--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had always written. I had written…" description: "\"I had always written. I had written stories and poems. Then I started writing plays.\" — Lena Dunham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5b/lena-dunham-1013_play_i-had-always-written-i-had-written-stori_1447967.jpg" --- # I had always written. I had written stories and poems… ![“I had always written. I had written stories and poems. Then I started writing plays.” quote by Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5b/lena-dunham-1013_play_i-had-always-written-i-had-written-stori_1447967.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5b/lena-dunham-1013_play_i-had-always-written-i-had-written-stori_1447967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5b/lena-dunham-1013_play_i-had-always-written-i-had-written-stori_1447967.jpg) > “I had always written. I had written stories and poems. Then I started writing plays.” [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Transitioning from prose to drama expands a writer’s expressive toolkit and audience reach. **In simple terms:** Switching genres broadens a writer’s skills and reach. Key Takeaway Explore new formats to grow creatively. Themes creativity genre transition artistic growth Mood reflective curious Type artistic inspirational When to use this quote - publishing - scriptwriting - performance art - literary workshops Key Concepts writing theatre storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What challenges arise when shifting writing genres? - How do you retain authentic voice across formats? A Different Perspective Changing forms can dilute a writer’s voice if not mastered. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I started writing plays, but the fact that plays don't last forever was too much for me to bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-started-writing-plays-but-the-fact-that-plays-don-t-last-forever/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I started writing my own plays, and I would sell out, but after everything was said and done, I'd break even. That's being successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-michael-quezada/i-started-writing-my-own-plays-and-i-would-sell-out-but-after/) [Steven Michael Quezada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-michael-quezada/) > [I started writing plays in around 1967, and at a certain point, I thought, 'I'm writing plays, I should learn about acting and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-started-writing-plays-in-around-1967-and-at-a-certain-point-i/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [When I was at UCLA, a professor there encouraged me to write, and so I looked into specializing in creative writing in the English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-park/when-i-was-at-ucla-a-professor-there-encouraged-me-to-write-and-so-i/) [Randall Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-park/) > [When I was around eight, I learned how to touch-type at school, and I received a computer as a present. I started writing plays,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/when-i-was-around-eight-i-learned-how-to-touch-type-at-school-and-i/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [I've always written stories from female perspectives. That it's one of the reasons I write, to have that experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vestal-mcintyre/i-ve-always-written-stories-from-female-perspectives-that-it-s-one-of/) [Vestal McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vestal-mcintyre/) > [As a university student, I tried hard to write poems in Korean. It was at that time that I foresaw my death and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hyesoon/as-a-university-student-i-tried-hard-to-write-poems-in-korean-it-was/) [Kim Hyesoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hyesoon/) > [Memory has always been fundamental for me. In fact, remembering what I had forgotten is the way most of the poems get started.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/memory-has-always-been-fundamental-for-me-in-fact-remembering-what-i/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [I like having a phrase lying around to get poems started. It's like having a key.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-mccrae/i-like-having-a-phrase-lying-around-to-get-poems-started-it-s-like/) [Shane McCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-mccrae/) > [As a sick kid, I always looked out the window. The objects of my observation were the sun, the seasons, the wind, crazy people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hyesoon/as-a-sick-kid-i-always-looked-out-the-window-the-objects-of-my/) [Kim Hyesoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hyesoon/) > [One of my graduate school professors, to whom I started sending poems when I started writing again after a 10-year hiatus, suggested I prepare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-nelson/one-of-my-graduate-school-professors-to-whom-i-started-sending-poems/) [Marilyn Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-nelson/) > [The kind of roles one wants to do arent being written; the stories one wants to tell are few and far between; and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tisca-chopra/the-kind-of-roles-one-wants-to-do-arent-being-written-the-stories-one/) [Tisca Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tisca-chopra/) > [I certainly have been writing stories that are hard science fiction, that are very reminiscent of 'Golden Age tales' from the '40s and '50s.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-certainly-have-been-writing-stories-that-are-hard-science-fiction/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [I have no liking for novels or stories - none in the world; and so, whenever I read one - which is not oftener…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-no-liking-for-novels-or-stories-none-in-the-world-and-so/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I am not Shakespeare or Hemingway, but I have written stories on tennis that were brilliant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ion-tiriac/i-am-not-shakespeare-or-hemingway-but-i-have-written-stories-on/) [Ion Tiriac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ion-tiriac/) ## More by Lena Dunham > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [“Oberlin being a liberal haven where opposition was king, the coolest clique at school was a group of rugby-playing, neon-wearing lesbians. They dominated every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/oberlin-being-a-liberal-haven-where-opposition-was-king-the-coolest/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Calling someone a drama queen is so negative. Why not 'content creator'?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/calling-someone-a-drama-queen-is-so-negative-why-not-content-creator/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [My relationship to eating, my relationship to critiquing my own shape, all of that has changed since I've started viewing my body much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-relationship-to-eating-my-relationship-to-critiquing-my-own-shape/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [“I am sorry (not to you but in a deeper way, sorry for my brain chemistry and who I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-am-sorry-not-to-you-but-in-a-deeper-way-sorry-for-my-brain/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [It's very easy for me to say what success is. I think success is connecting with an audience who understands you and having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-s-very-easy-for-me-to-say-what-success-is-i-think-success-is/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [At my age, no one is married, no one has kids, no one has a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/at-my-age-no-one-is-married-no-one-has-kids-no-one-has-a-career/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I should do the things that make me feel cool and smart. As I get older, I'm realizing more and more that it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel-cool-and-smart-as-i-get/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [My shape reminds me a lot of my grandmother, whom I was really close to. She died when I was 13, and we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-shape-reminds-me-a-lot-of-my-grandmother-whom-i-was-really-close/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I never set out to make any statements about a specific character, I just set out to tell what feels like is a truthful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-never-set-out-to-make-any-statements-about-a-specific-character-i/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [You’ve learned a new rule and it’s simple: don’t put yourself in situations you’d like to run away from. But when you run, run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/you-ve-learned-a-new-rule-and-it-s-simple-don-t-put-yourself-in/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I would go to work from 9 to 6, go home, nap for two hours, then write from 8 to 2 a.m.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-would-go-to-work-from-9-to-6-go-home-nap-for-two-hours-then-write/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [My uncle's a lawyer and I remember going to see him in court and thinking, 'That's cool, too bad I could never be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-uncle-s-a-lawyer-and-i-remember-going-to-see-him-in-court-and/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I love directing scenes that I'm not in because suddenly I really feel like a filmmaker which is a different thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-love-directing-scenes-that-i-m-not-in-because-suddenly-i-really/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I'm glad if my work can make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-m-glad-if-my-work-can-make-a-difference/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) [Explore all 301 Lena Dunham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) ## More Play quotes > [There are guys who play lacrosse, and there are lacrosse players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-mundorf/there-are-guys-who-play-lacrosse-and-there-are-lacrosse-players/) Brendan Mundorf > [You gotta have a little kid in you to play football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-edwards/you-gotta-have-a-little-kid-in-you-to-play-football/) [Herman Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-edwards/) > [My team mates are fundamental for my characteristics, if they send in crosses I can play inside the area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filippo-inzaghi/my-team-mates-are-fundamental-for-my-characteristics-if-they-send-in/) [Filippo Inzaghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filippo-inzaghi/) > [Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden. Every year, you look at their numbers - score goals, assists, minutes - to see they play very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/leo-cristiano-ronaldo-neymar-eden-every-year-you-look-at-their/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/we-cannot-change-the-cards-we-are-dealt-just-how-we-play-the-hand/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [You play a part, and as soon as a movie is over and the camera stops, you go home and you're not really responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nastassja-kinski/you-play-a-part-and-as-soon-as-a-movie-is-over-and-the-camera-stops/) [Nastassja Kinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nastassja-kinski/) > [I think all children love to dress up and play make believe. It's just that I never stopped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/i-think-all-children-love-to-dress-up-and-play-make-believe-it-s-just/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [It would be awesome to play in my backyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-barty/it-would-be-awesome-to-play-in-my-backyard/) [Ashleigh Barty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-barty/) > [I really enjoy going to play for the national team and be with the guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedi-osman/i-really-enjoy-going-to-play-for-the-national-team-and-be-with-the/) [Cedi Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedi-osman/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [It's a shame that when you've actually lived some life and have something to write about, they're saying you're too old to come out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/it-s-a-shame-that-when-you-ve-actually-lived-some-life-and-have/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [I can play on grass - when I won Junior Wimbledon, that was an unbelievable feeling, I could not believe that I had won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grigor-dimitrov/i-can-play-on-grass-when-i-won-junior-wimbledon-that-was-an/) [Grigor Dimitrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grigor-dimitrov/) [Browse all 36,264 Play quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had always written. 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