--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Your plays are always personal. You can't…" description: "\"Your plays are always personal. You can't help seeing yourself in the serial killer you've just written. But they get less specifically personal.\" — La..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53f/laura-wade-21809_always_your-plays-are-always-personal-you-can-t_3002162.jpg" --- # Your plays are always personal. You can't help seeing… ![“Your plays are always personal. You can't help seeing yourself in the serial killer you've just written. But they get less specifically personal.” quote by Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53f/laura-wade-21809_always_your-plays-are-always-personal-you-can-t_3002162.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53f/laura-wade-21809_always_your-plays-are-always-personal-you-can-t_3002162.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53f/laura-wade-21809_always_your-plays-are-always-personal-you-can-t_3002162.jpg) > “Your plays are always personal. You can't help seeing yourself in the serial killer you've just written. But they get less specifically personal.” [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal experiences shape creative work, but creators may distance themselves from darker subjects. **In simple terms:** Personal life influences art; distance from darkness. Key Takeaway Balance personal insight with objective storytelling. Themes creativity personal darkness Mood analytical thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - therapy - film analysis - crime fiction Key Concepts literature psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain objectivity? - When does personal experience enhance a story? A Different Perspective Over‑identification can cause bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Killer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killer/) [Less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/less/) [Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal/) [Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays/) [Plays Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays-personal-2395874/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Seeing yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing-yourself/) [Serial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serial/) [Serial killer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serial-killer/) [Specifically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/specifically/) [Specifically Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/specifically-personal-4771555/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) [Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yourself/) ## Related quotes > [I think plays have nothing to do with one's own personal life. Not in my experience, anyway. The stuff of drama has to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-pinter/i-think-plays-have-nothing-to-do-with-one-s-own-personal-life-not-in/) [Harold Pinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-pinter/) > [Often I am asked if there is any such thing as a female serial killer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-brown/often-i-am-asked-if-there-is-any-such-thing-as-a-female-serial-killer/) [Pat Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-brown/) > [I don't like things about serial killers. There's so much serial killer information out there in documentaries constantly. A lot of it's just sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/i-don-t-like-things-about-serial-killers-there-s-so-much-serial/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) > [I followed him at the time and thought he was hysterical. He was the first serial killer, a new kettle of fish, because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-bright/i-followed-him-at-the-time-and-thought-he-was-hysterical-he-was-the/) [Matthew Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-bright/) > [I love anything to do with serial killers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-cooper/i-love-anything-to-do-with-serial-killers/) [T Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-cooper/) > [I am a serial killer. I would kill again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aileen-wuornos/i-am-a-serial-killer-i-would-kill-again/) [Aileen Wuornos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aileen-wuornos/) > [The one noticeable similarity with almost all serial killer victims is their short height and low weight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-brown/the-one-noticeable-similarity-with-almost-all-serial-killer-victims/) [Pat Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-brown/) > [While we are being fascinated by the tales of famous serial killers and how they were brought to justice, the real serial killer goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-brown/while-we-are-being-fascinated-by-the-tales-of-famous-serial-killers/) [Pat Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-brown/) > [Most of the time, actors respond to the thing that's so far from who they are. We all want to play the serial killer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-blucas/most-of-the-time-actors-respond-to-the-thing-that-s-so-far-from-who/) [Marc Blucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-blucas/) > [“Traditionally, most murders and violent crimes were relatively easy for law enforcement officials to comprehend. They resulted from critically exaggerated manifestations of feelings we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/traditionally-most-murders-and-violent-crimes-were-relatively-easy/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [Since 1966, hundreds of books have been published that follow murderers along their paths of destruction. Every serial killer, it seems, now has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schlosser/since-1966-hundreds-of-books-have-been-published-that-follow/) [Eric Schlosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schlosser/) > [Because I never plan anything out ahead of time, I'm always in the process of learning about my characters. Without a biographical sketch to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/because-i-never-plan-anything-out-ahead-of-time-i-m-always-in-the/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“I LIKE FIRE... I LIKE THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF IT... I JUST COULDN'T STOP MYSELF FROM PLAYING WITH... - DOES it mean that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/i-like-fire-i-like-the-whole-concept-of-it-i-just-couldn-t-stop/) [Deyth Banger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deyth-banger/) > [Often, a serial killer has no felony record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-brown/often-a-serial-killer-has-no-felony-record/) [Pat Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-brown/) > [“There are questions that run through your head when you find out that you’re a serial killer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-human/there-are-questions-that-run-through-your-head-when-you-find-out-that/) [Charlie Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-human/) ## More by Laura Wade > [Old Etonians are the most charming people in the world. It's not just the analytic ability and the great education; there is a really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/old-etonians-are-the-most-charming-people-in-the-world-it-s-not-just/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [We're not going to create a more equal society by not prodding at it, are we?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/we-re-not-going-to-create-a-more-equal-society-by-not-prodding-at-it/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [I think a lot of playwrights have a script in their bottom drawer that hopefully no one will ever see about a bunch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/i-think-a-lot-of-playwrights-have-a-script-in-their-bottom-drawer/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [I'm always drawn to writing things that feel like uncharted territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/i-m-always-drawn-to-writing-things-that-feel-like-uncharted-territory/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [Maybe if I'd had more direct contact with death, I wouldn't find it so fascinating and I wouldn't write about it so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/maybe-if-i-d-had-more-direct-contact-with-death-i-wouldn-t-find-it-so/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [It's very lucky to be able to do a job where I get to sit about writing plays all day and going to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/it-s-very-lucky-to-be-able-to-do-a-job-where-i-get-to-sit-about/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [I don't like writing with real people in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/i-don-t-like-writing-with-real-people-in-mind/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [And I admit it: there's a rather dirty thrill when 700 people laugh at a joke you've written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/and-i-admit-it-there-s-a-rather-dirty-thrill-when-700-people-laugh-at/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [Quite often, little germs of ideas have come from something that I've observed or someone's told me. The process of it becoming fiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/quite-often-little-germs-of-ideas-have-come-from-something-that-i-ve/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [Writing a tribe is fun. They have their own language, their own slang; they repeat it, and it becomes part of the texture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/writing-a-tribe-is-fun-they-have-their-own-language-their-own-slang/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [I am interested in the way advances in medicine and palliative care mean more people now have the opportunity to plan their own deaths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/i-am-interested-in-the-way-advances-in-medicine-and-palliative-care/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [Whether you like the look or not, that tailcoat is a tough shell, a suit of armour. The posh boy is a hardy species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/whether-you-like-the-look-or-not-that-tailcoat-is-a-tough-shell-a/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [I'm not posh at all. I grew up in Sheffield but never managed to pick up the accent - which was careless because there'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/i-m-not-posh-at-all-i-grew-up-in-sheffield-but-never-managed-to-pick/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [It's not a meritocracy until everyone starts with the same opportunities, is it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/it-s-not-a-meritocracy-until-everyone-starts-with-the-same/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [I think we love watching rich people behave badly. It has a sort of grisly fascination for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/i-think-we-love-watching-rich-people-behave-badly-it-has-a-sort-of/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) [Explore all 28 Laura Wade quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) [Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Your plays are always personal. 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