--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I find myself writing protagonists who do…" description: "\"I find myself writing protagonists who do feel pretty cut off from others but who want to make connections and aren't very good at it.\" — Leni Zumas" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/leni-zumas-19031_connections_i-find-myself-writing-protagonists-who-d_2128475.jpg" --- # I find myself writing protagonists who do feel pretty cut… ![“I find myself writing protagonists who do feel pretty cut off from others but who want to make connections and aren't very good at it.” quote by Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/leni-zumas-19031_connections_i-find-myself-writing-protagonists-who-d_2128475.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/leni-zumas-19031_connections_i-find-myself-writing-protagonists-who-d_2128475.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/leni-zumas-19031_connections_i-find-myself-writing-protagonists-who-d_2128475.jpg) > “I find myself writing protagonists who do feel pretty cut off from others but who want to make connections and aren't very good at it.” [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Characters isolated from others seek connection, highlighting human need for belonging. **In simple terms:** Loneliness drives connection. Key Takeaway Foster empathy. Themes isolation connection identity Mood reflective empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - therapy groups - online communities - new friendships Key Concepts psychology social bonds Questions to Reflect On - How do you bridge social gaps? - What hinders connection? A Different Perspective Introverts may resist outreach. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Make Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-connections-355814/) [Protagonists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protagonists/) [Protagonists Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protagonists-feel-4375953/) [Very good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very-good/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Protagonists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-protagonists-4375954/) ## Related quotes > [Having been raised by actors who love moral ambiguity and flawed protagonists, I feel like it's sort of in the blood to want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dern/having-been-raised-by-actors-who-love-moral-ambiguity-and-flawed/) [Laura Dern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dern/) > [Make connections; let rip; and dance where you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/make-connections-let-rip-and-dance-where-you-can/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [You will find a way to make your message fresher. You'll find a way to make your connections in a way that will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-carroll/you-will-find-a-way-to-make-your-message-fresher-you-ll-find-a-way-to/) [Pete Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-carroll/) > [“I have more online contacts than I can count. I make about one hundred connections a day. I have access to millions of people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/i-have-more-online-contacts-than-i-can-count-i-make-about-one-hundred/) [Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/) > [The point of life for me is just to make connections with people and share experiences with people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marnie-stern/the-point-of-life-for-me-is-just-to-make-connections-with-people-and/) [Marnie Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marnie-stern/) > [Be real. Make connections with people. Look them in the eye. Tell them how you feel. Don't be afraid to say what you mean.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-ray/be-real-make-connections-with-people-look-them-in-the-eye-tell-them/) [Rachael Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-ray/) > [On tour, it's necessary to meet people and make connections, but when I was a teenager, I found it difficult to approach people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iga-swiatek/on-tour-it-s-necessary-to-meet-people-and-make-connections-but-when-i/) [Iga Swiatek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iga-swiatek/) > [“In our high-tech world today, there are unlimited ways with which you can search for people, places, and events to connect you with like-minded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/in-our-high-tech-world-today-there-are-unlimited-ways-with-which-you/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [We are living in a world where access trumps knowledge every time. Those who know how to search, find and make the connections will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jennings/we-are-living-in-a-world-where-access-trumps-knowledge-every-time/) [Charles Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jennings/) > [Creativity is especially expressed in the ability to make connections, to make associations, to turn things around and express them in a new way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hansen/creativity-is-especially-expressed-in-the-ability-to-make-connections/) [Tim Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hansen/) > [I think we're put out into the world to forge relationships with people. Those can be as small as buying coffee from someone or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-nakadate/i-think-we-re-put-out-into-the-world-to-forge-relationships-with/) [Laurel Nakadate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-nakadate/) > [To create is to relate. We trust in the artist in everybody to make his own connections, his own juxtapositions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corita-kent/to-create-is-to-relate-we-trust-in-the-artist-in-everybody-to-make/) [Corita Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corita-kent/) > [The most important thing is to recognize how important it is to market yourself and make connections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hargrave/the-most-important-thing-is-to-recognize-how-important-it-is-to/) [Sam Hargrave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hargrave/) > [There is something restless and curious about the Irish. Like everybody else, we want to make money and make our way in the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/there-is-something-restless-and-curious-about-the-irish-like/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Like China, the Internet is a huge new market. It's up to you to figure out what to do with it. Use it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-chase/like-china-the-internet-is-a-huge-new-market-it-s-up-to-you-to-figure/) [Larry Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-chase/) ## More by Leni Zumas > [Portland is a pretty magnificent place to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/portland-is-a-pretty-magnificent-place-to-live/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [When I watch students make particular decisions about language, structure, and form, it sharpens my own thinking and my own development as a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/when-i-watch-students-make-particular-decisions-about-language/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [I started reading contemporary fiction in college or right after college. It wasn't as if I was steeped in experimental minimalism when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/i-started-reading-contemporary-fiction-in-college-or-right-after/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [In my writing classes, I don't outlaw any genre writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/in-my-writing-classes-i-don-t-outlaw-any-genre-writing/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [There's always something else to work on and different solutions to these problems in the next thing. We each have a certain set of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/there-s-always-something-else-to-work-on-and-different-solutions-to/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [If a synesthetic person says the letter a is green, it can't ever be anything but green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/if-a-synesthetic-person-says-the-letter-a-is-green-it-can-t-ever-be/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [I am fascinated by tiny, incremental changes, almost imperceptible shifts in how people orient themselves in the world, because those are in some ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/i-am-fascinated-by-tiny-incremental-changes-almost-imperceptible/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [Sometimes you just feel like you could work forever on something and never know when it's done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/sometimes-you-just-feel-like-you-could-work-forever-on-something-and/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [I cut hundreds of pages from my book because I felt myself being reiterative or redundant. Sometimes I wanted to leave just hints of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/i-cut-hundreds-of-pages-from-my-book-because-i-felt-myself-being/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [For me, the genders are an essential element of numbers and letters, not something that could be removed from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/for-me-the-genders-are-an-essential-element-of-numbers-and-letters/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [I don't know whose sensibility I'm responding to. Until someone starts pushing against what they've inherited and starts making their own decisions about language,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/i-don-t-know-whose-sensibility-i-m-responding-to-until-someone-starts/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [As someone who played music and never got famous, and remembers little fragments of that, I don't remember life as a dramatic flamboyant thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/as-someone-who-played-music-and-never-got-famous-and-remembers-little/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [Giving the reader the space to move around and be active, and encourage their active response is important to me. That will connect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/giving-the-reader-the-space-to-move-around-and-be-active-and/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [So often we think of a wound or a loss as making a person feel more deeply, become a better person. But I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/so-often-we-think-of-a-wound-or-a-loss-as-making-a-person-feel-more/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [In my short stories there's a lot of focus on people successfully and not successfully responding to some sorts of discomforts or instabilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/in-my-short-stories-there-s-a-lot-of-focus-on-people-successfully-and/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) [Explore all 33 Leni Zumas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) ## More Connections quotes > [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/) [Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [Suffering did different things to different people...Some souls became tempered, unshakable in their faith, while others became twisted and mis-shapen, throwing off all connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ragen/suffering-did-different-things-to-different-people-some-souls-became/) [Naomi Ragen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ragen/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I wouldn't want to play a normal princess who always walks around in nice dresses. I never had a connection to it when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/i-wouldn-t-want-to-play-a-normal-princess-who-always-walks-around-in/) [Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/) > [“When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/when-we-let-go-of-our-battles-and-open-our-heart-to-things-as-they/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [If our homes should provide anything, they should provide a sense of who we are and how we got here, a sense of connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-conran/if-our-homes-should-provide-anything-they-should-provide-a-sense-of/) [Terence Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-conran/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [I love using the latest technologies to make life more efficient, but I don't want to advocate that technology replaces the need to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-webb/i-love-using-the-latest-technologies-to-make-life-more-efficient-but/) [Maynard Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-webb/) > [Synchronicity reveals the meaningful connections between the subjective and objective world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/synchronicity-reveals-the-meaningful-connections-between-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Half of the pleasure of painting and feeling the joy of the creative act is sharing it with others and the feeling of connection.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/half-of-the-pleasure-of-painting-and-feeling-the-joy-of-the-creative/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [On the road, I try to maintain my connections with friends and family as much as I possibly can. That keeps me pretty grounded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-scaggs/on-the-road-i-try-to-maintain-my-connections-with-friends-and-family/) [Noelle Scaggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-scaggs/) > [I'm from California, but my father, who passed away when I was young, was from Newark. When I was kid, we would go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-daly/i-m-from-california-but-my-father-who-passed-away-when-i-was-young/) [Carson Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-daly/) > [I'm uninterested in superheroes. I am only interested in real stories, real people, real connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-curtis/i-m-uninterested-in-superheroes-i-am-only-interested-in-real-stories/) [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-curtis/) > [Souls love. That’s what souls do. Egos don’t, but souls do. Become a soul, look around, and you’ll be amazed-all the beings around you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/souls-love-that-s-what-souls-do-egos-don-t-but-souls-do-become-a-soul/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) [Browse all 2,951 Connections quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I find myself writing protagonists who do feel pretty cut off from others but who want to make connections and aren't very good at it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leni Zumas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/i-find-myself-writing-protagonists-who-do-feel-pretty-cut-off-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Connections" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/i-find-myself-writing-protagonists-who-do-feel-pretty-cut-off-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/leni-zumas-19031_connections_i-find-myself-writing-protagonists-who-d_2128475.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/leni-zumas-19031_connections_i-find-myself-writing-protagonists-who-d_2128475.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/leni-zumas-19031_connections_i-find-myself-writing-protagonists-who-d_2128475.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I find myself writing protagonists who do feel pretty cut off from others but who want to make connections…” — Leni Zumas", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Leni Zumas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I find myself writing protagonists who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/i-find-myself-writing-protagonists-who-do-feel-pretty-cut-off-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/i-find-myself-writing-protagonists-who-do-feel-pretty-cut-off-from/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```