--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You get attached to the way you write…" description: "\"You get attached to the way you write, and I'm attached to notebooks. That's where I really write the plays. Just two or three pages at a time, then I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/neil-simon-10535_notebook_you-get-attached-to-the-way-you-write-an_65643.jpg" --- # You get attached to the way you write, and I'm attached to… ![“You get attached to the way you write, and I'm attached to notebooks. That's where I really write the plays. Just two or three pages at a time, then I transfer to the typewriter and rewrite while I type.” quote by Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/neil-simon-10535_notebook_you-get-attached-to-the-way-you-write-an_65643.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/neil-simon-10535_notebook_you-get-attached-to-the-way-you-write-an_65643.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/neil-simon-10535_notebook_you-get-attached-to-the-way-you-write-an_65643.jpg) > “You get attached to the way you write, and I'm attached to notebooks. That's where I really write the plays. Just two or three pages at a time, then I transfer to the typewriter and rewrite while I type.” [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author emphasizes a personal, tactile process of drafting ideas in notebooks before formalizing them on a typewriter, highlighting the importance of iterative refinement. **In simple terms:** Iterative drafting via notebooks before typing. Key Takeaway Use physical drafts to refine thoughts before finalization. Themes creativity process writing discipline iteration Mood contemplative determined Type process insight creative workflow When to use this quote - writing a play - authoring a script - developing a story outline - personal creative rituals Key Concepts drafting medium transition focus workflow Practical Applications - Developing scripts - Teaching writing workshops Questions to Reflect On - How does the medium affect your creative flow? - What benefits arise from separating drafting from final transcription? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attached Notebooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attached-notebooks-875720/) [Notebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notebook/) [Notebooks Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notebooks-really-875722/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Really Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-write-255109/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Transfers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transfers/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) [Typewriters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/typewriters/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Write Attached](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-attached-875721/) [Write Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-plays-579464/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Standing on a ledge again. Everyone laughs at dancing monkey with the typewriter. Not for long, though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/standing-on-a-ledge-again-everyone-laughs-at-dancing-monkey-with-the/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [In order really to write one has to sink deep into the self and become lost there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/in-order-really-to-write-one-has-to-sink-deep-into-the-self-and/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [You really can’t write unless you read. You have to know what the game is all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-brodkey/you-really-can-t-write-unless-you-read-you-have-to-know-what-the-game/) [Harold Brodkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-brodkey/) > [Now I don't really write for adults or kids - I don't write for kids, I write about them. I think you need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/now-i-don-t-really-write-for-adults-or-kids-i-don-t-write-for-kids-i/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [When you've had a chance to live some experiences then you can really write, and not having lived that much when I was young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-feliciano/when-you-ve-had-a-chance-to-live-some-experiences-then-you-can-really/) [Jose Feliciano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-feliciano/) > [I don't really write for an audience. I just write what the subject seems to me to require.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-wills/i-don-t-really-write-for-an-audience-i-just-write-what-the-subject/) [Garry Wills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-wills/) > [I can't really write unless I'm full of inspiration. And even then I can't write unless I have some alone time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-dennen/i-can-t-really-write-unless-i-m-full-of-inspiration-and-even-then-i/) [Brett Dennen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-dennen/) > [I don't really write. I'm an on-the-spot type of person. This beat, let's listen to it; let's vibe. And then I'll do a melody,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-scott/i-don-t-really-write-i-m-an-on-the-spot-type-of-person-this-beat-let/) [Travis Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-scott/) > [I've found that writers who don't read really can't write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-day/i-ve-found-that-writers-who-don-t-read-really-can-t-write/) [Sylvia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-day/) > [All I've really ever done is write since I was 17, so I don't know anything about anything. For me to do a novel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/all-i-ve-really-ever-done-is-write-since-i-was-17-so-i-don-t-know/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [I write in my house, at my desk, where I have Christmas lights strung over it to try and convince me that I'm having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-write-in-my-house-at-my-desk-where-i-have-christmas-lights-strung/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [I always had a gift with writing. I can really write. I always felt like I can write movies or somehow get into that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-east/i-always-had-a-gift-with-writing-i-can-really-write-i-always-felt/) [Dave East](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-east/) > [I somehow always have this idea that as soon as I can get through this work that's piled up ahead of me, I'll really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/i-somehow-always-have-this-idea-that-as-soon-as-i-can-get-through/) [Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/) > [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/) > [I don't really write songs anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-vernon/i-don-t-really-write-songs-anymore/) [Justin Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-vernon/) ## More by Neil Simon > [Talent is the gift plus the passion - a desire to succeed so intense that no force on earth can stop it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/talent-is-the-gift-plus-the-passion-a-desire-to-succeed-so-intense/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [There's no such thing as a sure thing. That's why they call it gambling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-sure-thing-that-s-why-they-call-it-gambling/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [“Never have so many given so much for so long for so little for so few for so seldom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/never-have-so-many-given-so-much-for-so-long-for-so-little-for-so-few/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [Don't listen to those who say, you taking too big a chance. Michelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor, and it would surely be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/don-t-listen-to-those-who-say-you-taking-too-big-a-chance/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [Once you've opened yourself up, it's best to go all the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/once-you-ve-opened-yourself-up-it-s-best-to-go-all-the-way/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [Everyone thinks they can write a play; you just write down what happened to you. But the art of it is drawing from all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/everyone-thinks-they-can-write-a-play-you-just-write-down-what/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [Sports is the only entertainment where, no matter how many times you go back, you never know the ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/sports-is-the-only-entertainment-where-no-matter-how-many-times-you/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [Evan Handler's new book is simply wonderful. He pulls you inside his life, and you come out his very close friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/evan-handler-s-new-book-is-simply-wonderful-he-pulls-you-inside-his/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [The body of a young woman is God's greatest achievement...Of course, He could have built it to last longer but you can't have everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/the-body-of-a-young-woman-is-god-s-greatest-achievement-of-course-he/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [I don't like dating or just living with a woman. I like to create a relationship, a marriage. And almost all of my marriages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/i-don-t-like-dating-or-just-living-with-a-woman-i-like-to-create-a/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [ “\[Y\]ou're young. Young takes care of everything.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/y-ou-re-young-young-takes-care-of-everything/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [People with honorary awards are looked upon with disfavor. Would you let an honorary mechanic fix your brand-new Mercedes?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/people-with-honorary-awards-are-looked-upon-with-disfavor-would-you/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [I feel like writing about a time when I was probably, and think all of us are, the happiest before the obligations start in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/i-feel-like-writing-about-a-time-when-i-was-probably-and-think-all-of/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [“You're a witness. You're always standing around watching what's happening, scribbling in your book what other people do. You have to get in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/you-re-a-witness-you-re-always-standing-around-watching-what-s/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [ \[When you write a play\] you walk into a forest without a knife, without a compass. But . . . if you have a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/when-you-write-a-play-you-walk-into-a-forest-without-a-knife-without/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) [Explore all 65 Neil Simon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) ## More Notebook quotes > [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [It's hard no to work, so I find a way to put myself back to work. And I think it's important, in between projects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/it-s-hard-no-to-work-so-i-find-a-way-to-put-myself-back-to-work-and-i/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [Actually, when I look at my old notebooks, I think I have been a bit self-indulgent and have given myself too much time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/actually-when-i-look-at-my-old-notebooks-i-think-i-have-been-a-bit/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [My little notebooks were beginnings - they were the ground into which I dropped the seed... I would work in this way when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/my-little-notebooks-were-beginnings-they-were-the-ground-into-which-i/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Everything about writing is hard for me except for that - the names pop into my head. That's one of the reasons why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/everything-about-writing-is-hard-for-me-except-for-that-the-names-pop/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [My inspiration comes from everywhere, just walking down the street and I never know where it's going to come from, so I keep a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/my-inspiration-comes-from-everywhere-just-walking-down-the-street-and/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [I'm giving all that I have in this life. I'm opening up my notebook, and I'm saying everything in there out loud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-m-giving-all-that-i-have-in-this-life-i-m-opening-up-my-notebook/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [I'm not asking a poem to carry a lot of rocks in its pockets. Just being an ordinary observer and liver and feeler and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/i-m-not-asking-a-poem-to-carry-a-lot-of-rocks-in-its-pockets-just/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [I belong to this notebook and this pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-belong-to-this-notebook-and-this-pencil/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I had already done a lot of research for Rough Riders, keeping notebooks and old photographs. Some of the books were antiques for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-berenger/i-had-already-done-a-lot-of-research-for-rough-riders-keeping/) [Tom Berenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-berenger/) > [“Please return this notebook to where you found it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/please-return-this-notebook-to-where-you-found-it/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“I pull out my notebook from my bag and open it. I read through all the pages I’ve written. It makes me feel more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-green/i-pull-out-my-notebook-from-my-bag-and-open-it-i-read-through-all-the/) [Julia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-green/) > [When the landscape buckles and jerks around, when a dust column of debris rises from the collapse of a block of buildings on bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/when-the-landscape-buckles-and-jerks-around-when-a-dust-column-of/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Buy a blank notebook. Draw a huge heart on the cover. Dont write anything negative in here. If you need another outlet, make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/buy-a-blank-notebook-draw-a-huge-heart-on-the-cover-dont-write/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [I don't carry notebooks and I don't consciously store ideas. I try not to think that I am a writer and I am pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-don-t-carry-notebooks-and-i-don-t-consciously-store-ideas-i-try-not/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) [Browse all 383 Notebook quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notebook/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You get attached to the way you write, and I'm attached to notebooks. That's where I really write the plays. Just two or three pages at a time, then I transfer to the typewriter and rewrite while I type.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Simon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/you-get-attached-to-the-way-you-write-and-i-m-attached-to-notebooks/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Notebook" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/you-get-attached-to-the-way-you-write-and-i-m-attached-to-notebooks/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/neil-simon-10535_notebook_you-get-attached-to-the-way-you-write-an_65643.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/neil-simon-10535_notebook_you-get-attached-to-the-way-you-write-an_65643.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/755/neil-simon-10535_notebook_you-get-attached-to-the-way-you-write-an_65643.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You get attached to the way you write, and I'm attached to notebooks. That's where I really write the plays…” — Neil Simon", "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": "Neil Simon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You get attached to the way...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/you-get-attached-to-the-way-you-write-and-i-m-attached-to-notebooks/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/you-get-attached-to-the-way-you-write-and-i-m-attached-to-notebooks/#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 } } ] } ```