--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't fall into the trap of having to…" description: "\"Don't fall into the trap of having to have everything perfect to write or wait until the mood strikes you. If you want it as a job, treat it like a job..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/kim-harrison-323_fall_don-t-fall-into-the-trap-of-having-to-ha_1682391.png" --- # Don't fall into the trap of having to have everything… ![“Don't fall into the trap of having to have everything perfect to write or wait until the mood strikes you. If you want it as a job, treat it like a job, and just as you don't go to work only when you feel like it, you have to condition yourself to sit and write even when the ideas don't flow.” quote by Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/kim-harrison-323_fall_don-t-fall-into-the-trap-of-having-to-ha_1682391.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/kim-harrison-323_fall_don-t-fall-into-the-trap-of-having-to-ha_1682391.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d30/kim-harrison-323_fall_don-t-fall-into-the-trap-of-having-to-ha_1682391.png) > “Don't fall into the trap of having to have everything perfect to write or wait until the mood strikes you. If you want it as a job, treat it like a job, and just as you don't go to work only when you feel like it, you have to condition yourself to sit and write even when the ideas don't flow.” [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Treat writing as a job: schedule it, commit to it, and write even when uninspired. **In simple terms:** Write consistently, not only when inspired. Key Takeaway Set a regular writing schedule. Themes discipline creativity productivity Mood determined focused Type practical encouraging When to use this quote - morning routine - deadline pressure - creative block - freelance work Key Concepts habit formation flow state Questions to Reflect On - What routine helps you start writing? - How do you handle low‑energy days? A Different Perspective Creative blocks can still hinder quality; balance needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Mood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mood/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Sit Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sit-write/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) [Traps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traps/) [Treats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treats/) [Wait Mood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wait-mood-352505/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-ideas-347380/) [Write Wait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-wait-430963/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [My writing process often begins with a question. I write down ideas and let them stew for about a year. Then, when I sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-voigt/my-writing-process-often-begins-with-a-question-i-write-down-ideas/) [Cynthia Voigt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-voigt/) > [I have reached the point where I know that as long as I sit down to write, the ideas will come. What they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/i-have-reached-the-point-where-i-know-that-as-long-as-i-sit-down-to/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [We must always work, and a self-respecting artist must not fold his hands on the pretext that he is not in the mood. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/we-must-always-work-and-a-self-respecting-artist-must-not-fold-his/) [Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/) > [There is no secret to success except hard work and getting something indefinable which we call 'the breaks.' In order for a writer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/countee-cullen/there-is-no-secret-to-success-except-hard-work-and-getting-something/) [Countee Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/countee-cullen/) > [Don't wait until you're 'in the mood.' Get into the mood by writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/don-t-wait-until-you-re-in-the-mood-get-into-the-mood-by-writing/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Sometimes when I can not write, I wait for the happy thoughts to pass. When the darkness returns the words flow again and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-when-i-can-not-write-i-wait-for-the-happy-thoughts-to-pass/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To develop the creative attitude, analyze and focus on the wanted SOLUTION; seek out and fill your mind with the FACTS; write down ideas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/to-develop-the-creative-attitude-analyze-and-focus-on-the-wanted/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [If you take a few days to write an outline, you're just making up scenes that you think will work, that you think will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/if-you-take-a-few-days-to-write-an-outline-you-re-just-making-up/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I wish I could write. I get these ideas but I never seem to be able to put them in words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-wish-i-could-write-i-get-these-ideas-but-i-never-seem-to-be-able-to/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I keep a composition book with me at all times to write rhymes, to write down ideas, write down my thoughts, you know just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordae/i-keep-a-composition-book-with-me-at-all-times-to-write-rhymes-to/) [Cordae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordae/) > [“The way you get good ideas is to do two things: 1) Read two hours a day. 2) Write ten ideas a day. By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/the-way-you-get-good-ideas-is-to-do-two-things-1-read-two-hours-a-day/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [I always find myself stopping to write down ideas of things I'd like to make from computer hardware items to things new moms need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-loeb/i-always-find-myself-stopping-to-write-down-ideas-of-things-i-d-like/) [Lisa Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-loeb/) > [I used to write poems more when I was younger, but I haven't in a long time. I just write ideas and paragraphs and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/i-used-to-write-poems-more-when-i-was-younger-but-i-haven-t-in-a-long/) [Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/) > [We take Aristotle seriously not when we write about his ideas, but when we take his ideas as part of our discussions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-l-garfield/we-take-aristotle-seriously-not-when-we-write-about-his-ideas-but/) [Jay L. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-l-garfield/) > [I read and write but my ideas don't go beyond the first draft. When they will, I will make it into a film probably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antara-mali/i-read-and-write-but-my-ideas-don-t-go-beyond-the-first-draft-when/) [Antara Mali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antara-mali/) ## More by Kim Harrison > [Maybe I could be friends with a ghost. I wouldn’t be able to kill him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/maybe-i-could-be-friends-with-a-ghost-i-wouldn-t-be-able-to-kill-him/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [My God", he whispered. What have I done to her? He thought, humbled. The spell was broken, but it wasn't sealed, and her soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/my-god-he-whispered-what-have-i-done-to-her-he-thought-humbled-the/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [I turned back to the mirror, seeing that there were no lines on it. It was empty. "What happened to my mirror?" I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/i-turned-back-to-the-mirror-seeing-that-there-were-no-lines-on-it-it/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [“Half of it was meticulously arranged as an office with her computer - faster and more powerful than an industrial-sized package of laxative -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/half-of-it-was-meticulously-arranged-as-an-office-with-her-computer/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [Actually,” I said, hesitant to bring it up, “I was thinking along the lines of a curse that can turn you human.” “Or witch?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/actually-i-said-hesitant-to-bring-it-up-i-was-thinking-along-the/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [“I’m giving you fair warning, Mr. Cormel. If you bespell Rachel, I’ll open up your head for the sunshine to come in.” - Jenks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/i-m-giving-you-fair-warning-mr-cormel-if-you-bespell-rachel-i-ll-open/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [The demon had trouble remembering what she was doing, but she was powerful, sort of the crazy Wendy of the lost lord-of-the-flies boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/the-demon-had-trouble-remembering-what-she-was-doing-but-she-was/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [Your hair is a tangled mess,"he said, thinking he liked it that way, like a lion's mane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/your-hair-is-a-tangled-mess-he-said-thinking-he-liked-it-that-way/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [Keep your vampire mitts off me. I'm not your friggin' blood toy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/keep-your-vampire-mitts-off-me-i-m-not-your-friggin-blood-toy/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [“From my ear Jenks snickered. “Awwww, you two are so sweet, I could fart fairy balls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/from-my-ear-jenks-snickered-awwww-you-two-are-so-sweet-i-could-fart/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [Uh... ," Ivy stammered, and I glanced up to see her eyes wide in consideration. "I'm kidding," I said. "It passed the lethal-amulet test,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/uh-ivy-stammered-and-i-glanced-up-to-see-her-eyes-wide-in/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [I'll always be here," he said softly. "You can never fill my need, never drive me away, no matter how much you give me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/i-ll-always-be-here-he-said-softly-you-can-never-fill-my-need-never/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [“I hoped he was right. I’d never heard of a university refusing money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/i-hoped-he-was-right-i-d-never-heard-of-a-university-refusing-money/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [“The rag he'd used to clean the table went into the fire behind him. "I saw what you are," he said, "and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/the-rag-he-d-used-to-clean-the-table-went-into-the-fire-behind-him-i/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [“I’m not afraid of love being difficult. If it was easy, then everyone would find it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/i-m-not-afraid-of-love-being-difficult-if-it-was-easy-then-everyone/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) [Explore all 672 Kim Harrison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) ## More Fall quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [“When you jump, all you're going to do is fall. But leaping? Leaping is when you think there's something on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-jump-all-you-re-going-to-do-is-fall-but-leaping-leaping-is/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [To hurry through the rise and fall of a fine, full sentence is like defying the role of time in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/to-hurry-through-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-fine-full-sentence-is-like/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [“We will all, at some point in our lives, fall. Every single one of us. We shouldn't spend our time trying to avoid falling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/we-will-all-at-some-point-in-our-lives-fall-every-single-one-of-us-we/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [My life is a crystal teardrop. There are snowflakes falling in the teardrop and little figures trudging in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/my-life-is-a-crystal-teardrop-there-are-snowflakes-falling-in-the/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [Life will knock you down & it's tough, but you are strong enough. Get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-will-knock-you-down-it-s-tough-but-you-are-strong-enough-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was 13, I began relaxing my hair, and that meant when I turned 18 it began to crack and fall off, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/when-i-was-13-i-began-relaxing-my-hair-and-that-meant-when-i-turned/) [Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/) > [“If you ever falling but can't see the bottom be glad you can't because at the bottom it's either a soft land or rocks!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelseigh-ashton/if-you-ever-falling-but-can-t-see-the-bottom-be-glad-you-can-t/) [Kelseigh Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelseigh-ashton/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) [Browse all 13,401 Fall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't fall into the trap of having to have everything perfect to write or wait until the mood strikes you. 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