--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I talk to myself on paper about my…" description: "\"I talk to myself on paper about my characters - sometimes writing in first person... I keep lists of unanswered questions that I can always turn to in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/phyllis-a-whitney-34320_character_i-talk-to-myself-on-paper-about-my-chara_3188195.jpg" --- # I talk to myself on paper about my characters - sometimes… ![“I talk to myself on paper about my characters - sometimes writing in first person... I keep lists of unanswered questions that I can always turn to in order to get myself going.” quote by Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/phyllis-a-whitney-34320_character_i-talk-to-myself-on-paper-about-my-chara_3188195.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/phyllis-a-whitney-34320_character_i-talk-to-myself-on-paper-about-my-chara_3188195.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/047/phyllis-a-whitney-34320_character_i-talk-to-myself-on-paper-about-my-chara_3188195.jpg) > “I talk to myself on paper about my characters - sometimes writing in first person... I keep lists of unanswered questions that I can always turn to in order to get myself going.” [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) ## 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 uses written self‑dialogue and question lists to deepen character understanding and maintain creative momentum. **In simple terms:** Writing to oneself helps develop characters and stay motivated Key Takeaway Use self‑questioning to spark character insight Themes writing technique self‑dialogue creative process Mood reflective inquisitive Type creative practical When to use this quote - novel drafting - screenplay outlining - character workshop - creative writing class Key Concepts character development authorial voice story planning Questions to Reflect On - What unanswered questions drive your story? - How can you balance self‑talk with external critique? A Different Perspective Relying solely on internal dialogue may limit external feedback ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-writing-777210/) [First person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-person/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Lists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lists/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Paper Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper-characters-1010849/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Talk Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-paper-5869439/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Unanswered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unanswered/) [Unanswered questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unanswered-questions/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-person-324719/) ## Related quotes > [I spent my life folded between the pages of books. In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-spent-my-life-folded-between-the-pages-of-books-in-the-absence-of-2/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/in-the-absence-of-human-relationships-i-formed-bonds-with-paper/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [It is a wonderful thing in the process of writing when such paper characters are first sketched, and, when one is doing good work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/it-is-a-wonderful-thing-in-the-process-of-writing-when-such-paper/) [Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/) > [Faith is about trusting God when you have unanswered questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/faith-is-about-trusting-god-when-you-have-unanswered-questions/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I think there are still unanswered questions about Benghazi. I think there are unanswered questions, and they could be easily answered. But I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-think-there-are-still-unanswered-questions-about-benghazi-i-think/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [. . . I have written a couple of screenplays for studios, and each time has been less gratifying than the last. In my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-lucas/i-have-written-a-couple-of-screenplays-for-studios-and-each-time-has/) [Craig Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-lucas/) > [“Unanswered? I would've answered any question, Hannah. But you never asked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/unanswered-i-would-ve-answered-any-question-hannah-but-you-never-asked/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [If knowing answers to life's questions is absolutely necessary to you, then forget the journey. You will never make it, for this is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/if-knowing-answers-to-life-s-questions-is-absolutely-necessary-to-you/) [Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/) > [There’s no such thing as trust unless you have unanswered questions in your life. If you know everything, theres nothing to trust God for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/there-s-no-such-thing-as-trust-unless-you-have-unanswered-questions/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“Unanswered questions are the ones that haunt us the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-k-green/unanswered-questions-are-the-ones-that-haunt-us-the-longest/) [Alice K. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-k-green/) > [I'd love to meet Shakespeare. I've done so much research on him and there are so many unanswered questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bateman/i-d-love-to-meet-shakespeare-i-ve-done-so-much-research-on-him-and/) [Tom Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bateman/) > [We are waiting for Donald Trump's big immigration speech. There are lots of unanswered questions that remain about where exactly Trump stands on deportation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kornacki/we-are-waiting-for-donald-trump-s-big-immigration-speech-there-are/) [Steve Kornacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kornacki/) > [Some say time heals the broken, but I say it gives answers for the unanswered questions and thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-say-time-heals-the-broken-but-i-say-it-gives-answers-for-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Living by faith isn't living with certainty. It's trusting God in spite of unanswered questions and unresolved doubts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/living-by-faith-isn-t-living-with-certainty-it-s-trusting-god-in/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [If you feel you have a strong constituency among the young, you can really die happy, because the great unanswered question, the only valid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/if-you-feel-you-have-a-strong-constituency-among-the-young-you-can/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) ## More by Phyllis A. Whitney > [But emotion cannot be buried by words, though it can be aroused by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/but-emotion-cannot-be-buried-by-words-though-it-can-be-aroused-by-them/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [Reading has always been a major part of my life. It has broadened my world and taken me to places I would otherwise have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/reading-has-always-been-a-major-part-of-my-life-it-has-broadened-my/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [One of the wonderful things about being ALIVE is that it's never too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/one-of-the-wonderful-things-about-being-alive-is-that-it-s-never-too/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [A map is not a journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/a-map-is-not-a-journey/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [“Good stories are not written, they are rewritten”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/good-stories-are-not-written-they-are-rewritten/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [“Problem, purpose, conflict, goal. Use them. Think about them while you are in the planning phase of your novel; keep these elements at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/problem-purpose-conflict-goal-use-them-think-about-them-while-you-are/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [Nobody wanted me. I just kept writing books and learning my craft. Most writers aren't very good in the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/nobody-wanted-me-i-just-kept-writing-books-and-learning-my-craft-most/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [Short of throwing away all television sets, I really don't know what we can do about writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/short-of-throwing-away-all-television-sets-i-really-don-t-know-what/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [“As good as' always spells mediocrity. But when a writer's work is in competition with all those thousands of other manuscripts that pour over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/as-good-as-always-spells-mediocrity-but-when-a-writer-s-work-is-in/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [You must want to enough. Enough to take all the rejections, enough to pay the price of disappointment and discouragement while you are learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/you-must-want-to-enough-enough-to-take-all-the-rejections-enough-to-2/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [A good book isn't written, it's rewritten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/a-good-book-isn-t-written-it-s-rewritten/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [It's hard to come up with a 'quote' about myself. Perhaps I could say that most of my writing has been concerned with understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/it-s-hard-to-come-up-with-a-quote-about-myself-perhaps-i-could-say/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) [Explore all 13 Phyllis A. Whitney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I talk to myself on paper about my characters - sometimes writing in first person... 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