--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was writing for children, I was…" description: "\"When I was writing for children, I was writing genre fiction. It was like making a good chair. It needed four legs of the same length, it had to be the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/mark-haddon-1056_chair_when-i-was-writing-for-children-i-was-wr_2604968.png" --- # When I was writing for children, I was writing genre… ![“When I was writing for children, I was writing genre fiction. It was like making a good chair. It needed four legs of the same length, it had to be the right height and it had to be comfortable.” quote by Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/mark-haddon-1056_chair_when-i-was-writing-for-children-i-was-wr_2604968.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/mark-haddon-1056_chair_when-i-was-writing-for-children-i-was-wr_2604968.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/mark-haddon-1056_chair_when-i-was-writing-for-children-i-was-wr_2604968.png) > “When I was writing for children, I was writing genre fiction. It was like making a good chair. It needed four legs of the same length, it had to be the right height and it had to be comfortable.” [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He compares crafting children's genre fiction to building a well‑balanced chair, emphasizing proportion, comfort, and suitability. **In simple terms:** Writing for kids is like making a comfortable, well‑proportioned chair. Key Takeaway Focus on balance and comfort in storytelling. Themes writing children's literature craftsmanship Mood thoughtful reflective Type instructional analytical When to use this quote - author workshops - school curricula - parental guidance - book clubs - literary criticism Key Concepts proportion comfort genre conventions Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance structural precision with emotional depth? - What makes a story feel comfortable for young readers? A Different Perspective May overlook deeper themes in favor of structural harmony. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [When I was writing for children, I was writing genre fiction. It was like making a good chair. However beautiful it looked, it needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/when-i-was-writing-for-children-i-was-writing-genre-fiction-it-was/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [More than this, I believe that the only lastingly important form of writing is writing for children. It is writing that is carried in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-hartnett/more-than-this-i-believe-that-the-only-lastingly-important-form-of/) [Sonya Hartnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-hartnett/) > [I don't mean that literary fiction is better than genre fiction, On the contrary; novels can perform two functions and most perform only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-don-t-mean-that-literary-fiction-is-better-than-genre-fiction-on/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [Writing for children is bloody difficult; books for children are as complex as their adult counterparts, and they should therefore be accorded the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/writing-for-children-is-bloody-difficult-books-for-children-are-as/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“My books are inspired by children - sometimes my own. My writing is powered by chocolate - not always my own!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cas-lester/my-books-are-inspired-by-children-sometimes-my-own-my-writing-is/) Cas Lester > [“Those who write for children, or at least those who write best for children, are not child-like or immature, but they do remember with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/those-who-write-for-children-or-at-least-those-who-write-best-for/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [For children: I'm writing a picture book about the Big Dipper and a novel about a cricket, a firefly and a vole. For grownups:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/for-children-i-m-writing-a-picture-book-about-the-big-dipper-and-a/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [I resisted children's writing for a long time. I saw myself as a writer of literary fiction. But I had so much more fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/i-resisted-children-s-writing-for-a-long-time-i-saw-myself-as-a/) [Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/) > [Perhaps I write for no one. Perhaps for the same person children are writing for when they scrawl their names in the snow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/perhaps-i-write-for-no-one-perhaps-for-the-same-person-children-are/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [It's easy to get stuck in a rut when you're writing in one genre for too long. So, when you've been writing for science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-mccreary/it-s-easy-to-get-stuck-in-a-rut-when-you-re-writing-in-one-genre-for/) [Bear McCreary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-mccreary/) > [Right now in American writing there is no genre as exciting as memoir - the writer can do anything, as long as it works.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-swofford/right-now-in-american-writing-there-is-no-genre-as-exciting-as-memoir/) [Anthony Swofford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-swofford/) > [It's very important, at least to me as a writer, that there be some rules on the table when I'm writing. Rules come from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-s-very-important-at-least-to-me-as-a-writer-that-there-be-some/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [A good ground rule for writing in any genre is, start with a form, then undermine its confidence in itself. Ask what it's afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-john-harrison/a-good-ground-rule-for-writing-in-any-genre-is-start-with-a-form-then/) [M. John Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-john-harrison/) > [I think that's what good writing is all about. You go into a genre to talk about other things. Tolkein created a whole world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-morton/i-think-that-s-what-good-writing-is-all-about-you-go-into-a-genre-to/) [Joe Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-morton/) > [I'd read books in Russian, and they would take me forever. I wanted to write a book that would last and would not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-frazier/i-d-read-books-in-russian-and-they-would-take-me-forever-i-wanted-to/) [Ian Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-frazier/) ## More by Mark Haddon > [But I said that you could still want something that is very unlikely to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/but-i-said-that-you-could-still-want-something-that-is-very-unlikely/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“So often these days she seemed to hover between worlds, none of them wholly real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/so-often-these-days-she-seemed-to-hover-between-worlds-none-of-them/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery…and I was brave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-i-know-i-can-do-this-because-i-went-to-london-on-my-own-and/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [And what he meant was that maths wasn't like life because in life there are no straightforward answers in the end](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-what-he-meant-was-that-maths-wasn-t-like-life-because-in-life/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [You love someone, you've got to let something go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/you-love-someone-you-ve-got-to-let-something-go/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“when you describe something by using a word for something that it isn’t. This means that the word metaphor is a metaphor. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/when-you-describe-something-by-using-a-word-for-something-that-it-isn/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/they-are-very-logical-but-you-could-never-work-out-the-rules-even-if/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“Places remained and time flowed through them like wind through the grass. Right now. This was the future turning into the past. One thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/places-remained-and-time-flowed-through-them-like-wind-through-the/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I suffer depression only in the sense that I am a writer. We don't have proper jobs to go to. We are on our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-suffer-depression-only-in-the-sense-that-i-am-a-writer-we-don-t/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I better make the plot good. I wanted to make it grip people on the first page and have a big turning point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-better-make-the-plot-good-i-wanted-to-make-it-grip-people-on-the/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“And it was strange because he was calling, "Christopher. . . ? Christopher. . . ?" and I could see my name written out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-it-was-strange-because-he-was-calling-christopher-christopher-and/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [A lot of roles for people with disabilities are quite patronising. It's a real pity when they are just used to give dull PC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/a-lot-of-roles-for-people-with-disabilities-are-quite-patronising-it/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I do not like strangers because I do not like people I have never met before. They are hard to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-do-not-like-strangers-because-i-do-not-like-people-i-have-never-met/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“Lots of people wrote to the magazine to say that Marilyn vos Savant was wrong, even when she explained very carefully why she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/lots-of-people-wrote-to-the-magazine-to-say-that-marilyn-vos-savant/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I read very, very little fiction as a kid. All the books I can remember are junior science books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-read-very-very-little-fiction-as-a-kid-all-the-books-i-can-remember/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) [Explore all 278 Mark Haddon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) ## More Chair quotes > [I remember my first memory is sitting in my dad's chair in a small office and I used to imagine that I was picking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jones/i-remember-my-first-memory-is-sitting-in-my-dad-s-chair-in-a-small/) [Peter Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jones/) > [I thought being in the wheelchair might be kind of limiting for me as an actor. It turned out cool in a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/i-thought-being-in-the-wheelchair-might-be-kind-of-limiting-for-me-as/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) > [I was married to a law student, and I used to attend classes with him at Georgetown University Law Center. Being of dramatic bent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luanne-rice/i-was-married-to-a-law-student-and-i-used-to-attend-classes-with-him/) [Luanne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luanne-rice/) > [A good man should be on the PM's chair. The country's condition should improve. Only because of this I have supported Modi. You may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-thackeray/a-good-man-should-be-on-the-pm-s-chair-the-country-s-condition-should/) [Raj Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-thackeray/) > [“Get me a real chair”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-a-nielsen/get-me-a-real-chair/) [Jennifer A. Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-a-nielsen/) > [Standing in the shower thinking...I really need a chair in here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/standing-in-the-shower-thinking-i-really-need-a-chair-in-here/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For any writers at all, read everything you can and then put your butt in the chair and write. That's all there is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/for-any-writers-at-all-read-everything-you-can-and-then-put-your-butt/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [I'm not the most talented writer in the world. I know that. But I also know that I'm disciplined, that I work my butt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-coe/i-m-not-the-most-talented-writer-in-the-world-i-know-that-but-i-also/) [David B. Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-coe/) > [It's really hard to watch Leno. I set his chair on fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/it-s-really-hard-to-watch-leno-i-set-his-chair-on-fire/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) > [Dating is sort of like auditioning. Even on your worst day, if you're right for the role, you're going to get another shot; you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mcgorry/dating-is-sort-of-like-auditioning-even-on-your-worst-day-if-you-re/) [Matt McGorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mcgorry/) > [I grew up in a makeup chair, to see! the women around me getting ready was so aspirational, It is about mothers and daughters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-grew-up-in-a-makeup-chair-to-see-the-women-around-me-getting-ready/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [There are moments when the grief comes bubbling up. The first time I saw Chris's chair empty, that was really hard. And it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-reeve/there-are-moments-when-the-grief-comes-bubbling-up-the-first-time-i/) [Dana Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-reeve/) > [They are fighting for the chair while I am fighting for your happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/they-are-fighting-for-the-chair-while-i-am-fighting-for-your-happiness/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Four legs on a chair, to me, represent a strong foundation and always knowing where I come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-derulo/four-legs-on-a-chair-to-me-represent-a-strong-foundation-and-always/) [Jason Derulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-derulo/) > [I can't tell you how many spot shows little Johnny Nitro, like, pulled the chair out in the arena in Shelbyville Fair and did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-morrison/i-can-t-tell-you-how-many-spot-shows-little-johnny-nitro-like-pulled/) [John Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-morrison/) Browse all 398 Chair quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was writing for children, I was writing genre fiction. It was like making a good chair. It needed four legs of the same length, it had to be the right height and it had to be comfortable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Haddon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/when-i-was-writing-for-children-i-was-writing-genre-fiction-it-was-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chair" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/when-i-was-writing-for-children-i-was-writing-genre-fiction-it-was-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/mark-haddon-1056_chair_when-i-was-writing-for-children-i-was-wr_2604968.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/mark-haddon-1056_chair_when-i-was-writing-for-children-i-was-wr_2604968.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/mark-haddon-1056_chair_when-i-was-writing-for-children-i-was-wr_2604968.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was writing for children, I was writing genre fiction. It was like making a good chair. It needed…” — Mark Haddon", "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": "Mark Haddon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was writing for children,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/when-i-was-writing-for-children-i-was-writing-genre-fiction-it-was-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/when-i-was-writing-for-children-i-was-writing-genre-fiction-it-was-2/#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 } } ] } ```