--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Me writing the book and the subsequent…" description: "\"Me writing the book and the subsequent interactions that we had were actually the cap on that experience. We were still in this weird purgatory about i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a0/melissa-febos-7449_book_me-writing-the-book-and-the-subsequent-i_882190.jpg" --- # Me writing the book and the subsequent interactions that… ![“Me writing the book and the subsequent interactions that we had were actually the cap on that experience. We were still in this weird purgatory about it when I published the book. When I gave them the galleys and what ensued after that, then I understood a lot more about our relationships and what…” quote by Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a0/melissa-febos-7449_book_me-writing-the-book-and-the-subsequent-i_882190.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a0/melissa-febos-7449_book_me-writing-the-book-and-the-subsequent-i_882190.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a0/melissa-febos-7449_book_me-writing-the-book-and-the-subsequent-i_882190.jpg) > “Me writing the book and the subsequent interactions that we had were actually the cap on that experience. We were still in this weird purgatory about it when I published the book. When I gave them the galleys and what ensued after that, then I understood a lot more about our relationships and what the experience meant to them. I'd never wanted to know what they thought about it at all.” [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Publishing a book revealed hidden dynamics in relationships, showing how sharing work can deepen understanding. **In simple terms:** Sharing work uncovers relationship layers. Key Takeaway Embrace feedback to deepen connections. Themes creativity relationships self‑awareness Mood reflective introspective Type personal literary When to use this quote - book launch - creative collaboration - peer review Key Concepts authorial vulnerability interpersonal insight Questions to Reflect On - How did sharing your manuscript change your view of collaborators? - What fears arise when exposing personal work? A Different Perspective Feedback can strain relationships if not handled sensitively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Interaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interaction/) [Our relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-relationship/) [Purgatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purgatory/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“They’re in the book I gave you, you criminally-minded mademoiselle.” “Oh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-shea/they-re-in-the-book-i-gave-you-you-criminally-minded-mademoiselle-oh/) [K.M. Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-shea/) > [“There are seven incarnations (and six correlates) necessary to becoming an Artist: 1. Explorer (Courage) 2. Surveyor (Vision) 3. Miner (Strength) 4. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/i-want-to-serve-i-love-my-country-i-love-service-above-self-and-i-don/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [If the politics of inaction and delay that have triumphed in this country continues for another decade, then Planetary Purgatory in the likely future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/if-the-politics-of-inaction-and-delay-that-have-triumphed-in-this/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [I see no reason why I should not live on indefinitely just as I have done, and on the whole I am more comfortable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-borden/i-see-no-reason-why-i-should-not-live-on-indefinitely-just-as-i-have/) [Mary Borden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-borden/) > [Time is a purgatory that has cleansed all fury from my memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ndor-m-rai/time-is-a-purgatory-that-has-cleansed-all-fury-from-my-memories/) [Sándor Márai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ndor-m-rai/) ## More by Melissa Febos > [Letting go of the cozy stories you've been carrying around is devastating. But there's more room for new stuff after you do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/letting-go-of-the-cozy-stories-you-ve-been-carrying-around-is/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [When you conceal inner reality, this pressure builds. You often don't expose yourself until it reaches extremity, a breaking point, and what emerges is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/when-you-conceal-inner-reality-this-pressure-builds-you-often-don-t/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [I can only see right in front of me when I'm writing, you know? I never think of it as raw or personal or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-can-only-see-right-in-front-of-me-when-i-m-writing-you-know-i-never/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [“I have always been afraid to have children. I didn't want to give them the parts of me--the hurtling hunger, the shame--but now I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-have-always-been-afraid-to-have-children-i-didn-t-want-to-give-them/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [“There are still times when he and I fall into our respective labyrinths. 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Most girls' first glimpse of private female life is watching their mothers dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-have-always-enjoyed-watching-women-dress-the-appeal-isn-t-sexual/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [“It was the first time anyone had broken up with me. It was a thing I had successfully avoided for thirty-two years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/it-was-the-first-time-anyone-had-broken-up-with-me-it-was-a-thing-i/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [I can still discern people's weaknesses, but it doesn't make me want to exploit them; it makes me want to hug them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-can-still-discern-people-s-weaknesses-but-it-doesn-t-make-me-want/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [“There is a moment in your 20s when you know what it means to love rightly, but not how to do it, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/there-is-a-moment-in-your-20s-when-you-know-what-it-means-to-love/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [“The labyrinth, after all, is Sarah's creation. She calls upon the Goblin King. 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It is only the place we can't see yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-want-to-tell-her-that-darkness-is-not-bad-it-is-only-the-place-we/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [I made a conscious decision when I was writing that book to depict in real time how I treated it, and how I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-made-a-conscious-decision-when-i-was-writing-that-book-to-depict-in/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [“I only wanted to know where I ended and everything else began, and I still do, in these oceanic days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and-everything-else-began-and-i/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) [Explore all 91 Melissa Febos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) ## 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! 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. 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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