--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People wanted to get me published, and my…" description: "\"People wanted to get me published, and my early work was so weird that they weren't getting anywhere. I thought, okay, I'll do something that's just a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/nell-zink-26443_early-work_people-wanted-to-get-me-published-and-my_991322.jpg" --- # People wanted to get me published, and my early work was… ![“People wanted to get me published, and my early work was so weird that they weren't getting anywhere. I thought, okay, I'll do something that's just a tad more normal.” quote by Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/nell-zink-26443_early-work_people-wanted-to-get-me-published-and-my_991322.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/nell-zink-26443_early-work_people-wanted-to-get-me-published-and-my_991322.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/nell-zink-26443_early-work_people-wanted-to-get-me-published-and-my_991322.jpg) > “People wanted to get me published, and my early work was so weird that they weren't getting anywhere. I thought, okay, I'll do something that's just a tad more normal.” [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early success can push you toward conformity, but embracing uniqueness fuels innovation. **In simple terms:** Conformity stifles creativity; stay unique. Key Takeaway Value originality over acceptance. Themes creativity conformity innovation Mood determined reflective Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - publishing - writing workshops - creative experiments Key Concepts literature artistic integrity Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance originality with audience expectations? - What risks are worth taking in your work? A Different Perspective Market pressures may limit risk-taking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Early work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-work/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I was 17 when I wrote a collection of short stories and wanted it published but it didn't happen. A lot of publishing houses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanika-dhillon/i-was-17-when-i-wrote-a-collection-of-short-stories-and-wanted-it/) [Kanika Dhillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanika-dhillon/) > [I have always wanted to be a published author. I write baseball books because I love the sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-weeks/i-have-always-wanted-to-be-a-published-author-i-write-baseball-books/) [Jonathan Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-weeks/) > [There are very few people you meet in life who have had the exact same work experience of getting up in the middle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisyn-camerota/there-are-very-few-people-you-meet-in-life-who-have-had-the-exact/) [Alisyn Camerota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alisyn-camerota/) > [You know, you get famous and you work in these weird jobs and you don't have a lot in common with people. But once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/you-know-you-get-famous-and-you-work-in-these-weird-jobs-and-you-don/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [I think a lot of my work has been a weird attempt to liberate myself, but it's not altogether successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mirren/i-think-a-lot-of-my-work-has-been-a-weird-attempt-to-liberate-myself/) [Helen Mirren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mirren/) > [I'd be flattered if someone said that my work is "too weird" for them. I value the uncompliment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-d-be-flattered-if-someone-said-that-my-work-is-too-weird-for-them-i/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [My first two books are out of print and, okay, they can sleep there comfortably. It's early work, derivative work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/my-first-two-books-are-out-of-print-and-okay-they-can-sleep-there/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [If you get up early, work late, and pay your taxes, you will get ahead -- if you strike oil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/if-you-get-up-early-work-late-and-pay-your-taxes-you-will-get-ahead/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [My early work and publications centered around expanding on the analysis of life insurance in my dissertation and its relationship to investment banking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglass-north/my-early-work-and-publications-centered-around-expanding-on-the/) [Douglass North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglass-north/) > [There are some very similar moments in the early work where the focus was on drawing, abstraction and fragmentation. Then it moved to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zaha-hadid/there-are-some-very-similar-moments-in-the-early-work-where-the-focus/) [Zaha Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zaha-hadid/) > [My work is still very much light-hearted, positive outlook, laugh at yourself. But it isn't going to be the laugh-a-minute kind of thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/my-work-is-still-very-much-light-hearted-positive-outlook-laugh-at/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [It will soon be 25 years from the date of publication of my first research work. That the scientific aspirations kindled by that early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-v-raman/it-will-soon-be-25-years-from-the-date-of-publication-of-my-first/) [C. V. Raman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-v-raman/) > [There is in my work a very strong religious foreground and background. In the later work some of that tends to diminish, but it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/there-is-in-my-work-a-very-strong-religious-foreground-and-background/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [I like Cronenberg's early work; his '80s films had all these weird, amorphous flesh objects in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/autre-ne-veut/i-like-cronenberg-s-early-work-his-80s-films-had-all-these-weird/) [Autre Ne Veut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/autre-ne-veut/) > [An artist's early work is inevitably made up of a mixture of tendencies and interests, some of which are compatible and some of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-riley/an-artist-s-early-work-is-inevitably-made-up-of-a-mixture-of/) [Bridget Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-riley/) ## More by Nell Zink > [“They should build a monument,” Cary said. “All the times I got my ass beat to a pulp so the youth of today could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/they-should-build-a-monument-cary-said-all-the-times-i-got-my-ass/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [“I saw that I had followed the chief guiding principle of the petty bourgeoisie in modernity and made a virtue of necessity in telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/i-saw-that-i-had-followed-the-chief-guiding-principle-of-the-petty/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [The interesting artists I know are the ones doing political work. The most interesting people I know are the people who care about politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/the-interesting-artists-i-know-are-the-ones-doing-political-work-the/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [I never take pictures. Skies are much larger in reminiscences and my friends are much better-looking. Photos crop reality into little squares; instead, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/i-never-take-pictures-skies-are-much-larger-in-reminiscences-and-my/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [I'm enough of an anarchist aesthetically, when it comes to art - I want people to be reading my stuff voluntarily. They should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/i-m-enough-of-an-anarchist-aesthetically-when-it-comes-to-art-i-want/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [I'd say it's never a challenge to present white and heteronormative privilege. The hard thing is to write any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/i-d-say-it-s-never-a-challenge-to-present-white-and-heteronormative/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [I really like writing in English, and it's the best job I've ever had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/i-really-like-writing-in-english-and-it-s-the-best-job-i-ve-ever-had/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [“Why shouldn’t loving puppets be a revolutionary act, in a world where so many people love drone warfare?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/why-shouldn-t-loving-puppets-be-a-revolutionary-act-in-a-world-where/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [What's important is the tolerance. If people are not beating other people up, or shooting them for being different, then that's progress. Even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/what-s-important-is-the-tolerance-if-people-are-not-beating-other/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [I have known many people who were seduced as children by same-sex partners and then spent their teen years being gay, and then found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/i-have-known-many-people-who-were-seduced-as-children-by-same-sex/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [Human beings are just way more complex than they'd like to be. They like to be simple machines. And they'll set up fantasy scenarios…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/human-beings-are-just-way-more-complex-than-they-d-like-to-be-they/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [In the rural South, the only interesting people were the sexual deviants. Everybody else was able to be part of the mainstream, and could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/in-the-rural-south-the-only-interesting-people-were-the-sexual/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [“I mean No South. You can’t have ‘New’ and ‘South.’ It’s oxymoronic. I’m talking about the No South. The unstoppable force that’s putting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/i-mean-no-south-you-can-t-have-new-and-south-it-s-oxymoronic-i-m/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [“For jobs and men, it’s a seller’s market. There are no other fish in the sea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/for-jobs-and-men-it-s-a-seller-s-market-there-are-no-other-fish-in/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) > [There are terrible things that never get easier, and there are things even more terrible that get easier with time and repetition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-zink/there-are-terrible-things-that-never-get-easier-and-there-are-things/) [Nell Zink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) [Explore all 21 Nell Zink quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-zink/) ## More Early work quotes > [An artist's early work is inevitably made up of a mixture of tendencies and interests, some of which are compatible and some of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-riley/an-artist-s-early-work-is-inevitably-made-up-of-a-mixture-of/) [Bridget Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-riley/) > [My first two books are out of print and, okay, they can sleep there comfortably. It's early work, derivative work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/my-first-two-books-are-out-of-print-and-okay-they-can-sleep-there/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [I like Cronenberg's early work; his '80s films had all these weird, amorphous flesh objects in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/autre-ne-veut/i-like-cronenberg-s-early-work-his-80s-films-had-all-these-weird/) [Autre Ne Veut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/autre-ne-veut/) > [There is in my work a very strong religious foreground and background. In the later work some of that tends to diminish, but it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/there-is-in-my-work-a-very-strong-religious-foreground-and-background/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [It will soon be 25 years from the date of publication of my first research work. That the scientific aspirations kindled by that early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-v-raman/it-will-soon-be-25-years-from-the-date-of-publication-of-my-first/) [C. V. Raman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-v-raman/) > [My work is still very much light-hearted, positive outlook, laugh at yourself. But it isn't going to be the laugh-a-minute kind of thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/my-work-is-still-very-much-light-hearted-positive-outlook-laugh-at/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [There are some very similar moments in the early work where the focus was on drawing, abstraction and fragmentation. Then it moved to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zaha-hadid/there-are-some-very-similar-moments-in-the-early-work-where-the-focus/) [Zaha Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zaha-hadid/) > [My early work and publications centered around expanding on the analysis of life insurance in my dissertation and its relationship to investment banking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglass-north/my-early-work-and-publications-centered-around-expanding-on-the/) [Douglass North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglass-north/) > [If you get up early, work late, and pay your taxes, you will get ahead -- if you strike oil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/if-you-get-up-early-work-late-and-pay-your-taxes-you-will-get-ahead/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [Documentation is misleading, because the performance is dead. So the very early works were not documented at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/documentation-is-misleading-because-the-performance-is-dead-so-the/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [Rockefeller once explained the secret of success. 'Get up early, work late - and strike oil.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-adams/rockefeller-once-explained-the-secret-of-success-get-up-early-work/) [Joey Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-adams/) > [Most of my early work was done on typewriter. And the only way to iterate drafts was to re-type it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seanan-mcguire/most-of-my-early-work-was-done-on-typewriter-and-the-only-way-to/) [Seanan McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seanan-mcguire/) > [The secret of success is to get up early, work late and strike oil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/the-secret-of-success-is-to-get-up-early-work-late-and-strike-oil/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [To be very careful about any work that may harm your early work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/to-be-very-careful-about-any-work-that-may-harm-your-early-work/) Mak\_786 > [Then I realized my early work did have something special that audiences adored apart from what I humbly thought about them. They occupy a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-argento/then-i-realized-my-early-work-did-have-something-special-that/) [Dario Argento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-argento/) [Browse all 54 Early work quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-work/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People wanted to get me published, and my early work was so weird that they weren't getting anywhere. 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