--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I lived in Boston for three years, and…" description: "\"I lived in Boston for three years, and during that time, I wrote my first collection of stories, 'What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/laura-van-den-berg-4314_look_i-lived-in-boston-for-three-years-and-du_66715.jpg" --- # I lived in Boston for three years, and during that time, I… ![“I lived in Boston for three years, and during that time, I wrote my first collection of stories, 'What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us;' other stories that didn't make it into the collection; and several failed novel openings.” quote by Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/laura-van-den-berg-4314_look_i-lived-in-boston-for-three-years-and-du_66715.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/laura-van-den-berg-4314_look_i-lived-in-boston-for-three-years-and-du_66715.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/laura-van-den-berg-4314_look_i-lived-in-boston-for-three-years-and-du_66715.jpg) > “I lived in Boston for three years, and during that time, I wrote my first collection of stories, 'What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us;' other stories that didn't make it into the collection; and several failed novel openings.” [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author reflects on a formative period in Boston that sparked a burst of creative output, including a story collection and experimental drafts, highlighting the link between place, time, and artistic productivity. **In simple terms:** A city can catalyze a writer’s early work. Key Takeaway Environment fuels creative bursts. Themes creativity place-based inspiration early career writing process failure growth Mood nostalgic determined reflective Type personal anecdote creative reflection When to use this quote - starting a new writing project - experiencing a new city - facing rejection - building a portfolio Key Concepts story collection novel openings drafts creative cycles Practical Applications - writing workshops - personal memoirs Questions to Reflect On - How does a new environment shape your creative output? - What can you learn from unfinished or rejected work? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boston Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boston-years-886910/) [Collection Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collection-stories-886911/) [Leaves Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaves-stories-886912/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Three years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-years/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Wrote Collection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-collection-886909/) ## Related quotes > [I surrendered my beliefs and found myself at the tree of life injecting my story into the veins of leaves only to find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/i-surrendered-my-beliefs-and-found-myself-at-the-tree-of-life/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [But it's hard for me to pinpoint where all my characters and dialogue come from - imagination or real life. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/ever-since-i-started-writing-in-college-i-have-save-for-a-few-short/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I wager we have a vast amount of literature out there that tends to the stories of men, so I've never really worried too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-wager-we-have-a-vast-amount-of-literature-out-there-that-tends-to/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [When I'm absorbed in a work of fiction, time and place melts away, as though I've drifted away from my usual reality and been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/when-i-m-absorbed-in-a-work-of-fiction-time-and-place-melts-away-as/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) [Explore all 113 Laura van den Berg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) ## More Look quotes > [The World Is Perfect, But It Depends How You Look At.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria/the-world-is-perfect-but-it-depends-how-you-look-at/) [Maria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria/) > [Do I look like a fool to you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/do-i-look-like-a-fool-to-you/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [If you want to edit your photos and make yourself look different, go for it. 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