--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I tell myself that, regardless of what…" description: "\"I tell myself that, regardless of what source I draw on, I'm writing a new work for reasons peculiar to me and not an adaptation, and so feel, in the e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/norman-lock-21222_adaptation_i-tell-myself-that-regardless-of-what-so_3107275.jpg" --- # I tell myself that, regardless of what source I draw on… ![“I tell myself that, regardless of what source I draw on, I'm writing a new work for reasons peculiar to me and not an adaptation, and so feel, in the end, justified in singing it my way.” quote by Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/norman-lock-21222_adaptation_i-tell-myself-that-regardless-of-what-so_3107275.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/norman-lock-21222_adaptation_i-tell-myself-that-regardless-of-what-so_3107275.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/norman-lock-21222_adaptation_i-tell-myself-that-regardless-of-what-so_3107275.jpg) > “I tell myself that, regardless of what source I draw on, I'm writing a new work for reasons peculiar to me and not an adaptation, and so feel, in the end, justified in singing it my way.” [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) ## 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 asserts personal creative autonomy, emphasizing original intent over adaptation. **In simple terms:** I write for my own reasons, not to copy. Key Takeaway Embrace your unique creative voice. Themes creativity authenticity artistic integrity Mood reflective determined Type artistic personal When to use this quote - writing a novel - songwriting - personal projects Key Concepts originality self‑expression authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate inspiration from imitation? - What personal motivations drive your art? A Different Perspective Original works may still be influenced by existing ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adaptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation/) [Adaptation Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation-feel-5334695/) [Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Justified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justified/) [Justified Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justified-singing-5412470/) [My way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-way/) [New work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-work/) [Peculiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peculiar/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reasons Peculiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasons-peculiar-5412469/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Source](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/source/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-new/) ## Related quotes > [The lead character in 'Adaptation' is pretty much me but with more talent. Every time I watch 'Adaptation,' I feel very emotional because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grant/the-lead-character-in-adaptation-is-pretty-much-me-but-with-more/) [John Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grant/) > [“I try to spend as much time writing about new worlds as I do reading and watching them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-wilson/i-try-to-spend-as-much-time-writing-about-new-worlds-as-i-do-reading/) [C.E. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-wilson/) > [I'm always writing a new book even when books are being shopped around, and none of my books has been published in the order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-a-martin/i-m-always-writing-a-new-book-even-when-books-are-being-shopped/) [Douglas A. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-a-martin/) > [The actual writing time is a lot shorter than the thinking time. I don't do too many notes. I keep it mostly in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/the-actual-writing-time-is-a-lot-shorter-than-the-thinking-time-i-don/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [I'm writing new music all the time. I'm just not writing pop stuff. It's not my goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-m-writing-new-music-all-the-time-i-m-just-not-writing-pop-stuff-it/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Having reached the halfway mark in the alphabet, my prime focus is on writing each new book as well as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/having-reached-the-halfway-mark-in-the-alphabet-my-prime-focus-is-on/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [Before I ever begin writing a new story, I have to sketch my characters out on paper. It's part of my process of understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/before-i-ever-begin-writing-a-new-story-i-have-to-sketch-my/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [Each year is like writing a new chapter in a book, make each one worth rereading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/each-year-is-like-writing-a-new-chapter-in-a-book-make-each-one-worth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Constantly writing with new people is important. Also, listening to new music that's popular and that's making a splash - that's how I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-demarcus/constantly-writing-with-new-people-is-important-also-listening-to-new/) [Jay DeMarcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-demarcus/) > [I spent most of this afternoon writing a new introduction for my autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-foray/i-spent-most-of-this-afternoon-writing-a-new-introduction-for-my/) [June Foray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-foray/) > [I've done that quite often, but I've got to be quite honest... as much as you would want to only do one at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-rabin/i-ve-done-that-quite-often-but-i-ve-got-to-be-quite-honest-as-much-as/) [Trevor Rabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-rabin/) > [The way the show was conceived originally and developed, has always had good writing at the heart of it, it's very difficult to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lawson/the-way-the-show-was-conceived-originally-and-developed-has-always/) [Denis Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lawson/) > [Television has raised writing to a new low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/television-has-raised-writing-to-a-new-low/) [Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/) > [Writing New People I was thinking a lot about the era that I came of age - the 90's. Brooklyn, in particular, this moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danzy-senna/writing-new-people-i-was-thinking-a-lot-about-the-era-that-i-came-of/) [Danzy Senna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danzy-senna/) > [When I start writing a new imaginary future, I have no idea what it is. The characters arrive first. They help me figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-i-start-writing-a-new-imaginary-future-i-have-no-idea-what-it-is/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) ## More by Norman Lock > [I admitted that I did not understand life. What I meant was that I am bewildered by human hearts and motivations, including my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-admitted-that-i-did-not-understand-life-what-i-meant-was-that-i-am/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [I had hoped to be a poet, and for a long time I tried to write poetry. My first published pieces were poems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-had-hoped-to-be-a-poet-and-for-a-long-time-i-tried-to-write-poetry/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [I find it only natural for a storyteller to be interested in storytelling and, for anyone who spends the better part of his or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-find-it-only-natural-for-a-storyteller-to-be-interested-in/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [Each piece of writing I undertake, whether a story, novel, play, or poem, begins with an image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/each-piece-of-writing-i-undertake-whether-a-story-novel-play-or-poem/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [I very much like the idea of the unreliable narrator. Shaping my fictions as monologues - by introducing the "I" - allows me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-very-much-like-the-idea-of-the-unreliable-narrator-shaping-my/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [I do seem to favor a deathbed confession as the occasion for my dramatic monologues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-do-seem-to-favor-a-deathbed-confession-as-the-occasion-for-my/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [I do believe we are actors in our own dramas, which, moment by moment, we ourselves write; that we are characters in our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-do-believe-we-are-actors-in-our-own-dramas-which-moment-by-moment/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [The critique of social inequality, which is very much a part of my story, came about naturally from my recollection of Huck and Tom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/the-critique-of-social-inequality-which-is-very-much-a-part-of-my/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [Theatre aside, my penchant for the extended monologue began with my reading of Browning's dramatic monologues, in high school. My inclination to adopt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/theatre-aside-my-penchant-for-the-extended-monologue-began-with-my/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [In nearly everything I write, I am like a ventriloquist, throwing my voice into my characters, animating them by the slightest twitch as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/in-nearly-everything-i-write-i-am-like-a-ventriloquist-throwing-my/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [It may be old hat, but I see no reason to close off what is for me a fruitful subject of inquiry, especially so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/it-may-be-old-hat-but-i-see-no-reason-to-close-off-what-is-for-me-a/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [Emotional, physical, and spiritual estrangement and ontological and religious doubt inform my personality, my thoughts, and my characters, which are, more often than not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/emotional-physical-and-spiritual-estrangement-and-ontological-and/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [Many of my short fictions use theatre as a metaphor for situations in which characters find themselves estranged from the larger, uncontrollable world that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/many-of-my-short-fictions-use-theatre-as-a-metaphor-for-situations-in/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [I used to teach writing in a federal prison, and for my students' benefit, I would liken the narrative use of this highly personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-used-to-teach-writing-in-a-federal-prison-and-for-my-students/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [I haven't the stature to critique one of our literature's great novels, Tobias; and I'm not one of those who believe The Adventures of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-haven-t-the-stature-to-critique-one-of-our-literature-s-great/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) [Explore all 29 Norman Lock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) ## More Adaptation quotes > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) [Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [“Why I am Passionate and Dedicated 1000% to producing and bringing my books Loving Summer, Bitter Frost, and other book series to the Screen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/why-i-am-passionate-and-dedicated-1000-to-producing-and-bringing-my/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [My familiarity with the successful use of very long steel ropes for mining purposes naturally suggested their adaptation to the new purpose of deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-agassiz/my-familiarity-with-the-successful-use-of-very-long-steel-ropes-for/) [Alexander Agassiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-agassiz/) > [The survival of the fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong. The fittest are those endowed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/the-survival-of-the-fittest-is-the-ageless-law-of-nature-but-the/) [Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/) > [The facts of variability, of the struggle for existence, of adaptation to conditions, were notorious enough; but none of us had suspected that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-facts-of-variability-of-the-struggle-for-existence-of-adaptation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble. An animal perfectly in harmony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-law-of-nature-we-overlook-that-intellectual-versatility-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The world may not be ready yet for the film equivalent of books on tape, but this peculiar phenomenon has arrived in the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/the-world-may-not-be-ready-yet-for-the-film-equivalent-of-books-on/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [“Evolution is more about adaptivity than adaptability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/evolution-is-more-about-adaptivity-than-adaptability/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [There is change by necessity or adaptation, and there is contrived change or novelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/there-is-change-by-necessity-or-adaptation-and-there-is-contrived/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“The tendency for depression to repeat reflects the normal default settings of a plastic mood system that is open to experience. 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When you pour water in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/you-must-be-shapeless-formless-like-water-when-you-pour-water-in-a/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [“On the rare occasions on which a movie was shown, there was as much suspense in the audience over whether the electricity would hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/on-the-rare-occasions-on-which-a-movie-was-shown-there-was-as-much/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [Working on an adaptation is not as satisfying, because it's not your original work: you're interpreting. With 'L.A. Confidential,' I loved the book. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/working-on-an-adaptation-is-not-as-satisfying-because-it-s-not-your/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) [Browse all 476 Adaptation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I tell myself that, regardless of what source I draw on, I'm writing a new work for reasons peculiar to me and not an adaptation, and so feel, in the end, justified in singing it my way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Norman Lock" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-tell-myself-that-regardless-of-what-source-i-draw-on-i-m-writing-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adaptation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-tell-myself-that-regardless-of-what-source-i-draw-on-i-m-writing-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/norman-lock-21222_adaptation_i-tell-myself-that-regardless-of-what-so_3107275.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/norman-lock-21222_adaptation_i-tell-myself-that-regardless-of-what-so_3107275.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/norman-lock-21222_adaptation_i-tell-myself-that-regardless-of-what-so_3107275.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I tell myself that, regardless of what source I draw on, I'm writing a new work for reasons peculiar to me…” — Norman Lock", "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": "Norman Lock", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I tell myself that, regardless of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-tell-myself-that-regardless-of-what-source-i-draw-on-i-m-writing-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-tell-myself-that-regardless-of-what-source-i-draw-on-i-m-writing-a/#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 } } ] } ```