--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know I should be able to find a story…" description: "\"“I know I should be able to find a story in anything. Good screenwriters can pull interesting films out of the asinine and mundane. But everything I've..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/975/melissa-keil-28939_high-school_i-know-i-should-be-able-to-find-a-story_2592929.jpg" --- # I know I should be able to find a story in anything. Good… ![“I know I should be able to find a story in anything. Good screenwriters can pull interesting films out of the asinine and mundane. But everything I've read about writing always begins with ‘write what you know.’ What I know is: quiet streets, topiary, moronic high school arsehats, and homework…” quote by Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/975/melissa-keil-28939_high-school_i-know-i-should-be-able-to-find-a-story_2592929.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/975/melissa-keil-28939_high-school_i-know-i-should-be-able-to-find-a-story_2592929.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/975/melissa-keil-28939_high-school_i-know-i-should-be-able-to-find-a-story_2592929.jpg) > ““I know I should be able to find a story in anything. Good screenwriters can pull interesting films out of the asinine and mundane. But everything I've read about writing always begins with ‘write what you know.’ What I know is: quiet streets, topiary, moronic high school arsehats, and homework. Has anyone ever made a movie about homework? Probably. I bet it was in French.”” [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers should find stories everywhere, not just in familiar experiences. **In simple terms:** Find stories in all things. Key Takeaway Seek diverse inspiration. Themes creativity writing observation Mood curious inspired Type practical creative When to use this quote - screenwriting - journalism - teaching Key Concepts story mining creative discipline Questions to Reflect On - How can you train yourself to notice stories? - What mundane detail could become a plot? A Different Perspective Familiarity can limit originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good Screenwriters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-screenwriters-1877259/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Homework Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homework-movie-1877260/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Screenwriters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenwriters/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-know/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If you've got craft, you got game. If you got game, you can write your way in and out of anything. Writing is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mark-kamen/if-you-ve-got-craft-you-got-game-if-you-got-game-you-can-write-your/) [Robert Mark Kamen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mark-kamen/) > [For a writer, they say write what you know. As a performer, you find it in yourself, in your heart. You relate to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uma-thurman/for-a-writer-they-say-write-what-you-know-as-a-performer-you-find-it/) [Uma Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uma-thurman/) > [I'm trying to write something in which you know that it's all about sex but you never see any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/i-m-trying-to-write-something-in-which-you-know-that-it-s-all-about/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [“When I write to please everybody, it falls flat. When I write what I know, fearlessly, It won't please everybody, but it doesn't fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-p-chavez/when-i-write-to-please-everybody-it-falls-flat-when-i-write-what-i/) [Ronald P. Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-p-chavez/) > [You can only really write about what you know about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-singleton/you-can-only-really-write-about-what-you-know-about/) [John Singleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-singleton/) > [Nowadays it seems as though people sit down to write what they know is going to be a trilogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/nowadays-it-seems-as-though-people-sit-down-to-write-what-they-know/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [I write about what I know, what I live, what I observe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-momsen/i-write-about-what-i-know-what-i-live-what-i-observe/) [Taylor Momsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-momsen/) > [Write about what you know, that's what I say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-widdicombe/write-about-what-you-know-that-s-what-i-say/) [Josh Widdicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-widdicombe/) > [A great trick that I learned having worked as a screenwriter for many years, the way screenwriters work, is they break the project down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/a-great-trick-that-i-learned-having-worked-as-a-screenwriter-for-many/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [From the onset of the 'Live-Read' series, we wanted to hit all the major writers and Woody Allen is simply one of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reitman/from-the-onset-of-the-live-read-series-we-wanted-to-hit-all-the-major/) [Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reitman/) > [All drama is conflict. Without conflict, there is no action. Without action, there is no character. Without character, there is no story. And without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd-field/all-drama-is-conflict-without-conflict-there-is-no-action-without/) [Syd Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd-field/) > [If a story doesn't give you a hard-on in the first couple of scenes, throw it in the goddamned garbage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-fuller/if-a-story-doesn-t-give-you-a-hard-on-in-the-first-couple-of-scenes/) [Samuel Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-fuller/) > [All the reasons which made the initiation of physical force evil, make the retaliatory use of physical force a moral imperative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/all-the-reasons-which-made-the-initiation-of-physical-force-evil-make/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Though 'Moneyball' had the talents of screenwriters Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin going for it, they weren't baseball insiders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/though-moneyball-had-the-talents-of-screenwriters-steven-zaillian-and/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [My parents were screenwriters, and they had four daughters and we all write. So that's amazing. Talk about powerful parents. My mother always said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/my-parents-were-screenwriters-and-they-had-four-daughters-and-we-all/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) ## More by Melissa Keil > [“I said that I am in love with you. I've tried not to be, I really have, but it's just useless. I know you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/i-said-that-i-am-in-love-with-you-i-ve-tried-not-to-be-i-really-have/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) > [“You're also going to be out of luck with weapons. And weapons are mandatory for zombie apocalypse survival.' Camilla is silent for a moment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/you-re-also-going-to-be-out-of-luck-with-weapons-and-weapons-are/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) > [“No one calls me Sammy. My mother occasionally throws a “Samuel”, but I am, and have always been, just Sam. 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But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/so-the-person-you-drag-with-you-she-manages-to-fit-in-no-matter-where/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) > [“Mum looks like someone has told her that Santa will be shortly arriving with that guy from Pride and Prejudice in tow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/mum-looks-like-someone-has-told-her-that-santa-will-be-shortly/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) > [“But why me ? Because, idiot, you... are funny and smart and you have a giant heart that you can't even pretend to hide.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/but-why-me-because-idiot-you-are-funny-and-smart-and-you-have-a-giant/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) > [“I think I would give up movies for this feeling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/i-think-i-would-give-up-movies-for-this-feeling/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) > [“My lungs feel like they're imploding. Every part of my body feels like it's trying to run, screaming, from every other part of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/my-lungs-feel-like-they-re-imploding-every-part-of-my-body-feels-like/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) > [“Every now and then, if I allow my mental focus to slip, I catch myself looking at her face and forgetting how to breathe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/every-now-and-then-if-i-allow-my-mental-focus-to-slip-i-catch-myself/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) > [“I'm operating on Tiny Teddies and hope”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/i-m-operating-on-tiny-teddies-and-hope/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) > [“He looks me up and down blankly. 'So. No Speedos?' 'I left them in my other bag with my muscle shirts and tanning spray.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/he-looks-me-up-and-down-blankly-so-no-speedos-i-left-them-in-my-other/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) > [“So. Are we concocting some elaborate scheme where we pretend to be twins to get your parents back together?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/so-are-we-concocting-some-elaborate-scheme-where-we-pretend-to-be/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) > [“She doesn't follow me. She doesn't call out my name and chase after me in the rain. It isn't even raining. The sky doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/she-doesn-t-follow-me-she-doesn-t-call-out-my-name-and-chase-after-me/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) > [“I think, because…well, I like the idea of coming up with a story that never existed before, but I don’t really want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-keil/i-think-because-well-i-like-the-idea-of-coming-up-with-a-story-that/) [Melissa Keil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) [Explore all 19 Melissa Keil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-keil/) ## More High school quotes > [High school sucked. 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Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/) [Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/) > [“This was going to be worse than the time I table danced in the diner in high school!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bryson/this-was-going-to-be-worse-than-the-time-i-table-danced-in-the-diner/) [Kathy Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bryson/) > [I remember throughout middle school and high school how excited my mom, sister and I would be when a UNC game was on TV.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-barnes/i-remember-throughout-middle-school-and-high-school-how-excited-my/) [Harrison Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-barnes/) > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. 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