--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In order to write novels for a living…" description: "\"In order to write novels for a living - it's not pathological, but I do think and worry and brood and fidget about stuff that I'm working on.\" — Richar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/richard-ford-2097_books_in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it_173034.png" --- # In order to write novels for a living - it's not… ![“In order to write novels for a living - it's not pathological, but I do think and worry and brood and fidget about stuff that I'm working on.” quote by Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/richard-ford-2097_books_in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it_173034.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/richard-ford-2097_books_in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it_173034.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/richard-ford-2097_books_in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it_173034.png) > “In order to write novels for a living - it's not pathological, but I do think and worry and brood and fidget about stuff that I'm working on.” [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) ## 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 acknowledges that creative work involves constant mental engagement, anxiety, and restless thinking about the project. **In simple terms:** Writing demands continual mental focus and worry about the work. Key Takeaway Embrace the mental churn as part of the creative process. Themes creativity writing mental focus Mood reflective determined Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - authoring a novel - drafting scenes - overcoming writer's block Key Concepts anxiety restlessness ideation Questions to Reflect On - How do you channel worry into productive writing? - What rituals help calm the mind while staying creative? A Different Perspective Creative anxiety can become paralyzing if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novels Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels-living-1869934/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Think Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-worry-311179/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) [Worry Brood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry-brood-1869935/) [Write Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-novels/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Books are great for if you want to work on the craft of writing for yourself, or, you know, to write novels or indie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lennon/books-are-great-for-if-you-want-to-work-on-the-craft-of-writing-for/) [Thomas Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lennon/) > [People without hope not only don't write novels, but what is more to the point, they don't read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/people-without-hope-not-only-don-t-write-novels-but-what-is-more-to/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [I don't think we should tell them what we're going to do in advance. Let them think. Worry. Wonder. Uncertainty is the most chilling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-a-walters/i-don-t-think-we-should-tell-them-what-we-re-going-to-do-in-advance/) [Vernon A. Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-a-walters/) > ['Adulting' will cover some topics that I, as a young woman, constantly think and worry about, so I hope others find it relatable -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-atack/adulting-will-cover-some-topics-that-i-as-a-young-woman-constantly/) [Emily Atack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-atack/) > [Don't worry. You don't know enough to worry. . . . Who do you think you are that you should worry, for cryin' out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/don-t-worry-you-don-t-know-enough-to-worry-who-do-you-think-you-are/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [As we get robots becoming more sophisticated, I think we should worry sooner rather than later on how much they could take over, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/as-we-get-robots-becoming-more-sophisticated-i-think-we-should-worry/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I think Im addicted to periods of doubt and low confidence. I think you should worry if you dont have them because then youre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/i-think-im-addicted-to-periods-of-doubt-and-low-confidence-i-think/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [There's a lot to think about, but nothing to worry about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-william-mckay/there-s-a-lot-to-think-about-but-nothing-to-worry-about/) [Stuart William McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-william-mckay/) > [Don't worry about what other people think about you,worry about what God thinks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/don-t-worry-about-what-other-people-think-about-you-worry-about-what/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I think all you can worry is that you make the team the very best they can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/i-think-all-you-can-worry-is-that-you-make-the-team-the-very-best/) [Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/) > [It's in me to get steaming and to think too much, worry too much about the future, the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/limmy/it-s-in-me-to-get-steaming-and-to-think-too-much-worry-too-much-about/) [Limmy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/limmy/) > [“you think you have enough to worry about, but then you think of a possibility you’d never imagined and you realize you have even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-think-you-have-enough-to-worry-about-but-then-you-think-of-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't worry about what others think about you; worry about what they think of themselves when they're with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-weeks/don-t-worry-about-what-others-think-about-you-worry-about-what-they/) [Hilary Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-weeks/) > [Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not worry. Just have faith that everything will work out for the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-the-best-thing-you-can-do-is-not-think-not-worry-just-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Richard Ford > [Something will be there when the flood recedes. We know that. It will be those people now standing in the water, and on those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/something-will-be-there-when-the-flood-recedes-we-know-that-it-will/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [If you lose all hope, you can always find it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/if-you-lose-all-hope-you-can-always-find-it-again/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I started reading literature at 17 or 18, and I felt this extra beat to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-started-reading-literature-at-17-or-18-and-i-felt-this-extra-beat/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I don't hate children. My wife and I just didn't think we would be good parents, and also by the time we got married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-don-t-hate-children-my-wife-and-i-just-didn-t-think-we-would-be/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Writing never came naturally and I still have to force my hand to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/writing-never-came-naturally-and-i-still-have-to-force-my-hand-to-do/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“Conversations with adults other than a person's parents had more of an outcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/conversations-with-adults-other-than-a-person-s-parents-had-more-of/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Some people want to be bank presidents. Other people want to rob banks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/some-people-want-to-be-bank-presidents-other-people-want-to-rob-banks/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [There are more people in America that love guns and want guns for themselves and everyone else than there are not. It is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/there-are-more-people-in-america-that-love-guns-and-want-guns-for/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [That said, being dyslexic, I wasn't a great reader when I was kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/that-said-being-dyslexic-i-wasn-t-a-great-reader-when-i-was-kid/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I'm an equal opportunity reader - although I don't much read plays. And since I was raised a Presbyterian, pretty much all pleasures are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-m-an-equal-opportunity-reader-although-i-don-t-much-read-plays-and/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [The pace of life feels morally dangerous to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/the-pace-of-life-feels-morally-dangerous-to-me/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“to sit in the empty stands of a Florida ball park and hear the sounds of glove leather and chatter;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/to-sit-in-the-empty-stands-of-a-florida-ball-park-and-hear-the-sounds/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“And what there is to learn from almost any human experience is that your own interests usually do not come first where other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/and-what-there-is-to-learn-from-almost-any-human-experience-is-that/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“It was on such a night as this that the unhappy things came about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/it-was-on-such-a-night-as-this-that-the-unhappy-things-came-about/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [The thing about being a writer is that you never have to ask, 'Am I doing something that's worthwhile?' Because even if you fail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/the-thing-about-being-a-writer-is-that-you-never-have-to-ask-am-i/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) [Explore all 184 Richard Ford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) ## 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. 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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": "In order to write novels for a living - it's not pathological, but I do think and worry and brood and fidget about stuff that I'm working on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Ford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it-s-not-pathological-but-i-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it-s-not-pathological-but-i-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/richard-ford-2097_books_in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it_173034.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/richard-ford-2097_books_in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it_173034.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/richard-ford-2097_books_in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it_173034.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In order to write novels for a living - it's not pathological, but I do think and worry and brood and fidget…” — Richard Ford", "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": "Richard Ford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In order to write novels for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it-s-not-pathological-but-i-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it-s-not-pathological-but-i-do/#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 } } ] } ```