--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing a book is a blood sport. If it…" description: "\"“Writing a book is a blood sport. If it doesn't hurt when you're done, you're probably doing something wrong.”\" — Kevis Hendrickson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/kevis-hendrickson-52953_book_writing-a-book-is-a-blood-sport-if-it-do_65477.jpg" --- # Writing a book is a blood sport. If it doesn't hurt when… ![“Writing a book is a blood sport. If it doesn't hurt when you're done, you're probably doing something wrong.” quote by Kevis Hendrickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/kevis-hendrickson-52953_book_writing-a-book-is-a-blood-sport-if-it-do_65477.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/kevis-hendrickson-52953_book_writing-a-book-is-a-blood-sport-if-it-do_65477.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/kevis-hendrickson-52953_book_writing-a-book-is-a-blood-sport-if-it-do_65477.jpg) > ““Writing a book is a blood sport. If it doesn't hurt when you're done, you're probably doing something wrong.”” [Kevis Hendrickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevis-hendrickson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing a book demands intense effort and sacrifice; ease suggests lack of depth or commitment. **In simple terms:** Creative work is arduous. Key Takeaway Embrace struggle for authenticity. Themes creativity discipline suffering growth authenticity Mood determined reflective Type motivational aphoristic When to use this quote - author drafting manuscript - novelist revising chapters - screenwriter polishing script Key Concepts writing process effort Practical Applications - motivational reminder for writers - guideline for creative discipline Questions to Reflect On - How does discomfort shape your creative output? - Can you find value in effortless moments? A Different Perspective Some writers thrive on ease and still produce profound work, suggesting pain isn’t the sole metric of quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing a book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-a-book/) [Writing advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-advice/) ## Related quotes > [“GIRL, write YOUR book dammit. Who cares what people think? 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A book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/he-was-to-be-their-page-their-book-the-vessel-for-their/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“Writing a book should be the best way to break into someone's house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna/writing-a-book-should-be-the-best-way-to-break-into-someone-s-house/) [Krishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna/) > [“Writing a book is like sliding down a rainbow! Marketing it is like trudging through a field of chewed bubblegum on a hot, sticky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-dravis/writing-a-book-is-like-sliding-down-a-rainbow-marketing-it-is-like/) Betty Dravis > [All writers are vain, selfish and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives lies a mystery. 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And then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ian-black/by-the-end-of-the-time-i-m-writing-a-book-i-m-tearing-my-hair-out-and/) [Michael Ian Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ian-black/) > [I always say that, for me, writing a book is like a wacky Greyhound bus trip - I know where I'm starting and where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/i-always-say-that-for-me-writing-a-book-is-like-a-wacky-greyhound-bus/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [I believe that everybody needs to tell their story - to be heard, to be seen, to be acknowledged, to be understood. We all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/i-believe-that-everybody-needs-to-tell-their-story-to-be-heard-to-be/) [Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/) > [Do you know what writing a book is? It's sitting alone in a room for weeks without making contact with another human. I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/do-you-know-what-writing-a-book-is-it-s-sitting-alone-in-a-room-for/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [When I was in college, I used to write little ditties and short stories and poetry for my friends. Writing a book is another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/when-i-was-in-college-i-used-to-write-little-ditties-and-short/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [Writing a book is a brilliant thing because once you've finished it, you've done it, and there's the potential for it to go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/writing-a-book-is-a-brilliant-thing-because-once-you-ve-finished-it/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [These are rules I've picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I'm writing a book, to help me show rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the-way-to-help-me-remain/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Writing a book is an adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/writing-a-book-is-an-adventure/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) ## More by Kevis Hendrickson > [“It is only the brave who win life’s rewards. Those who don’t overcome their fears are destined to fail at even the least things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevis-hendrickson/it-is-only-the-brave-who-win-life-s-rewards-those-who-don-t-overcome/) [Kevis Hendrickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevis-hendrickson/) > [“Give a man with a death wish a bottle of whisky and a loaded gun, you get a dead body. Give a martyr a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevis-hendrickson/give-a-man-with-a-death-wish-a-bottle-of-whisky-and-a-loaded-gun-you/) [Kevis Hendrickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevis-hendrickson/) > [“Keep secret things secret and they will serve you the better!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevis-hendrickson/keep-secret-things-secret-and-they-will-serve-you-the-better/) [Kevis Hendrickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevis-hendrickson/) > [“Funny thing about revenge. It could make a killer out of a nun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevis-hendrickson/funny-thing-about-revenge-it-could-make-a-killer-out-of-a-nun/) [Kevis Hendrickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevis-hendrickson/) > [“Make sure you love what you do and do what you love, the rest of the world be damned. Everything else is negotiable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevis-hendrickson/make-sure-you-love-what-you-do-and-do-what-you-love-the-rest-of-the/) [Kevis Hendrickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevis-hendrickson/) > [“Magic is a dangerous thing, child. It isn’t something to use lightly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevis-hendrickson/magic-is-a-dangerous-thing-child-it-isn-t-something-to-use-lightly/) [Kevis Hendrickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevis-hendrickson/) [Explore all 7 Kevis Hendrickson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevis-hendrickson/) ## 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": "“Writing a book is a blood sport. 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