--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I decided to make myself a little less…" description: "\"I decided to make myself a little less precious with my storytelling. I think you can see from the first three pieces in the book that I have a long te..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c51/lucy-corin-23165_book_i-decided-to-make-myself-a-little-less-p_538760.jpg" --- # I decided to make myself a little less precious with my… ![“I decided to make myself a little less precious with my storytelling. I think you can see from the first three pieces in the book that I have a long term relationship with the short story as a form and I really love an elegantly crafted story that has several elements that come together in a way…” quote by Lucy Corin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c51/lucy-corin-23165_book_i-decided-to-make-myself-a-little-less-p_538760.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c51/lucy-corin-23165_book_i-decided-to-make-myself-a-little-less-p_538760.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c51/lucy-corin-23165_book_i-decided-to-make-myself-a-little-less-p_538760.jpg) > “I decided to make myself a little less precious with my storytelling. I think you can see from the first three pieces in the book that I have a long term relationship with the short story as a form and I really love an elegantly crafted story that has several elements that come together in a way that is emotionally complex and different from when we started. That kind of crystalline, perfect, idealized thing that the short story as a genre has come to represent.” [Lucy Corin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-corin/) ## 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 describes a deliberate shift toward less self‑indulgent storytelling, aiming for short stories that are tightly crafted, emotionally layered, and distinct from earlier, more straightforward works. **In simple terms:** She seeks concise, emotionally rich stories that avoid being overly precious. Key Takeaway Embrace restraint and complexity in writing. Themes craft self‑reflection literature short story artistic growth Mood thoughtful inspirational analytical Type literary reflective When to use this quote - creative writing workshops - editing process - literary criticism - story development - personal artistic evolution Key Concepts minimalism emotional depth form vs. content authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - How does one maintain depth while simplifying? - What risks arise from making stories less "precious"? A Different Perspective Balancing restraint with emotional impact can be challenging for writers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre/) [Long term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-term/) [Long term relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-term-relationship/) [Short story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-story/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [A well-thought-out story doesn’t need to resemble real life. Life itself tries with all its might to resemble a well-crafted story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-babel/a-well-thought-out-story-doesn-t-need-to-resemble-real-life-life/) [Isaac Babel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-babel/) > [A form wherein we can enjoy simultaneously what is best in both the novel and the short story form. My plan was to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/a-form-wherein-we-can-enjoy-simultaneously-what-is-best-in-both-the/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [(The short story) is a form that has all the power of the novel - some would say more - but none of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-o-connor/the-short-story-is-a-form-that-has-all-the-power-of-the-novel-some/) [Joseph O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-o-connor/) > [It is very linear storytelling, and I think that's not so much the fashion. 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And it’s less about ‘those people’.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-walls/so-that-s-why-i-m-such-a-big-fan-of-storytelling-i-think-the-most/) Jeanette Walls > [In a story you only had to wish, you only had to write it down and you could have the world...It seemed so obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/in-a-story-you-only-had-to-wish-you-only-had-to-write-it-down-and-you/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I think the story is my form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-think-the-story-is-my-form/) [Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/) > [American violence is public life, it's a public way of life, it became a form, a detective story form. So I should think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-himes/american-violence-is-public-life-it-s-a-public-way-of-life-it-became/) [Chester Himes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-himes/) ## More by Lucy Corin > [There were a lot of apocalypses that didn't make it into this assemblage because they didn't suit the world. And defining that world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-corin/there-were-a-lot-of-apocalypses-that-didn-t-make-it-into-this/) [Lucy Corin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-corin/) > [Ideologically, I have a lot of problems with that, especially when people toss around that form of story as realism. 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I can't understand dates and I can't measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-corin/i-m-a-horrible-historian-my-memory-is-bad-i-read-things-and-then-i/) [Lucy Corin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-corin/) > [To make a beautiful piece means you have really witnessed it and really made decisions about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-corin/to-make-a-beautiful-piece-means-you-have-really-witnessed-it-and/) [Lucy Corin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-corin/) > [I don't want to write the thing that I am a consumer of when I'm unconscious. I want to write the thing that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-corin/i-don-t-want-to-write-the-thing-that-i-am-a-consumer-of-when-i-m/) [Lucy Corin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-corin/) > [So many of the stories are about perspective and viewpoint. It's not just about seeing and revelation. The idea of having many different stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-corin/so-many-of-the-stories-are-about-perspective-and-viewpoint-it-s-not/) [Lucy Corin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-corin/) > [I think there is something about being described and having your abilities described as something definable. I was diagnosed at about six, when a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-corin/i-think-there-is-something-about-being-described-and-having-your/) [Lucy Corin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-corin/) > [ For a really long time \[before writing the novel\], I was watching a lot of serial killer movies and I started to wonder if… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-corin/for-a-really-long-time-before-writing-the-novel-i-was-watching-a-lot/) [Lucy Corin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-corin/) > [Follow Through is elegant, sure footed, smart—a nest of sticks that won’t stay sticks—a nest of sticks that snowballs—scary and marvelous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-corin/follow-through-is-elegant-sure-footed-smart-a-nest-of-sticks-that-won/) [Lucy Corin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-corin/) > [I really like the interplay between thinking of text as ephemeral and thinking of it as a concrete, physical thing. With almost anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-corin/i-really-like-the-interplay-between-thinking-of-text-as-ephemeral-and/) [Lucy Corin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-corin/) [Explore all 26 Lucy Corin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-corin/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. 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I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. 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