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Our lives are stories, and the stories we have to give to each other are the most important. No one has a story too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/our-lives-are-stories-and-the-stories-we-have-to-give-to-each-other/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [Stories are the most important thing in the world. Without stories, we wouldn't be human beings at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/stories-are-the-most-important-thing-in-the-world-without-stories-we/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [I think having a diversity of stories is important in also just spreading empathy and understanding. I think it's a really big part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-dacosta/i-think-having-a-diversity-of-stories-is-important-in-also-just/) [Nia DaCosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-dacosta/) > [MS is terrible for anybody, and all of the stories are important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/ms-is-terrible-for-anybody-and-all-of-the-stories-are-important/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [“All family stories are important, just as all people are important, and they deserve to be passed along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chamberlain/all-family-stories-are-important-just-as-all-people-are-important-and/) Karen Chamberlain > [Acting became a powerful tool for change. You had to tell stories that were important to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kani/acting-became-a-powerful-tool-for-change-you-had-to-tell-stories-that/) [John Kani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kani/) > [I believe that the debate of 'Who should tell indigenous stories?' is very important. It's something that should be talked about. I'm totally up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niki-caro/i-believe-that-the-debate-of-who-should-tell-indigenous-stories-is/) [Niki Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niki-caro/) > [“Stories are important. We need them. It is through telling and hearing stories that we make sense of the world. Like dreams, they come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-joyce/stories-are-important-we-need-them-it-is-through-telling-and-hearing/) [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) > [Yes, I believe stories are very important to all performances. The life story of the performer shapes their work, and the life stories of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/yes-i-believe-stories-are-very-important-to-all-performances-the-life/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Stories are important, but I'm really into characters, and if you can give birth to a good one, that's true success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genndy-tartakovsky/stories-are-important-but-i-m-really-into-characters-and-if-you-can/) [Genndy Tartakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genndy-tartakovsky/) > [“Stories let us see and hear and feel what someone else does,” she explained. “They build bridges to the other islands. That’s why stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/stories-let-us-see-and-hear-and-feel-what-someone-else-does-she/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [I think it's important for not just me but women of color, trans women, and people who are marginalized to be telling stories of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/i-think-it-s-important-for-not-just-me-but-women-of-color-trans-women/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) ## More by Ken Liu > [I don't believe in reducing a style and a voice down to a set of descriptions, so I've never done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-don-t-believe-in-reducing-a-style-and-a-voice-down-to-a-set-of/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [People who are ambitious - politicians who crave power - think that they're in control of it, but at some point, the movement that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/people-who-are-ambitious-politicians-who-crave-power-think-that-they/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“My goal is to act as a faithful interpreter, preserving as much of the original's nuances of meaning as possible without embellishment or omission.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/my-goal-is-to-act-as-a-faithful-interpreter-preserving-as-much-of-the/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“It’s hard to hear the music behind the words when their meanings get in the way,” she told me once.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/it-s-hard-to-hear-the-music-behind-the-words-when-their-meanings-get/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [The 'silk' in silkpunk refers not to a source of power, but to an entirely different, expressive technology language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/the-silk-in-silkpunk-refers-not-to-a-source-of-power-but-to-an/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“A memory is a re-creation, precious because it is both more and less than the original.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/a-memory-is-a-re-creation-precious-because-it-is-both-more-and-less/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [Almost all of my stories can be understood to be elaborations on our drive to remake the world and our adjustments to the result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/almost-all-of-my-stories-can-be-understood-to-be-elaborations-on-our/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“Dad and I went on walking, our shadows touching.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/dad-and-i-went-on-walking-our-shadows-touching/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“I can only wish that someday you’ll also be pestered by a student as persistent to learn what you do not wish to teach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-can-only-wish-that-someday-you-ll-also-be-pestered-by-a-student-as/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [I think male authors who want to try to tackle these issues of representation of women can generally do a better job if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-think-male-authors-who-want-to-try-to-tackle-these-issues-of/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“Surveillance is surveillance. I can never understand why some people think it matters whether it's the government doing it to you or a company.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/surveillance-is-surveillance-i-can-never-understand-why-some-people/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [Whenever you talk about Chinese dragons, emperors, palaces, concubines - they conjure up a whole colonial argle-bargle that has nothing to do with historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/whenever-you-talk-about-chinese-dragons-emperors-palaces-concubines/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [We have never had a society that was truly just. Some groups have always benefited at the expense of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/we-have-never-had-a-society-that-was-truly-just-some-groups-have/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“By custom, we wield the sword and wear the armor, but who among you does not know a mother, sister, daughter, friend, who exceeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/by-custom-we-wield-the-sword-and-wear-the-armor-but-who-among-you/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [My wife, Lisa, and I both grew up on wuxia - Chinese historical romances. They're kind of analogous to Western epics. They're based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/my-wife-lisa-and-i-both-grew-up-on-wuxia-chinese-historical-romances/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) [Explore all 114 Ken Liu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) ## More Ideas 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/) > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [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/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 24,908 Ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Because my writing time has always been very limited, I try to be very choosy about which stories I work on. 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