--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Were there stories I wrote along the way…" description: "\"Were there stories I wrote along the way that were terrible clinkers? God, yes. But they were all a product of their time, and I did the best I could.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/len-wein-13175_stories_were-there-stories-i-wrote-along-the-way_311517.png" --- # Were there stories I wrote along the way that were… ![“Were there stories I wrote along the way that were terrible clinkers? God, yes. But they were all a product of their time, and I did the best I could.” quote by Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/len-wein-13175_stories_were-there-stories-i-wrote-along-the-way_311517.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/len-wein-13175_stories_were-there-stories-i-wrote-along-the-way_311517.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/len-wein-13175_stories_were-there-stories-i-wrote-along-the-way_311517.png) > “Were there stories I wrote along the way that were terrible clinkers? God, yes. But they were all a product of their time, and I did the best I could.” [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer acknowledges past flaws, attributing them to their era and effort, while accepting imperfection. **In simple terms:** Past work can be flawed but reflects its time and effort. Key Takeaway Accept past mistakes, learn, and keep creating. Themes creativity self‑assessment growth Mood introspective encouraging Type creative motivational When to use this quote - writing process - career retrospection - creative blocks Key Concepts authorial intent historical context Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance self‑criticism with confidence? - What can you learn from past errors? A Different Perspective Self‑critique may hinder confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“In my stories, I wrote Malcolm as fire and gold and power, but here in my arms, Colin is cedar, silver, and summer air.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/in-my-stories-i-wrote-malcolm-as-fire-and-gold-and-power-but-here-in/) [Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/) > [You know, most reporters can't go back to the towns they wrote stories about. I never wrote that kind of story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/you-know-most-reporters-can-t-go-back-to-the-towns-they-wrote-stories/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [I get to watch stories I wrote brought to life by the most brilliant actors in cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-claremont/i-get-to-watch-stories-i-wrote-brought-to-life-by-the-most-brilliant/) [Chris Claremont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-claremont/) > [I used to write stories a lot because you had to fill your hours some other way than watching television. So my imagination was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-osborne/i-used-to-write-stories-a-lot-because-you-had-to-fill-your-hours-some/) [Robert Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-osborne/) > [I didn't finish the stories until we went to the Philippines and I got malaria. I couldn't work and I didn't have any money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-didn-t-finish-the-stories-until-we-went-to-the-philippines-and-i/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [As a kid, I liked making up stories, and I wrote a story about a kangaroo and a bat with Christy Chang, and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/as-a-kid-i-liked-making-up-stories-and-i-wrote-a-story-about-a/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [I've been writing for as long as I can remember, and reading even before that. My mom still has stories that I wrote when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-sue-park/i-ve-been-writing-for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-and-reading-even/) [Linda Sue Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-sue-park/) > [But it's hard for me to pinpoint where all my characters and dialogue come from - imagination or real life. My memoir, of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/but-it-s-hard-for-me-to-pinpoint-where-all-my-characters-and-dialogue/) [Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/) > [I didnt finish the stories until we went to the Philippines and I got malaria. I couldnt work and I didnt have any money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-didnt-finish-the-stories-until-we-went-to-the-philippines-and-i-got/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [I started off at a local newspaper called 'The Middle East Times,' which is no longer in existence. I remember one of the earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-started-off-at-a-local-newspaper-called-the-middle-east-times-which/) [Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/) > [Even as a little kid, I told lots of stories, and I wrote them down, and I loved reading fiction and fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/even-as-a-little-kid-i-told-lots-of-stories-and-i-wrote-them-down-and/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“I have worked locked psych wards and had patients give me stories they wrote or poems and this reminded me of that... Word salad!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montzalee-wittmann/i-have-worked-locked-psych-wards-and-had-patients-give-me-stories/) Montzalee Wittmann > [Recently I read the stories I wrote in my early 20s, to put in a volume. And here is this brittle young woman, writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/recently-i-read-the-stories-i-wrote-in-my-early-20s-to-put-in-a/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [The first stories I wrote when I was 12 were about Mars and landing on Mars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-first-stories-i-wrote-when-i-was-12-were-about-mars-and-landing/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“One of the most terrifying aspects of publishing stories and books is the realization that they are going to be read, and read by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/one-of-the-most-terrifying-aspects-of-publishing-stories-and-books-is/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) ## More by Len Wein > [Unfortunately, there are writers whose only concern is how good they could make themselves look on a title.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/unfortunately-there-are-writers-whose-only-concern-is-how-good-they/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [“No seriously, I'm a 910-year-old time lord, tough as old boots . Eat me and you'll have terrible indigestion for the next twenty years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/no-seriously-i-m-a-910-year-old-time-lord-tough-as-old-boots-eat-me/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [I'm a neurotic New York Jew by birth. Creating characters is second nature to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/i-m-a-neurotic-new-york-jew-by-birth-creating-characters-is-second/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [People who were more concerned with themselves and looking good to their readers then they were with the characters sacrificed a series for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/people-who-were-more-concerned-with-themselves-and-looking-good-to/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [When someone writes to tell me something I've written made them laugh or cry, I've done my job and done it well. The rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/when-someone-writes-to-tell-me-something-i-ve-written-made-them-laugh/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [I've always thought of myself as an organic writer, rather than a cerebral one. I feel my way along as I go, hoping I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/i-ve-always-thought-of-myself-as-an-organic-writer-rather-than-a/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [I think jazz and comic books are probably the two uniquely American art forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/i-think-jazz-and-comic-books-are-probably-the-two-uniquely-american/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [I try not to violate what came before me and to leave lots of wiggle room for those who will follow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/i-try-not-to-violate-what-came-before-me-and-to-leave-lots-of-wiggle/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [The bottom line always remains the same: What is the basic humanity of the character? How do I make them resonate with the reader?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/the-bottom-line-always-remains-the-same-what-is-the-basic-humanity-of/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [I've had editors over the years who couldn't find a clue if it was stapled to their butt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/i-ve-had-editors-over-the-years-who-couldn-t-find-a-clue-if-it-was/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [I had never really thought of myself as a writer; any writing I had done was just to give myself something to draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/i-had-never-really-thought-of-myself-as-a-writer-any-writing-i-had/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [I would like immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/i-would-like-immortality/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [In these litigious times, if you're a beginner, it's becoming harder and harder to get your work to the people who might actually be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/in-these-litigious-times-if-you-re-a-beginner-it-s-becoming-harder/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [I've never had to work out of the arts. I've always either been a writer or an editor, or something where I've made my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/i-ve-never-had-to-work-out-of-the-arts-i-ve-always-either-been-a/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) > [I try to find what makes even the worst, most despicable character sympathetic at his or her core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/i-try-to-find-what-makes-even-the-worst-most-despicable-character/) [Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) [Explore all 51 Len Wein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/) ## More Stories quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-laws/when-you-listen-to-someone-improvise-the-notes-that-are-played-are/) Hubert Laws > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [She smiled, if he could see that, and waited for him to ask the real question. But he was silent. He wanted her to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-shinn/she-smiled-if-he-could-see-that-and-waited-for-him-to-ask-the-real/) [Sharon Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-shinn/) > [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/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I think it's actually kind of sweet how there is a reciprocal effect that our stories can have on each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-think-it-s-actually-kind-of-sweet-how-there-is-a-reciprocal-effect/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. I had all of that stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wright/i-had-sort-of-had-a-21st-birthday-when-i-was-17-18-years-old-living/) [Sarah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wright/) > [Story is about pulling the reader in and a plot is a more externalized mechanism of revelation. A plot is more antic, more performative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/story-is-about-pulling-the-reader-in-and-a-plot-is-a-more/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Browse all 19,094 Stories quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Were there stories I wrote along the way that were terrible clinkers? God, yes. 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