--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing should beguile us, not just take…" description: "\"“Writing should beguile us, not just take us from A to B to Zzzzz”\" — Kevin Ansbro" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/630/kevin-ansbro-32073_beguile_writing-should-beguile-us-not-just-take_3054349.jpg" --- # Writing should beguile us, not just take us from A to B to… ![“Writing should beguile us, not just take us from A to B to Zzzzz” quote by Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/630/kevin-ansbro-32073_beguile_writing-should-beguile-us-not-just-take_3054349.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/630/kevin-ansbro-32073_beguile_writing-should-beguile-us-not-just-take_3054349.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/630/kevin-ansbro-32073_beguile_writing-should-beguile-us-not-just-take_3054349.jpg) > ““Writing should beguile us, not just take us from A to B to Zzzzz”” [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing should captivate, not merely transport readers from start to finish. **In simple terms:** Good writing engages, not just moves. Key Takeaway Write to enchant readers. Themes creativity engagement craft Mood inspired curious Type creative instructional When to use this quote - author workshops - creative writing classes - editorial meetings - self‑editing - literary analysis Key Concepts narrative flow reader immersion storytelling attention Questions to Reflect On - What makes a story truly captivating? - How can you avoid bland progression? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Poetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetic/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [To beguile many, and be beguild by one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/othello/to-beguile-many-and-be-beguild-by-one/) [Othello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/othello/) > [“A proper Irishman always does what a lady asks him. Sure an' it's been the ruin av us. We're at the mercy av the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/a-proper-irishman-always-does-what-a-lady-asks-him-sure-an-it-s-been/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“I can sense your love, why leave me in darkness? Beguile me for your amusement, stealing my soul without kisses. You are the sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/i-can-sense-your-love-why-leave-me-in-darkness-beguile-me-for-your/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“All shadows of clouds the sun cannot hide like the moon cannot stop oceanic tide; but a hidden star can still be smiling at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/all-shadows-of-clouds-the-sun-cannot-hide-like-the-moon-cannot-stop/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [I am not merry, but I do beguile the thing I am by seeming otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-not-merry-but-i-do-beguile-the-thing-i-am-by-seeming-otherwise/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Have you never known a cruel wind? What an easy, balmy, tropical life you must have! I never tease, madam! I coax, I beguile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/have-you-never-known-a-cruel-wind-what-an-easy-balmy-tropical-life/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“Some people say it's easy to lie. This may be true for them, but the hard part is remembering the lie because a lie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-vayna/some-people-say-it-s-easy-to-lie-this-may-be-true-for-them-but-the/) Virginia Vayna > [“Beguile us in the way you know,” poet Robert Frost”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/beguile-us-in-the-way-you-know-poet-robert-frost/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [I'd rather call prose poems something else, for clarity - something like "poetic prose," prose that contains a quality of poetry, but not poems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattiann-rogers/i-d-rather-call-prose-poems-something-else-for-clarity-something-like/) [Pattiann Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattiann-rogers/) > [The difference between prose logic and poetic thought is simple. The logician uses words as a builder uses bricks, for the unemotional deadness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-graves/the-difference-between-prose-logic-and-poetic-thought-is-simple-the/) [Robert Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-graves/) > [MORE CONSISTENTLY THAN EVER I WAS TRYING TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT CINEMA AS AN INSTRUMENT OF ART HAS ITS OWN POSSIBILITIES WHICH ARE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/more-consistently-than-ever-i-was-trying-to-make-people-believe-that/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) > [“I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another til I drop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-like-too-many-things-and-get-all-confused-and-hung-up-running-from-2/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“Why can't prose be poetic?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-focke/why-can-t-prose-be-poetic/) [Kevin Focke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-focke/) > [The poetic prose that most interests me is that of Henri Michaux.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-wright/the-poetic-prose-that-most-interests-me-is-that-of-henri-michaux/) [Franz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-wright/) > [Who among us has not, in moments of ambition, dreamt of the miracle of a form of poetic prose, musical but without rhythm and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/who-among-us-has-not-in-moments-of-ambition-dreamt-of-the-miracle-of/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) ## More by Kevin Ansbro > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“A life without friends is like a sky without stars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/a-life-without-friends-is-like-a-sky-without-stars/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“For anyone with a library in their head and love in their heart,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/for-anyone-with-a-library-in-their-head-and-love-in-their-heart/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“We are what we eat, and we are what we read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/we-are-what-we-eat-and-we-are-what-we-read/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“Don't bite the hand that feeds you - especially if you're dining alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/don-t-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you-especially-if-you-re-dining-alone/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“Books are the flung-open windows to a parallel universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/books-are-the-flung-open-windows-to-a-parallel-universe/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“The train’s doors closed with a matron’s shush.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/the-train-s-doors-closed-with-a-matron-s-shush/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“The start of a new novel carried with it a sense of occasion, and the alphabets in Luna’s mind started to shuffle their letters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/the-start-of-a-new-novel-carried-with-it-a-sense-of-occasion-and-the/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“To master magical realism, one must make the real seem unreal but, more importantly, make the unreal seem real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/to-master-magical-realism-one-must-make-the-real-seem-unreal-but-more/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“Overhyped books are the empty calories of the literary world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/overhyped-books-are-the-empty-calories-of-the-literary-world/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“The early word catches the poem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/the-early-word-catches-the-poem/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“We each harbour a talent. It hibernates within us, snug yet eager, waiting for the first darling buds of opportunity to emerge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/we-each-harbour-a-talent-it-hibernates-within-us-snug-yet-eager/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“Henry was inclined to drift towards books as keenly as a duck paddles for bread crusts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/henry-was-inclined-to-drift-towards-books-as-keenly-as-a-duck-paddles/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“Butterflies fluttered about him, as if they were extracting data.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/butterflies-fluttered-about-him-as-if-they-were-extracting-data/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“Pah! I wave my cuff at hindsight as if it were a bothersome fly. Life can only be lived forwards, Ulysses. All that matters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/pah-i-wave-my-cuff-at-hindsight-as-if-it-were-a-bothersome-fly-life/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) [Explore all 16 Kevin Ansbro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) ## More Beguile quotes > [To beguile many, and be beguild by one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/othello/to-beguile-many-and-be-beguild-by-one/) [Othello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/othello/) > [“Beguile us in the way you know,” poet Robert Frost”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/beguile-us-in-the-way-you-know-poet-robert-frost/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“Have you never known a cruel wind? What an easy, balmy, tropical life you must have! I never tease, madam! I coax, I beguile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/have-you-never-known-a-cruel-wind-what-an-easy-balmy-tropical-life/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [I am not merry, but I do beguile the thing I am by seeming otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-not-merry-but-i-do-beguile-the-thing-i-am-by-seeming-otherwise/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“All shadows of clouds the sun cannot hide like the moon cannot stop oceanic tide; but a hidden star can still be smiling at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/all-shadows-of-clouds-the-sun-cannot-hide-like-the-moon-cannot-stop/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [“I can sense your love, why leave me in darkness? Beguile me for your amusement, stealing my soul without kisses. You are the sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/i-can-sense-your-love-why-leave-me-in-darkness-beguile-me-for-your/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“A proper Irishman always does what a lady asks him. Sure an' it's been the ruin av us. We're at the mercy av the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/a-proper-irishman-always-does-what-a-lady-asks-him-sure-an-it-s-been/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“Some people say it's easy to lie. This may be true for them, but the hard part is remembering the lie because a lie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-vayna/some-people-say-it-s-easy-to-lie-this-may-be-true-for-them-but-the/) Virginia Vayna Browse all 9 Beguile quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Writing should beguile us, not just take us from A to B to Zzzzz”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kevin Ansbro" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/writing-should-beguile-us-not-just-take-us-from-a-to-b-to-zzzzz/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beguile" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/writing-should-beguile-us-not-just-take-us-from-a-to-b-to-zzzzz/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/630/kevin-ansbro-32073_beguile_writing-should-beguile-us-not-just-take_3054349.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/630/kevin-ansbro-32073_beguile_writing-should-beguile-us-not-just-take_3054349.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/630/kevin-ansbro-32073_beguile_writing-should-beguile-us-not-just-take_3054349.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing should beguile us, not just take us from A to B to Zzzzz” — Kevin Ansbro", "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": "Kevin Ansbro", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Writing should beguile us, not just...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/writing-should-beguile-us-not-just-take-us-from-a-to-b-to-zzzzz/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/writing-should-beguile-us-not-just-take-us-from-a-to-b-to-zzzzz/#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 } } ] } ```