--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For better or worse, I seem to gravitate…" description: "\"For better or worse, I seem to gravitate toward writing about something or someone else, then have my own self shove its way into that story. It seems ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/lucas-mann-50072_autobiography_for-better-or-worse-i-seem-to-gravitate_1728175.jpg" --- # For better or worse, I seem to gravitate toward writing… ![“For better or worse, I seem to gravitate toward writing about something or someone else, then have my own self shove its way into that story. It seems insanely narcissistic. But I also think there's a particular effect that comes from using my autobiography in service to another story, as opposed…” quote by Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/lucas-mann-50072_autobiography_for-better-or-worse-i-seem-to-gravitate_1728175.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/lucas-mann-50072_autobiography_for-better-or-worse-i-seem-to-gravitate_1728175.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/lucas-mann-50072_autobiography_for-better-or-worse-i-seem-to-gravitate_1728175.jpg) > “For better or worse, I seem to gravitate toward writing about something or someone else, then have my own self shove its way into that story. It seems insanely narcissistic. But I also think there's a particular effect that comes from using my autobiography in service to another story, as opposed to being the subject. I'm much more comfortable working in that mode. And I do think I have a persona or mood that I keep coming back to: self-conscious, self-critical, unsure. I write a lot about bodies, particularly male ones, usually as a point of emphasis for my insecurities about my own.” [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author uses autobiographical elements to explore other narratives, revealing self‑critical and insecure tendencies. **In simple terms:** Writing about others while inserting self reveals insecurity. Key Takeaway Embrace self‑awareness in creative work. Themes creativity self‑examination identity autobiography Mood introspective thoughtful Type literary personal When to use this quote - novel writing - blog posts - therapy journaling - art projects Key Concepts narrative voice meta‑fiction psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑insertion affect reader engagement? - Can vulnerability strengthen narrative authenticity? A Different Perspective Risk of self‑indulgence overshadowing story. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) [Coming Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-self-1404787/) [Insecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insecurity/) [Mood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mood/) [Narcissistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narcissistic/) [Persona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persona/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Unsure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unsure/) [Using Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-autobiography-1404786/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-self-372198/) ## Related quotes > [The finding of God is the coming to one's own self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meher-baba/the-finding-of-god-is-the-coming-to-one-s-own-self/) [Meher Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meher-baba/) > [The 'coming of the Self' is immanent; and the process of collective 'individuation' is living itself out in human history. One way or another,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-f-edinger/the-coming-of-the-self-is-immanent-and-the-process-of-collective/) [Edward F Edinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-f-edinger/) > [What is love? The need of coming out of one's self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/what-is-love-the-need-of-coming-out-of-one-s-self/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [The 'coming of the Self' is an apocalypse for the ego, the 'you' that wants to hang along for the ride. It may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/the-coming-of-the-self-is-an-apocalypse-for-the-ego-the-you-that/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [That's what hip-hop is - it's about meeting the music where you are, and then you add on top of that. It's about coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daveed-diggs/that-s-what-hip-hop-is-it-s-about-meeting-the-music-where-you-are-and/) [Daveed Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daveed-diggs/) > [The search for total knowledge starts from the Self and finds its fulfillment in coming back to the Self, finding that everything is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/the-search-for-total-knowledge-starts-from-the-self-and-finds-its/) [Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/) > [Whenever you're making a movie, especially when you're writing, you always have self-doubts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/whenever-you-re-making-a-movie-especially-when-you-re-writing-you/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [Writing is all about self-editing; it's all about being present being aware of what's happening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-armatrading/writing-is-all-about-self-editing-it-s-all-about-being-present-being/) [Joan Armatrading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-armatrading/) > [Writing is self employment, so you can make your own schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/writing-is-self-employment-so-you-can-make-your-own-schedule/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [Writing, for me, when I'm writing in the first-person, is like a form of acting. So as I'm writing, the character or self I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/writing-for-me-when-i-m-writing-in-the-first-person-is-like-a-form-of/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [Writing is not about self-expression; it is about putting words on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/writing-is-not-about-self-expression-it-is-about-putting-words-on/) [Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/) > [Writing is self-taught. Consulting other people only teaches you to depend on their reactions, which may or may not be legitimate. Quit looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/writing-is-self-taught-consulting-other-people-only-teaches-you-to/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Writing is self-reinforcing. Don't make a fetish out of it, and don't surrender to the myth of the garret, or the myth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-lake/writing-is-self-reinforcing-don-t-make-a-fetish-out-of-it-and-don-t/) [Jay Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-lake/) > [It's been very jarring for me to stand in public and read about myself and my daughter and her father. I feel like I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-talbot/it-s-been-very-jarring-for-me-to-stand-in-public-and-read-about/) [Jill Talbot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-talbot/) > [“Writing is the self escaping into the open." E.B. White”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solveig-eggerz/writing-is-the-self-escaping-into-the-open-e-b-white/) [Solveig Eggerz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solveig-eggerz/) ## More by Lucas Mann > [That idea of not being exactly who you write as is so crucial. Even looking at those words as I type them, it feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/that-idea-of-not-being-exactly-who-you-write-as-is-so-crucial-even/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [There is something more important than the place being left. It's that swell of crushing emptiness that makes the insignificant seem anything but.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/there-is-something-more-important-than-the-place-being-left-it-s-that/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [Lately I've been thinking about the idea that all novels are, at least in some way, about the process of writing a novel -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/lately-i-ve-been-thinking-about-the-idea-that-all-novels-are-at-least/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [After writing anything, there's always that postpartum feeling of, "What do I do now?" - I think particularly for nonfiction writers. I feel myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/after-writing-anything-there-s-always-that-postpartum-feeling-of-what/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [Walter Benjamin talks about art losing its original "aura" in an age of mechanical reproduction. In writing memoir, we're taking something that happened in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/walter-benjamin-talks-about-art-losing-its-original-aura-in-an-age-of/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [I came to nonfiction through journalism. My first book was journalism, and it was so frustrating to me, while I was writing it, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/i-came-to-nonfiction-through-journalism-my-first-book-was-journalism/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) [Explore all 7 Lucas Mann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) ## More Autobiography quotes > [I think anything that anyone writes thats any good is going to have a lot of autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-adly-guirgis/i-think-anything-that-anyone-writes-thats-any-good-is-going-to-have-a/) [Stephen Adly Guirgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-adly-guirgis/) > [“I am not and autobiographical writer--one can't be without a solid and explicable self--and read all autobiographical writers with the same curiosity. What kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-am-not-and-autobiographical-writer-one-can-t-be-without-a-solid-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“Someday, I want to write an unauthorized autobiography of myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcmullen-sullivan/someday-i-want-to-write-an-unauthorized-autobiography-of-myself/) [David McMullen-Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcmullen-sullivan/) > [“As well as writing, 2004 saw my first attempt at wine making: the elixir of life. Unfortunately, my effort tasted more like the elixir…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-briggs/as-well-as-writing-2004-saw-my-first-attempt-at-wine-making-the/) [Craig Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-briggs/) > [I caught a cold and didn't have time to work on my autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-doucet/i-caught-a-cold-and-didn-t-have-time-to-work-on-my-autobiography/) [Julie Doucet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-doucet/) > [Who ever heard, indeed, of an autobiography that was not (interesting)? I can recall none in all the literature of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-ever-heard-indeed-of-an-autobiography-that-was-not-interesting-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't really think of my essays as being about myself. I know it sounds insane, but I just don't think of them as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-don-t-really-think-of-my-essays-as-being-about-myself-i-know-it/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [The way I would live my life is: never do something in real life that I would not want to write about in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddharth-katragadda/the-way-i-would-live-my-life-is-never-do-something-in-real-life-that/) [Siddharth Katragadda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddharth-katragadda/) > [biography cannot be separated from autobiography: that is, the life written about is inextricably entangled with the life of the biographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-simon/biography-cannot-be-separated-from-autobiography-that-is-the-life/) [Linda Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-simon/) > [I think I'm like most novelists in that my books have gotten farther and farther away from autobiography the longer I've been writing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-i-m-like-most-novelists-in-that-my-books-have-gotten-farther/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [If you wish to understand me at all (and to write an autobiography is only to open a window into one's heart) you must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-melba/if-you-wish-to-understand-me-at-all-and-to-write-an-autobiography-is/) [Nellie Melba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-melba/) > [I want an autobiography without revealing any personal information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-ross/i-want-an-autobiography-without-revealing-any-personal-information/) [Diana Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-ross/) > [I don't like the word 'autobiography.' I rather like the term 'autofiction.' The second you make a script out of the story of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-don-t-like-the-word-autobiography-i-rather-like-the-term/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [Because I write fiction, I don't write autobiography, and to me they are very different things. The first-person narrative is a very intimate thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/because-i-write-fiction-i-don-t-write-autobiography-and-to-me-they/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“I don't think anyone could write a completely honest autobiography. I am sure no one could bear to read it: My Past Was An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-don-t-think-anyone-could-write-a-completely-honest-autobiography-i/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Browse all 642 Autobiography quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For better or worse, I seem to gravitate toward writing about something or someone else, then have my own self shove its way into that story. It seems insanely narcissistic. But I also think there's a particular effect that comes from using my autobiography in service to another story, as opposed to being the subject. I'm much more comfortable working in that mode. And I do think I have a persona or mood that I keep coming back to: self-conscious, self-critical, unsure. 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