--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are in difficulties with a book,”…" description: "\"“If you are in difficulties with a book,” suggested H. G. Wells, “try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn’t expecting it.” This w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/ralph-keyes-25968_books_if-you-are-in-difficulties-with-a-book-s_87749.png" --- # If you are in difficulties with a book,” suggested H. G… ![“If you are in difficulties with a book,” suggested H. G. Wells, “try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn’t expecting it.” This was one way Gail Godwin learned to outfox her “watcher” (the inner critic who kept an eye on her as she worked): looking for times to write when she…” quote by Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/ralph-keyes-25968_books_if-you-are-in-difficulties-with-a-book-s_87749.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/ralph-keyes-25968_books_if-you-are-in-difficulties-with-a-book-s_87749.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/ralph-keyes-25968_books_if-you-are-in-difficulties-with-a-book-s_87749.png) > ““If you are in difficulties with a book,” suggested H. G. Wells, “try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn’t expecting it.” This was one way Gail Godwin learned to outfox her “watcher” (the inner critic who kept an eye on her as she worked): looking for times to write when she was off guard. Other tactics Godwin found helpful included writing too fast and in unexpected places and times; working when tired; writing in purple ink on the back of charge card statements; and jotting down whatever came to mind while a tea kettle boiled, using its whistle as a deadline. “Deadlines are a great way to outdistance the watcher,” advised Godwin.”” [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wells suggests surprising yourself with a book to bypass the inner critic; Godwin uses unconventional tactics—odd times, locations, and tools—to outwit her watcher and meet deadlines. **In simple terms:** Surprise tactics defeat self‑criticism Key Takeaway Unexpected writing methods silence inner critic Themes creativity self‑criticism productivity routine disruption Mood inspirational playful Type advice narrative When to use this quote - author workshop - creative writing guide - self‑help article Key Concepts writing process Practical Applications - writing productivity - mental block overcoming Questions to Reflect On - Why does novelty help bypass internal resistance? - What other unconventional habits could boost creativity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advised Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advised-godwin-1098625/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Element of surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/element-of-surprise/) [Godwin Helpful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/godwin-helpful-1098626/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Unexpected places](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unexpected-places/) [Watcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watcher/) [Watcher Advised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watcher-advised-1098624/) [Watcher Inner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watcher-inner-1098627/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I was never the avid film watcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghana-raj/i-was-never-the-avid-film-watcher/) [Meghana Raj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghana-raj/) > [I'm really not a television watcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-lancie/i-m-really-not-a-television-watcher/) [John de Lancie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-lancie/) > [I am the watcher on the walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-the-watcher-on-the-walls/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's the admirer and the watcher who provoke us to all the inanities we commit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/it-s-the-admirer-and-the-watcher-who-provoke-us-to-all-the-inanities/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [I'm not a big watcher of myself. You start looking at things you shouldn't be looking at that have nothing to do with anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-dane/i-m-not-a-big-watcher-of-myself-you-start-looking-at-things-you/) [Eric Dane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-dane/) > [I always saw myself as more of a watcher, although I suppose my siblings might have a different viewpoint on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-adams/i-always-saw-myself-as-more-of-a-watcher-although-i-suppose-my/) [Amy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-adams/) > [I'm a people watcher, and I love to listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaru-usman/i-m-a-people-watcher-and-i-love-to-listen/) [Kamaru Usman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaru-usman/) > [Me, I'm an avid CNN watcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-griffin/me-i-m-an-avid-cnn-watcher/) [Eddie Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-griffin/) > [“I loved taking off. In my own house, I seemed to be often looking for a place to hide--sometimes from the children but more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/i-loved-taking-off-in-my-own-house-i-seemed-to-be-often-looking-for-a/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [FIRST WATCHER Why do people die? SECOND WATCHER Perhaps because they don't dream enough...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/first-watcher-why-do-people-die-second-watcher-perhaps-because-they/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Be present as the watcher of your mind- of your thoughts and emotions as well as your reactions in various situations”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/be-present-as-the-watcher-of-your-mind-of-your-thoughts-and-emotions/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [I've never been a big TV watcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-spader/i-ve-never-been-a-big-tv-watcher/) [James Spader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-spader/) > [“You're a watcher, aren't you?" Peter said. "I can tell. You watch and listen. But you know what I'm betting. The thing you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blundell/you-re-a-watcher-aren-t-you-peter-said-i-can-tell-you-watch-and/) [Judy Blundell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blundell/) > [“She/I -- the dreamer -- cannot act as a principal in her own dream. She, the narrator of the table, is an easy accomplice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-chin/she-i-the-dreamer-cannot-act-as-a-principal-in-her-own-dream-she-the/) [Marilyn Chin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-chin/) > [I can't say that I have ever been fanatical about a show. To be honest, I'm not a big TV watcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rockne-s-o-bannon/i-can-t-say-that-i-have-ever-been-fanatical-about-a-show-to-be-honest/) [Rockne S. O'Bannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rockne-s-o-bannon/) ## More by Ralph Keyes > [“Find tricks to keep yourself going,” William Least Heat Moon once advised a group of aspiring writers. “Anything you can do to trick yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/find-tricks-to-keep-yourself-going-william-least-heat-moon-once/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [“Fear flushes clogged pores of perception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/fear-flushes-clogged-pores-of-perception/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [“Henrik Ibsen hung a picture of August Strindberg over his desk. “He is my mortal enemy and shall hang there and watch while I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/henrik-ibsen-hung-a-picture-of-august-strindberg-over-his-desk-he-is/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [Anxiety is not only an inevitable part of the writing process but a necessary part. If you’re not scared, you’re not writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/anxiety-is-not-only-an-inevitable-part-of-the-writing-process-but-a/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [Willa Cather said that she write best when she stopped trying to write and began simply to remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/willa-cather-said-that-she-write-best-when-she-stopped-trying-to/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [Serious writers write, inspired or not. Over time they discover that routine is a better friend than inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/serious-writers-write-inspired-or-not-over-time-they-discover-that/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [One thing I like about writing is that it provides such a wonderful opportunity for confidential chats with readers. In the privacy of writing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/one-thing-i-like-about-writing-is-that-it-provides-such-a-wonderful/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [“One thing that separates would-be writers from working writers is that the latter know their work will never match their dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/one-thing-that-separates-would-be-writers-from-working-writers-is/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [Be as creative in your tactics as you are in your writing. Find what gets your engine going, no matter how peculiar it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/be-as-creative-in-your-tactics-as-you-are-in-your-writing-find-what/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [Fear is felt by writers at every level. Anxiety accompanies the first word they put on paper and the last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/fear-is-felt-by-writers-at-every-level-anxiety-accompanies-the-first/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [“...fear and courage are like lightning and thunder; they both sart out at the same time, but the fear travels faster and arrives sooner.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/fear-and-courage-are-like-lightning-and-thunder-they-both-sart-out-at/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [“Christopher Isherwood tried to trick a good topic into rising from his unconscious by irritating it, “deliberately writing nonsense until it intervenes, as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/christopher-isherwood-tried-to-trick-a-good-topic-into-rising-from/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [I'm tempted to say that the top three reasons for hopelessness are rejection, rejection, rejection. But let's cast our net wider. 1) Not being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/i-m-tempted-to-say-that-the-top-three-reasons-for-hopelessness-are/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [“Success as a writer is within the grasp of whoever can tell a story on paper that people want to hear, and is willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/success-as-a-writer-is-within-the-grasp-of-whoever-can-tell-a-story/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [“I put on several different outfits. The advantage of not knowing who you are is you can attempt to be all things to all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/i-put-on-several-different-outfits-the-advantage-of-not-knowing-who/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) [Explore all 22 Ralph Keyes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“If you are in difficulties with a book,” suggested H. G. Wells, “try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn’t expecting it.” This was one way Gail Godwin learned to outfox her “watcher” (the inner critic who kept an eye on her as she worked): looking for times to write when she was off guard. Other tactics Godwin found helpful included writing too fast and in unexpected places and times; working when tired; writing in purple ink on the back of charge card statements; and jotting down whatever came to mind while a tea kettle boiled, using its whistle as a deadline. “Deadlines are a great way to outdistance the watcher,” advised Godwin.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ralph Keyes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/if-you-are-in-difficulties-with-a-book-suggested-h-g-wells-try-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/if-you-are-in-difficulties-with-a-book-suggested-h-g-wells-try-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/ralph-keyes-25968_books_if-you-are-in-difficulties-with-a-book-s_87749.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/ralph-keyes-25968_books_if-you-are-in-difficulties-with-a-book-s_87749.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c44/ralph-keyes-25968_books_if-you-are-in-difficulties-with-a-book-s_87749.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you are in difficulties with a book,” suggested H. 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