--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't pare down much. I write the…" description: "\"I don't pare down much. I write the beginning of a story in a notebook and it comes out very close to what it will be in the end. There is not much del..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff0/lydia-davis-3244_ends_i-don-t-pare-down-much-i-write-the-begin_1414837.png" --- # I don't pare down much. I write the beginning of a story… ![“I don't pare down much. I write the beginning of a story in a notebook and it comes out very close to what it will be in the end. There is not much deliberateness about it.” quote by Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff0/lydia-davis-3244_ends_i-don-t-pare-down-much-i-write-the-begin_1414837.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff0/lydia-davis-3244_ends_i-don-t-pare-down-much-i-write-the-begin_1414837.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff0/lydia-davis-3244_ends_i-don-t-pare-down-much-i-write-the-begin_1414837.png) > “I don't pare down much. I write the beginning of a story in a notebook and it comes out very close to what it will be in the end. There is not much deliberateness about it.” [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She writes stories organically, with little planning, and the final version closely mirrors the initial draft. **In simple terms:** Stories emerge naturally with little editing. Key Takeaway Trust your first creative impulse. Themes creativity spontaneity writing process Mood reflective introspective Type literary personal When to use this quote - authoring - personal journaling - creative workshops Key Concepts organic writing intuition Questions to Reflect On - How does spontaneity affect story depth? - When is planning beneficial? A Different Perspective May lack depth without revision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Notebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notebook/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes strange and wonderful things will pop into my head. And sometimes I will see something in the world that is the beginning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/sometimes-strange-and-wonderful-things-will-pop-into-my-head-and/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [There's no writers room, or any other writer involved. I write everything from beginning to end. Maybe it's just me not being able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-knight/there-s-no-writers-room-or-any-other-writer-involved-i-write/) [Steven Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-knight/) > [“Remember when I told you about that list of goals Morgan had me write out at the beginning of my trip?” “Yeah.” “Ugh, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-rae/remember-when-i-told-you-about-that-list-of-goals-morgan-had-me-write/) [Kristin Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-rae/) > [I always write the end of everything first. I always write the last chapters of my books before I write the beginning…Then I go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/i-always-write-the-end-of-everything-first-i-always-write-the-last/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [I try to write every day until the book is done, but the exact process depends on the story and its structure. Sometimes, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-try-to-write-every-day-until-the-book-is-done-but-the-exact-process/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [I don't write drafts. I write from the beginning to the end, and when it's finished, it's done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-geertz/i-don-t-write-drafts-i-write-from-the-beginning-to-the-end-and-when/) [Clifford Geertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-geertz/) > [Everybody can write a beginning and an ending, but to actually define that middle point where everything will go from professional to person, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-lindholm/everybody-can-write-a-beginning-and-an-ending-but-to-actually-define/) [Tobias Lindholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-lindholm/) > [“I guess I feel like someone forgot to write down my beginning, and I just showed up in the middle of things, in time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-henry/i-guess-i-feel-like-someone-forgot-to-write-down-my-beginning-and-i/) [Emily Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-henry/) > [But that was just the beginning of the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumar-anupam/but-that-was-just-the-beginning-of-the-story/) [Kumar Anupam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumar-anupam/) > [Death is either an incredible ending to a story or, more often than not if you ask the right questions, it's the beginning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-graves/death-is-either-an-incredible-ending-to-a-story-or-more-often-than/) [Alex Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-graves/) > [“Almost everyone I’ve ever met likes to hear a story from the beginning. It’s a curious prejudice, when you think about it. In life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-tobolowsky/almost-everyone-i-ve-ever-met-likes-to-hear-a-story-from-the/) [Stephen Tobolowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-tobolowsky/) > [Do you still look at each other like you once did, back at the beginning of the story when everything was a question you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alethea-kontis/do-you-still-look-at-each-other-like-you-once-did-back-at-the/) [Alethea Kontis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alethea-kontis/) > [“Real life is all beginnings. Days, weeks, children, journeys, marriages, inventions. Even a murder is the beginning of a criminal. Perhaps even a spree.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/real-life-is-all-beginnings-days-weeks-children-journeys-marriages/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“Halley believed that a kiss was the beginning of a story, the story, good or bad, short or long, of an us, and once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-murray/halley-believed-that-a-kiss-was-the-beginning-of-a-story-the-story/) [Paul Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-murray/) > [Every photo, every 'ONCE' in time is also the beginning of a story starting 'once upon a time...' Every photo is the first frame…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/every-photo-every-once-in-time-is-also-the-beginning-of-a-story/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) ## More by Lydia Davis > [Heart weeps. Head tries to help heart. Head tells heart how it is, again: You will lose the ones you love. They will all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/heart-weeps-head-tries-to-help-heart-head-tells-heart-how-it-is-again/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“But on that particular day I did not even begin to feel interested in this chore, and was suddenly more deeply bored than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/but-on-that-particular-day-i-did-not-even-begin-to-feel-interested-in/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [If a translation doesn't have obvious writing problems, it may seem quite all right at first glance. We readers, after all, quickly adapt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/if-a-translation-doesn-t-have-obvious-writing-problems-it-may-seem/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I always interrupt work with other work, either in a small way or big way, so that's normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-always-interrupt-work-with-other-work-either-in-a-small-way-or-big/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [ I worked more intensively hour after hour when I was starting out \[writing\]. More laboriously. I'd say quantity is important as well as quality,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-worked-more-intensively-hour-after-hour-when-i-was-starting-out/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I don't feel I have to struggle against allegory. I let the readers do the interpreting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-don-t-feel-i-have-to-struggle-against-allegory-i-let-the-readers-do/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“because she couldn’t write the name of what she was: a wa wam owm owamn womn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/because-she-couldn-t-write-the-name-of-what-she-was-a-wa-wam-owm/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“Everything was sharper, clearer, and closer, as though, before, I had been seeing only little bits at a time, not all of it, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/everything-was-sharper-clearer-and-closer-as-though-before-i-had-been/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“He did not know exactly when to thank his hostess after attending a dinner or a weekend party. In his uncertainty, he would thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/he-did-not-know-exactly-when-to-thank-his-hostess-after-attending-a/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“There was no confusion of our bodies. I knew which arm was his and which mine, and which leg, and which shoulder. I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/there-was-no-confusion-of-our-bodies-i-knew-which-arm-was-his-and/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“So it’s not really $100 a shot because it goes on all day, from the start when you wake up and feel her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/so-it-s-not-really-100-a-shot-because-it-goes-on-all-day-from-the/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“The people of the town, though, remained strangers: I could not realize that I must be seeing some of them over and over again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/the-people-of-the-town-though-remained-strangers-i-could-not-realize/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“He does not trust her: she will claim to be in a bad mood when she is not, and then require him to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/he-does-not-trust-her-she-will-claim-to-be-in-a-bad-mood-when-she-is/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I would recommend, definitely, developing a 'day job' that you like - don't expect to make money writing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-would-recommend-definitely-developing-a-day-job-that-you-like-don-t/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [the translator, a lonely sort of acrobat, becomes confused in a labyrinth of paradox, or climbs a pyramid of dependent clauses and has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/the-translator-a-lonely-sort-of-acrobat-becomes-confused-in-a/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) [Explore all 135 Lydia Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) ## More Ends quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [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/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/) [Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/) > [it is the brevity of life which makes it tolerable; its experiences have value because they have an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/it-is-the-brevity-of-life-which-makes-it-tolerable-its-experiences/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Believe to the end, even if all men went astray and you were left the only one faithful; bring your offering even then and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/believe-to-the-end-even-if-all-men-went-astray-and-you-were-left-the/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) Browse all 20,790 Ends quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't pare down much. I write the beginning of a story in a notebook and it comes out very close to what it will be in the end. There is not much deliberateness about it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lydia Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-don-t-pare-down-much-i-write-the-beginning-of-a-story-in-a-notebook/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ends" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-don-t-pare-down-much-i-write-the-beginning-of-a-story-in-a-notebook/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff0/lydia-davis-3244_ends_i-don-t-pare-down-much-i-write-the-begin_1414837.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff0/lydia-davis-3244_ends_i-don-t-pare-down-much-i-write-the-begin_1414837.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff0/lydia-davis-3244_ends_i-don-t-pare-down-much-i-write-the-begin_1414837.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't pare down much. I write the beginning of a story in a notebook and it comes out very close to what…” — Lydia Davis", "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": "Lydia Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't pare down much. I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-don-t-pare-down-much-i-write-the-beginning-of-a-story-in-a-notebook/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-don-t-pare-down-much-i-write-the-beginning-of-a-story-in-a-notebook/#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 } } ] } ```