--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, the first thing is to tell a good…" description: "\"For me, the first thing is to tell a good story.\" — Lynn Nottage" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/lynn-nottage-4259_first_for-me-the-first-thing-is-to-tell-a-good_1412658.png" --- # For me, the first thing is to tell a good story. ![“For me, the first thing is to tell a good story.” quote by Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/lynn-nottage-4259_first_for-me-the-first-thing-is-to-tell-a-good_1412658.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/lynn-nottage-4259_first_for-me-the-first-thing-is-to-tell-a-good_1412658.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/lynn-nottage-4259_first_for-me-the-first-thing-is-to-tell-a-good_1412658.png) > “For me, the first thing is to tell a good story.” [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Storytelling is fundamental; a good narrative engages and conveys truth. **In simple terms:** Tell a compelling story first Key Takeaway Prioritize narrative clarity and impact. Themes storytelling craft authenticity Mood inspirational thoughtful Type creative literary When to use this quote - playwriting - public speaking - teaching - marketing Key Concepts narrative structure empathy cultural relevance Questions to Reflect On - What makes a story truly good? - How do you balance truth and drama? A Different Perspective Stories can be misused to manipulate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-story/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [One thing I could tell you is that I'm all over the place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-uzi-vert/one-thing-i-could-tell-you-is-that-i-m-all-over-the-place/) [Lil Uzi Vert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-uzi-vert/) > [One thing I can tell you is this, that I am not a methodical writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/one-thing-i-can-tell-you-is-this-that-i-am-not-a-methodical-writer/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [I always try to tell a good story, one with a compelling plot that will keep the pages turning. That is my first and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/i-always-try-to-tell-a-good-story-one-with-a-compelling-plot-that/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [It's no sin to tell a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-heighton/it-s-no-sin-to-tell-a-good-story/) [Steven Heighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-heighton/) > [I'm a writer. I don't begin with some conceit in mind. I'm just trying to tell a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/i-m-a-writer-i-don-t-begin-with-some-conceit-in-mind-i-m-just-trying/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [Never tell a story because it is true: tell it because it is a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-tell-a-story-because-it-is-true-tell-it-because-it-is-a-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To tell a good story and to illuminate the world: the two things are completely linked. That is the point. That is what I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/to-tell-a-good-story-and-to-illuminate-the-world-the-two-things-are/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [You set out to tell a good story. You don't do it because there is a deep message involved because the movie is almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lee-hancock/you-set-out-to-tell-a-good-story-you-don-t-do-it-because-there-is-a-2/) [John Lee Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lee-hancock/) > [In my books I try to tell a good story, not give messages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi/in-my-books-i-try-to-tell-a-good-story-not-give-messages/) [Avi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi/) > [Your first obligation as a writer is to tell the truth and to tell a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-waithe/your-first-obligation-as-a-writer-is-to-tell-the-truth-and-to-tell-a/) [Lena Waithe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-waithe/) > [You set out to tell a good story. You don't do it because there is a deep message involved, because the movie is almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lee-hancock/you-set-out-to-tell-a-good-story-you-don-t-do-it-because-there-is-a/) [John Lee Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lee-hancock/) > [Be unpredictable, be real, be interesting. Tell a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dashner/be-unpredictable-be-real-be-interesting-tell-a-good-story/) [James Dashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dashner/) > [Anything that begins 'I don't know how to tell you this' is never good news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-gordon/anything-that-begins-i-don-t-know-how-to-tell-you-this-is-never-good/) [Ruth Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-gordon/) > [Here's the thing: When you tell somebody, 'I love you. I have always loved your work, and I want to show people a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/here-s-the-thing-when-you-tell-somebody-i-love-you-i-have-always/) [Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/) > [“The only thing I can tell you is when it's there, you know it. And when it ain't, no amount of wishful thinking will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginny-baird/the-only-thing-i-can-tell-you-is-when-it-s-there-you-know-it-and-when/) Ginny Baird ## More by Lynn Nottage > [There's never any ebb in human misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/there-s-never-any-ebb-in-human-misery/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [I think that human beings were incredibly resilient; otherwise, we wouldn't keep going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/i-think-that-human-beings-were-incredibly-resilient-otherwise-we/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [We need to diversify the people who are backstage and producing and marketing these shows. It's the limitations of these people that are holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/we-need-to-diversify-the-people-who-are-backstage-and-producing-and/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [I am a storyteller by trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/i-am-a-storyteller-by-trade/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [The essence of creativity is to look beyond where you can actually see. I don't want to dwell in same place too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/the-essence-of-creativity-is-to-look-beyond-where-you-can-actually/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [African American women in particular have incredible buying power. Statistically, we go to the movies more than anyone. We have made Tyler Perrys career.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/african-american-women-in-particular-have-incredible-buying-power/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [What I often do when I'm writing, if I can't find that story, I go out and I hunt for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/what-i-often-do-when-i-m-writing-if-i-can-t-find-that-story-i-go-out/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [Broadway is a closed ecosystem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/broadway-is-a-closed-ecosystem/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [Replace judgment with curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/replace-judgment-with-curiosity/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [A play that forces us to question our moral responsibility to the victims of human rights abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/a-play-that-forces-us-to-question-our-moral-responsibility-to-the/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [My fears about where theater is going - it's the Hollywood model, where people are chasing the almighty dollar and making commercial decisions based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/my-fears-about-where-theater-is-going-it-s-the-hollywood-model-where/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [The presence of a bed changes the way people interact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/the-presence-of-a-bed-changes-the-way-people-interact/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [I wonder: Would there be a black president if people hadn't already begun imagining, through film and television, that a black man is president?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/i-wonder-would-there-be-a-black-president-if-people-hadn-t-already/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [The great thing about 'Vera Stark' is that my research was watching movies, screwball comedies, so I could literally sit back and relax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/the-great-thing-about-vera-stark-is-that-my-research-was-watching/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [Before I start, I create a set list that I listen to while I'm writing. For 'Intimate Apparel,' I loaded Erik Satie, Scott Joplin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/before-i-start-i-create-a-set-list-that-i-listen-to-while-i-m-writing/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) [Explore all 113 Lynn Nottage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) ## More First quotes > [Life is going to hit you some line drives, and sometimes you'll have to think fast. However, it's better to think first than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/life-is-going-to-hit-you-some-line-drives-and-sometimes-you-ll-have/) [John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [I watched the movie 'What We Do in the Shadows' in a packed theater when it first came out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-dacosta/i-watched-the-movie-what-we-do-in-the-shadows-in-a-packed-theater/) [Nia DaCosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-dacosta/) > [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Our fashion for us, it's an expression; first of all of life, I put all of myself in my fashion. Sometimes it's good, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefano-gabbana/our-fashion-for-us-it-s-an-expression-first-of-all-of-life-i-put-all/) [Stefano Gabbana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefano-gabbana/) > [When I first started making music, it was learning other people's songs and putting them onto four-track. Like Beatles songs and stuff. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-ward/when-i-first-started-making-music-it-was-learning-other-people-s/) [M. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-ward/) > [Oh, I'm a great believer in the power of the pause. Radio is a bit brasher now. My style was slower. I just used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-wogan/oh-i-m-a-great-believer-in-the-power-of-the-pause-radio-is-a-bit/) [Terry Wogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-wogan/) > [My first company, Pure Software, was exciting and innovative in the first few years and bureaucratic and painful in the last few before it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/my-first-company-pure-software-was-exciting-and-innovative-in-the/) [Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/) > [I have to say, I grew up with fashion because my mother was a seamstress, and she had an atelier. She would cut the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donatella-versace/i-have-to-say-i-grew-up-with-fashion-because-my-mother-was-a/) [Donatella Versace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donatella-versace/) > [We do need different types of propulsion to get to Mars. I wrote one of the first Ph.D. theses on that in the 1960s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-do-need-different-types-of-propulsion-to-get-to-mars-i-wrote-one/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I try to have something in common with my protagonists, especially when I'm writing in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-have-something-in-common-with-my-protagonists-especially/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [The first draft is usually junk. You have to work on it seven to eight times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-subramanian/the-first-draft-is-usually-junk-you-have-to-work-on-it-seven-to-eight/) [Ravi Subramanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-subramanian/) > [When I first started, all the reviews of Cold Chisel would say, 'This singer won't have a voice in six months.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/when-i-first-started-all-the-reviews-of-cold-chisel-would-say-this/) [Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/) > [I first got into boxing when I was quite young. I was about 12 when I won my first boxing match.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-parker/i-first-got-into-boxing-when-i-was-quite-young-i-was-about-12-when-i/) [Joseph Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-parker/) Browse all 9,159 First quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For me, the first thing is to tell a good story.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynn Nottage" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/for-me-the-first-thing-is-to-tell-a-good-story/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "First" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/for-me-the-first-thing-is-to-tell-a-good-story/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/lynn-nottage-4259_first_for-me-the-first-thing-is-to-tell-a-good_1412658.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/lynn-nottage-4259_first_for-me-the-first-thing-is-to-tell-a-good_1412658.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/lynn-nottage-4259_first_for-me-the-first-thing-is-to-tell-a-good_1412658.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For me, the first thing is to tell a good story.” — Lynn Nottage", "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": "Lynn Nottage", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For me, the first thing is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/for-me-the-first-thing-is-to-tell-a-good-story/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/for-me-the-first-thing-is-to-tell-a-good-story/#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 } } ] } ```