--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I write short stories, and I wrote a play." description: "\"I write short stories, and I wrote a play.\" — Rita Dove" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/rita-dove-4855_play_i-write-short-stories-and-i-wrote-a-play_2946925.jpg" --- # I write short stories, and I wrote a play. ![“I write short stories, and I wrote a play.” quote by Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/rita-dove-4855_play_i-write-short-stories-and-i-wrote-a-play_2946925.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/rita-dove-4855_play_i-write-short-stories-and-i-wrote-a-play_2946925.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/rita-dove-4855_play_i-write-short-stories-and-i-wrote-a-play_2946925.jpg) > “I write short stories, and I wrote a play.” [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) ## 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 explores multiple literary forms, showing versatility in storytelling. **In simple terms:** Writes stories and plays. Key Takeaway Embrace diverse creative outlets. Themes writing creativity genre versatility Mood enthusiastic thoughtful Type creative reflective When to use this quote - writing workshops - theater productions - cross‑genre projects Key Concepts narrative structure dramatic form literary expression Questions to Reflect On - Which form best conveys your message? - How to balance multiple genres? A Different Perspective Risk of diluting mastery in any single form. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Short stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-stories/) [Short story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-story/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Stories Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-wrote-768859/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-short-447488/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Wrote Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-play-341187/) ## Related quotes > [Write a short story every week. It's not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/write-a-short-story-every-week-it-s-not-possible-to-write-52-bad/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [But it's hard for me to pinpoint where all my characters and dialogue come from - imagination or real life. My memoir, of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/but-it-s-hard-for-me-to-pinpoint-where-all-my-characters-and-dialogue/) [Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/) > [I mostly write short stories. They are best written in a continuous creative process. You have a feel of immediacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/i-mostly-write-short-stories-they-are-best-written-in-a-continuous/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [I write short stories. I write every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-mustafa/i-write-short-stories-i-write-every-day/) [Isaiah Mustafa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-mustafa/) > [I write short stories. They may appear big in size, but when you consider it, they're four or five novels in one... In return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clavell/i-write-short-stories-they-may-appear-big-in-size-but-when-you/) [James Clavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clavell/) > [I write short stories and I write things here and there. I think as an actor, it's really important to at least attempt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-faist/i-write-short-stories-and-i-write-things-here-and-there-i-think-as-an/) [Mike Faist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-faist/) > [I decided to write short stories because they got rejected quicker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/i-decided-to-write-short-stories-because-they-got-rejected-quicker/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [Yeah, I used to write short stories at first, but once you work on something, you want to show people. My peers weren't interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giveon/yeah-i-used-to-write-short-stories-at-first-but-once-you-work-on/) [Giveon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giveon/) > [I write short stories when a little idea occurs to me, that I know isn't a part of a novel that will stand by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/i-write-short-stories-when-a-little-idea-occurs-to-me-that-i-know-isn/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [I don't think I'd have the stamina, skill or ability to write a novel, but I'd love to write short stories and poetry, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-don-t-think-i-d-have-the-stamina-skill-or-ability-to-write-a-novel/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [Novels are so much unrulier and more stressful to write. A short story can last two pages and then it's over, and that's kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/novels-are-so-much-unrulier-and-more-stressful-to-write-a-short-story/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [To write a short story, you have to be able to stay up all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/to-write-a-short-story-you-have-to-be-able-to-stay-up-all-night/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [I regret that there aren't more short stories in other magazines. But in a certain way, I think the disappearance of the short-story template…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/i-regret-that-there-aren-t-more-short-stories-in-other-magazines-but/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [I began writing early - very, very early... I was already writing short stories for the radio and selling poems to poetry and art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-began-writing-early-very-very-early-i-was-already-writing-short/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Rita Dove > [I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-think-children-have-talent-and-insight-but-it-gets-beaten-out-of/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Courage has nothing to do with our determination to be great. It has to do with what we decide in that moment when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/courage-has-nothing-to-do-with-our-determination-to-be-great-it-has/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Libraries are where it all begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/libraries-are-where-it-all-begins/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [My inspiration comes from everywhere, just walking down the street and I never know where it's going to come from, so I keep a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/my-inspiration-comes-from-everywhere-just-walking-down-the-street-and/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [To write for PC reasons, because you think you ought to be dealing with this subject, is never going to yield anything that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/to-write-for-pc-reasons-because-you-think-you-ought-to-be-dealing/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [All of us have moments in our childhood where we come alive for the first time. And we go back to those moments and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/all-of-us-have-moments-in-our-childhood-where-we-come-alive-for-the/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [The First Book: Go ahead, it won't bite. Well... maybe a little. More a nip, like. A tingle. It's pleasurable, really. You see, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/the-first-book-go-ahead-it-won-t-bite-well-maybe-a-little-more-a-nip/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Sometimes a word is found so right it trembles at the slightest explanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/sometimes-a-word-is-found-so-right-it-trembles-at-the-slightest/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Listen how they say your name. If they can't say that right, there's no way they're going to know how to treat you proper,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/listen-how-they-say-your-name-if-they-can-t-say-that-right-there-s-no/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [People write me from all over the country, asking me, and sometimes even telling me, what they think a poet laureate should do. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/people-write-me-from-all-over-the-country-asking-me-and-sometimes/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [Creative writing and literacy go hand and hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/creative-writing-and-literacy-go-hand-and-hand/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [There are distinct duties of a poet laureate. I plan a reading series at the Library of Congress and advise the librarian. The rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/there-are-distinct-duties-of-a-poet-laureate-i-plan-a-reading-series/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [My first advice would be to read, read, read, which sounds interesting coming in a digital age, but it's so much easier to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/my-first-advice-would-be-to-read-read-read-which-sounds-interesting/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [To me, a poem is almost like someone whispering to another person, or you hear the whispering in your head. I hope with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/to-me-a-poem-is-almost-like-someone-whispering-to-another-person-or/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [I was not interested in doing the plot of OEDIPUS in blackface. I did wonder, what would these people have been like if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-was-not-interested-in-doing-the-plot-of-oedipus-in-blackface-i-did/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) [Explore all 106 Rita Dove quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) ## More Play quotes > [There are guys who play lacrosse, and there are lacrosse players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-mundorf/there-are-guys-who-play-lacrosse-and-there-are-lacrosse-players/) [Brendan Mundorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-mundorf/) > [You gotta have a little kid in you to play football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-edwards/you-gotta-have-a-little-kid-in-you-to-play-football/) [Herman Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-edwards/) > [My team mates are fundamental for my characteristics, if they send in crosses I can play inside the area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filippo-inzaghi/my-team-mates-are-fundamental-for-my-characteristics-if-they-send-in/) [Filippo Inzaghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filippo-inzaghi/) > [Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden. Every year, you look at their numbers - score goals, assists, minutes - to see they play very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/leo-cristiano-ronaldo-neymar-eden-every-year-you-look-at-their/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/we-cannot-change-the-cards-we-are-dealt-just-how-we-play-the-hand/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [You play a part, and as soon as a movie is over and the camera stops, you go home and you're not really responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nastassja-kinski/you-play-a-part-and-as-soon-as-a-movie-is-over-and-the-camera-stops/) [Nastassja Kinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nastassja-kinski/) > [I think all children love to dress up and play make believe. It's just that I never stopped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/i-think-all-children-love-to-dress-up-and-play-make-believe-it-s-just/) [Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/) > [It would be awesome to play in my backyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-barty/it-would-be-awesome-to-play-in-my-backyard/) [Ashleigh Barty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-barty/) > [I really enjoy going to play for the national team and be with the guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedi-osman/i-really-enjoy-going-to-play-for-the-national-team-and-be-with-the/) [Cedi Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedi-osman/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [It's a shame that when you've actually lived some life and have something to write about, they're saying you're too old to come out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/it-s-a-shame-that-when-you-ve-actually-lived-some-life-and-have/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [I can play on grass - when I won Junior Wimbledon, that was an unbelievable feeling, I could not believe that I had won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grigor-dimitrov/i-can-play-on-grass-when-i-won-junior-wimbledon-that-was-an/) [Grigor Dimitrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grigor-dimitrov/) [Browse all 36,264 Play quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I write short stories, and I wrote a play.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rita Dove" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-write-short-stories-and-i-wrote-a-play/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Play" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-write-short-stories-and-i-wrote-a-play/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/rita-dove-4855_play_i-write-short-stories-and-i-wrote-a-play_2946925.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/rita-dove-4855_play_i-write-short-stories-and-i-wrote-a-play_2946925.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a4/rita-dove-4855_play_i-write-short-stories-and-i-wrote-a-play_2946925.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I write short stories, and I wrote a play.” — Rita Dove", "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": "Rita Dove", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I write short stories, and I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-write-short-stories-and-i-wrote-a-play/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-write-short-stories-and-i-wrote-a-play/#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 } } ] } ```