--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As with most of my work, I started from…" description: "\"As with most of my work, I started from the abstract, from research, building an intellectual model that slowly became internalized when the characters..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/lauren-groff-2802_abstract_as-with-most-of-my-work-i-started-from-t_2125563.png" --- # As with most of my work, I started from the abstract, from… ![“As with most of my work, I started from the abstract, from research, building an intellectual model that slowly became internalized when the characters came alive. It's fascinating what happens to the model you've so assiduously assembled when characters are allowed to run rampant: things you…” quote by Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/lauren-groff-2802_abstract_as-with-most-of-my-work-i-started-from-t_2125563.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/lauren-groff-2802_abstract_as-with-most-of-my-work-i-started-from-t_2125563.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/lauren-groff-2802_abstract_as-with-most-of-my-work-i-started-from-t_2125563.png) > “As with most of my work, I started from the abstract, from research, building an intellectual model that slowly became internalized when the characters came alive. It's fascinating what happens to the model you've so assiduously assembled when characters are allowed to run rampant: things you thought essential are broken and other things are vastly improved.” [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work evolves when abstract ideas meet lived characters, exposing flaws and revealing unexpected strengths. **In simple terms:** Ideas change when characters act, showing hidden gaps and new possibilities. Key Takeaway Allow characters to test and reshape your concepts. Themes creativity writing character development process growth Mood curious inspired analytical Type literary reflective When to use this quote - novel writing - screenplay drafting - character workshops - creative brainstorming - story editing Key Concepts Iterative modeling embodied narrative unexpected emergence Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions did your model hold before characters intervened? - How did character actions improve your story? A Different Perspective The process can be chaotic, risking loss of original vision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of my books have started with an abstract premise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/a-lot-of-my-books-have-started-with-an-abstract-premise/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I'm really only interested in building this intellectual movement. The I.D.W. has bigger goals than anyone's buzz or celebrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weinstein/i-m-really-only-interested-in-building-this-intellectual-movement-the/) [Eric Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weinstein/) > [Boat building is intellectual - everything has a reason. In sculpture, it has a direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-ray/boat-building-is-intellectual-everything-has-a-reason-in-sculpture-it/) [Charles Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-ray/) > [I think from the time I was a kid I've been an entertainer. I've always had the ability to play characters. When I came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-schulze/i-think-from-the-time-i-was-a-kid-i-ve-been-an-entertainer-i-ve/) [Matt Schulze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-schulze/) > [I always thought that Bray Wyatt, who had the most creative characters that he came up with it - it was a part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/i-always-thought-that-bray-wyatt-who-had-the-most-creative-characters/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [After Lock, Stock, all these really nasty small town characters came knocking at my door trying to tell me stories, and somehow I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-ritchie/after-lock-stock-all-these-really-nasty-small-town-characters-came/) [Guy Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-ritchie/) > [When I started off with Trainspotting, it was the way the characters came to me. That's how they sounded to me. It seemed pretentious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/when-i-started-off-with-trainspotting-it-was-the-way-the-characters/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [My characters came with a lot of gear, a lot of weaponry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-liefeld/my-characters-came-with-a-lot-of-gear-a-lot-of-weaponry/) [Rob Liefeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-liefeld/) > [My only obligation is to my characters. And they came from where I have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/my-only-obligation-is-to-my-characters-and-they-came-from-where-i/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [Many of my characters first came through to me as voices. That's why I use a tape recorder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/many-of-my-characters-first-came-through-to-me-as-voices-that-s-why-i/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“I suppressed a sigh. Hungary felt increasingly like reading War and Peace: new characters came up every five minutes, with their unusual names and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-suppressed-a-sigh-hungary-felt-increasingly-like-reading-war-and/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [I think the more depth you build into the characters, and the more you see where they came from, the more fun you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-mcelhenney/i-think-the-more-depth-you-build-into-the-characters-and-the-more-you/) [Rob McElhenney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-mcelhenney/) > [“Hungary felt increasingly like reading War and Peace: new characters came up every five minutes, with their unusual names and distinctive locutions, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/hungary-felt-increasingly-like-reading-war-and-peace-new-characters/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Lauren Groff > [“But my best friend from college was silent for a long time. She, of all of my friends, had seen the parade of sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/but-my-best-friend-from-college-was-silent-for-a-long-time-she-of-all/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [You had to pick up a landline to make sure your best friend wore a matching outfit to school. I do remember people talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/you-had-to-pick-up-a-landline-to-make-sure-your-best-friend-wore-a/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [“Then, when we had done so, we put our hands upon the freezing cold monster, our monster. And this is what we felt: vertigo,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/then-when-we-had-done-so-we-put-our-hands-upon-the-freezing-cold/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [I see history as really cyclical in terms of the intense idealism, and the desire to create a better life outside of societal norms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/i-see-history-as-really-cyclical-in-terms-of-the-intense-idealism-and/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [“He thinks of the rotten parachute they played with as kids in Arcadia: they hurtle through life aging unimaginably fast, but each grasps a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/he-thinks-of-the-rotten-parachute-they-played-with-as-kids-in-arcadia/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [I love writing from enclosed spaces: you really learn about your characters when they have tight walls to push against.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/i-love-writing-from-enclosed-spaces-you-really-learn-about-your/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [ “\[Still apparent in him, the tiny boy, mewling in cold and hunger. It’s less delicious, this badness bred from survival.\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/still-apparent-in-him-the-tiny-boy-mewling-in-cold-and-hunger-it-s/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [Even still, we run. We have not reached our average of 57.92 years without knowing that you run through it, and it hurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/even-still-we-run-we-have-not-reached-our-average-of-57-92-years/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [I had a series of terrible jobs, whatever would allow me to write for four hours during the day. During that time I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/i-had-a-series-of-terrible-jobs-whatever-would-allow-me-to-write-for/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [“The stories themselves aren't what moves him now...What moves him are the shadowy people behind the stories, the workers weary from their days, gathering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/the-stories-themselves-aren-t-what-moves-him-now-what-moves-him-are/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [“Even still, we run. We have not reached our average of 57.92 years without knowing that you run through it, and it hurts worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/even-still-we-run-we-have-not-reached-our-average-of-57-92-years-2/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [“Lugubrious and pretentious at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/lugubrious-and-pretentious-at-the-same-time/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [But I've married a deeply sensible person who is extremely good at talking me down from my various ledges, and who takes care of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/but-i-ve-married-a-deeply-sensible-person-who-is-extremely-good-at/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [Writing is the lonely sport of sad sacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/writing-is-the-lonely-sport-of-sad-sacks/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [“They sit here in the darkness, trusting. That the coffee will be hot and unpoisoned. That no raging madman will come in with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/they-sit-here-in-the-darkness-trusting-that-the-coffee-will-be-hot/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) [Explore all 149 Lauren Groff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) ## More Abstract quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/) [Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) Anthony W. Ivins > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/) [Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/) > [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As with most of my work, I started from the abstract, from research, building an intellectual model that slowly became internalized when the characters came alive. 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