--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I write very raw, ugly, illiterate first…" description: "\"I write very raw, ugly, illiterate first drafts very quickly (novels are always in first draft in under a year) and then I spend years and years fine-t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/porochista-khakpour-20047_books_i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-d_811979.jpg" --- # I write very raw, ugly, illiterate first drafts very… ![“I write very raw, ugly, illiterate first drafts very quickly (novels are always in first draft in under a year) and then I spend years and years fine-tuning, revising, editing, etc. What inspires me? Who knows. I am not inspired that much. That’s why I write long form fiction—I am not much of a…” quote by Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/porochista-khakpour-20047_books_i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-d_811979.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/porochista-khakpour-20047_books_i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-d_811979.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/porochista-khakpour-20047_books_i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-d_811979.jpg) > “I write very raw, ugly, illiterate first drafts very quickly (novels are always in first draft in under a year) and then I spend years and years fine-tuning, revising, editing, etc. What inspires me? Who knows. I am not inspired that much. That’s why I write long form fiction—I am not much of a short story writer. Ideas come seldom, but when a good one comes, I really stick to it and see it out. I’m a problem-solver—I've never thrown out an entire manuscript; I've always forced myself to repair it until it was a lovable thing again.” [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) ## 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 rapid first drafts followed by extensive revision, viewing writing as a problem‑solving, iterative craft. **In simple terms:** Fast drafts, long revisions. Key Takeaway Embrace quick drafts, then refine. Themes writing revision creativity perseverance Mood determined reflective Type process advice When to use this quote - novel writing - short story attempts - editing workflow - creative blocks Key Concepts Iterative process problem solving authorial discipline Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance speed with initial quality? - What strategies help sustain motivation during long revisions? A Different Perspective Rapid drafting may produce low‑quality drafts that need heavy editing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [End Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-year/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fine tuning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-tuning/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem solvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-solvers/) [Short story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-story/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If I write too much of anything for too long, I burn out on it. So it helps to vary my output from year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/if-i-write-too-much-of-anything-for-too-long-i-burn-out-on-it-so-it/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [If you have a craftsman's command of the language and basic writing techniques you'll be able to write - as long as you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/if-you-have-a-craftsman-s-command-of-the-language-and-basic-writing/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [I always wanted to write. While I was on a long surf trip, supporting myself with various day jobs, I was working hard on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/i-always-wanted-to-write-while-i-was-on-a-long-surf-trip-supporting/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [DeLillo has said that he no longer feels a compulsion to write long, compendious books. In his later years, Saul Bellow said something similar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cartwright/delillo-has-said-that-he-no-longer-feels-a-compulsion-to-write-long/) [Justin Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cartwright/) > [I cannot write long books; I leave that for those who have nothing to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/i-cannot-write-long-books-i-leave-that-for-those-who-have-nothing-to/) [Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/) > [I remember when I was in graduate school and someone in workshop would say, 'I'm going to bring in a chapter of my novel.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-minot/i-remember-when-i-was-in-graduate-school-and-someone-in-workshop/) [Susan Minot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-minot/) > [I do write long, long character notes - family background, history, details of appearance - much more than will ever appear in the novel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/i-do-write-long-long-character-notes-family-background-history/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“I’ve wanted to write about them for a long while, but it’s a tricky subject, always put off for later and perhaps worthy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wis-awa-szymborska/i-ve-wanted-to-write-about-them-for-a-long-while-but-it-s-a-tricky/) [Wisława Szymborska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wis-awa-szymborska/) > [“They could not write their names, but I can write mine, and I will again, somewhere where it will last for a long, long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/they-could-not-write-their-names-but-i-can-write-mine-and-i-will/) [Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/) > [I can write for a long time on one novel and not get tired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-guest/i-can-write-for-a-long-time-on-one-novel-and-not-get-tired/) [Judith Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-guest/) > [I would not say I chose to write long poems on a conscious level. The long poem has been a relative constant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-not-say-i-chose-to-write-long-poems-on-a-conscious-level-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've been trying to write for as long as I can remember. But those first fifteen years didn't produce much of great interest. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/i-ve-been-trying-to-write-for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-but-those/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [I wanted to write it long before I wrote Every Night, Josephine! I'd been thinking about it a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/i-wanted-to-write-it-long-before-i-wrote-every-night-josephine-i-d/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [I love to read long books. I enjoy experiencing that extension. But it's not something I feel comfortable with and not something I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-mccrae/i-love-to-read-long-books-i-enjoy-experiencing-that-extension-but-it/) [Shane McCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-mccrae/) > [I guess if I was made responsible for every single line of dialogue in a game and every single piece of textual visual detail,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-k-morgan/i-guess-if-i-was-made-responsible-for-every-single-line-of-dialogue/) [Richard K. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-k-morgan/) ## More by Porochista Khakpour > [Addiction is a very compelling subject for literature - especially now that it's nearly impossible to come out of adult experience without some addiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/addiction-is-a-very-compelling-subject-for-literature-especially-now/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [In South Pasadena, artists were around but invisible somehow. Even though it was just a fifteen-minute drive from Downtown LA, it felt worlds apart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/in-south-pasadena-artists-were-around-but-invisible-somehow-even/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [I both loved and hated South Pasadena. On the one hand, it was so diverse - all my closest friends were immigrants or had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-both-loved-and-hated-south-pasadena-on-the-one-hand-it-was-so/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [There is less gray area there, less doubt. There is a security in being some thing all the way. Our culture, too, encourages this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/there-is-less-gray-area-there-less-doubt-there-is-a-security-in-being/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [The original Zal story by Ferdowsi gives a very moving account of an infant who had all odds against him - he was left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/the-original-zal-story-by-ferdowsi-gives-a-very-moving-account-of-an/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [ It \[9/11 tragedy\] has affected us on so many levels: economically, morally, spiritually, ethically. It's been all over the place. A new American identity… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/it-9-11-tragedy-has-affected-us-on-so-many-levels-economically/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [The radical is simply being given more room in the mainstream. And I think young people - I'm talking about the very young millennials…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/the-radical-is-simply-being-given-more-room-in-the-mainstream-and-i/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [My characters' addictions are what makes them a bit stylized or "grotesque" - not just in appearance but through what drives them. Addiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/my-characters-addictions-are-what-makes-them-a-bit-stylized-or/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [I wanted to literalize the surreal here. Those are my favorite kinds of stories. I love when Gabriel García Márquez does that, for instance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-wanted-to-literalize-the-surreal-here-those-are-my-favorite-kinds/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [I love outsider stories. And I also like a lot of genre fiction, too. So I wanted to write a literary book that flirted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-love-outsider-stories-and-i-also-like-a-lot-of-genre-fiction-too-so/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [9/11 was just an enormous event in so many senses of the word - I mean, we are still in the "post-9/11 era" and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/9-11-was-just-an-enormous-event-in-so-many-senses-of-the-word-i-mean/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [The Illusionist is the storyteller in so many ways. Symbols become his obsession. It's not simply about creating plot - one must also grapple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/the-illusionist-is-the-storyteller-in-so-many-ways-symbols-become-his/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [Being unique seems more desirable than ever. People are exhausted by clichés, by platitudes, by mass-produced realities, by what's been done and done and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/being-unique-seems-more-desirable-than-ever-people-are-exhausted-by/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [I guess none of the sides of my hyphen are particularly subtle cultures. But perhaps there is also a sense that these characters are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-guess-none-of-the-sides-of-my-hyphen-are-particularly-subtle/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [“Don’t ask for advice too much. Go with you, as gritty as that might be at times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/don-t-ask-for-advice-too-much-go-with-you-as-gritty-as-that-might-be/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) [Explore all 31 Porochista Khakpour quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [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 have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I write very raw, ugly, illiterate first drafts very quickly (novels are always in first draft in under a year) and then I spend years and years fine-tuning, revising, editing, etc. What inspires me? Who knows. I am not inspired that much. That’s why I write long form fiction—I am not much of a short story writer. Ideas come seldom, but when a good one comes, I really stick to it and see it out. I’m a problem-solver—I've never thrown out an entire manuscript; I've always forced myself to repair it until it was a lovable thing again.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Porochista Khakpour" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-drafts-very-quickly-novels-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-drafts-very-quickly-novels-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/porochista-khakpour-20047_books_i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-d_811979.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/porochista-khakpour-20047_books_i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-d_811979.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd5/porochista-khakpour-20047_books_i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-d_811979.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I write very raw, ugly, illiterate first drafts very quickly (novels are always in first draft in under a…” — Porochista Khakpour", "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": "Porochista Khakpour", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I write very raw, ugly, illiterate...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-drafts-very-quickly-novels-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-drafts-very-quickly-novels-are/#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 } } ] } ```