--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is a cop-out. An excuse to live…" description: "\"Writing is a cop-out. An excuse to live perpetually in fantasy land, where you can create, direct and watch the products of your own head. Very selfish..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/monica-dickens-24963_cop_writing-is-a-cop-out-an-excuse-to-live-p_857645.jpg" --- # Writing is a cop-out. An excuse to live perpetually in… ![“Writing is a cop-out. An excuse to live perpetually in fantasy land, where you can create, direct and watch the products of your own head. Very selfish.” quote by Monica Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/monica-dickens-24963_cop_writing-is-a-cop-out-an-excuse-to-live-p_857645.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/monica-dickens-24963_cop_writing-is-a-cop-out-an-excuse-to-live-p_857645.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/monica-dickens-24963_cop_writing-is-a-cop-out-an-excuse-to-live-p_857645.jpg) > “Writing is a cop-out. An excuse to live perpetually in fantasy land, where you can create, direct and watch the products of your own head. Very selfish.” [Monica Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-dickens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticizes writing as escapist fantasy that can be selfish. **In simple terms:** Writing can become a self‑indulgent escape. Key Takeaway Balance imagination with real‑world engagement. Themes creativity escapism selfishness Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - mindfulness for artists - socially engaged art - self‑reflection Key Concepts literary criticism psychology of art creative process Questions to Reflect On - How can writing serve both self and others? - When does imagination become harmful? A Different Perspective May dismiss the therapeutic value of imagination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cop/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Fantasy land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy-land/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“To lay aside what you have in your head (selfish desires and ambitions); to freely bestow what you have in your hand; and never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/to-lay-aside-what-you-have-in-your-head-selfish-desires-and-ambitions/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [But, in real life, I'm not a sex symbol. I'm popular with female viewers, but television is fantasy land. People watching don't see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-nettles/but-in-real-life-i-m-not-a-sex-symbol-i-m-popular-with-female-viewers/) [John Nettles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-nettles/) > [The whole 'R' rating depends on a strange sort of fantasy land where all adults are responsible people, and children only ever go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/the-whole-r-rating-depends-on-a-strange-sort-of-fantasy-land-where/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [I live in the social purgatory of the San Fernando Valley, while my eldest daughter is bused to a charter school in the fantasy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-amos/i-live-in-the-social-purgatory-of-the-san-fernando-valley-while-my/) [Shawn Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-amos/) > [Microphones and icecream cones drippin' down my collar bones,have a taste of my bubblehum,everybody wants some.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffree-starr/microphones-and-icecream-cones-drippin-down-my-collar-bones-have-a/) Jeffree Starr > [“You have no idea," he says to me, "what it means to truly suffer. 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