--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is something I've learned from…" description: "\"“This is something I've learned from writing my own short stories, novels and screenplays. Editors and film producers will often keep asking for rewrit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77c/rob-parnell-18921_books_this-is-something-i-ve-learned-from-writ_2482442.jpg" --- # This is something I've learned from writing my own short… ![“This is something I've learned from writing my own short stories, novels and screenplays. Editors and film producers will often keep asking for rewrites until all, or at least most, of the above elements are dealt with. I didn't realize that this was what was happening until I took a step back and…” quote by Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77c/rob-parnell-18921_books_this-is-something-i-ve-learned-from-writ_2482442.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77c/rob-parnell-18921_books_this-is-something-i-ve-learned-from-writ_2482442.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77c/rob-parnell-18921_books_this-is-something-i-ve-learned-from-writ_2482442.jpg) > ““This is something I've learned from writing my own short stories, novels and screenplays. Editors and film producers will often keep asking for rewrites until all, or at least most, of the above elements are dealt with. I didn't realize that this was what was happening until I took a step back and analyzed my stories from the perspective of the hero's journey. When I began to incorporate the above elements into my stories and novels, my acceptance rate bloomed. Plus, readers seemed to be much happier with my stories without being able to vocalize why.”” [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Incorporating classic narrative structures like the hero's journey improves story coherence and reader satisfaction, leading to higher acceptance rates. **In simple terms:** Using story frameworks makes narratives clearer and more appealing. Key Takeaway Apply proven story arcs to boost acceptance. Themes storytelling structure reader engagement Mood creative analytical Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenplay development - editing revisions - publishing submissions Key Concepts hero's journey narrative theory editing process Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance formula with innovation? - Which elements of the hero's journey feel most essential? A Different Perspective May limit originality if over‑relied upon. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Short stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-stories/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [So many of the stories are about perspective and viewpoint. It's not just about seeing and revelation. 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Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/) > [When I returned to short stories, I'd started working on what is still central to much of what I try to do: putting myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-tidbeck/when-i-returned-to-short-stories-i-d-started-working-on-what-is-still/) [Karin Tidbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-tidbeck/) > [When I was one day old, I learned how to read. When I was two days old, I started to write. By the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-scieszka/when-i-was-one-day-old-i-learned-how-to-read-when-i-was-two-days-old/) [Jon Scieszka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-scieszka/) > [I think I succeeded as a writer because I did not come out of an English department. I used to write in the chemistry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-think-i-succeeded-as-a-writer-because-i-did-not-come-out-of-an/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [When I was in college, I used to write little ditties and short stories and poetry for my friends. Writing a book is another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/when-i-was-in-college-i-used-to-write-little-ditties-and-short/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-fine-writer-i-ve-ever-read/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [I get stage fright with short stories. For me it feels like standup comedy: kill or die. 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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 Rob Parnell > [“tapping into the Monomyth of the hero's journey which, to simplify the premise, says that there can be no true wisdom gained without the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-parnell/tapping-into-the-monomyth-of-the-hero-s-journey-which-to-simplify-the/) [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) > [“My belief is that if you learn how to think like a professional, from the start, you will almost undoubtedly become a professional, given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-parnell/my-belief-is-that-if-you-learn-how-to-think-like-a-professional-from/) [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) > [“The hero, however, is always willing to see where his decisions may lead him. To sum up the hero's journey in the Tarot so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-parnell/the-hero-however-is-always-willing-to-see-where-his-decisions-may/) [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) > [“Readers often root for characters that are innocent victims – or who are subjected to forces beyond their control.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-parnell/readers-often-root-for-characters-that-are-innocent-victims-or-who/) [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) > [“Stories that do not signal or illustrate a change in wisdom, growth or circumstance do not fulfill the basic requirements of a story worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-parnell/stories-that-do-not-signal-or-illustrate-a-change-in-wisdom-growth-or/) [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) > [“At their most basic level, great fictional stories are about transformation - usually a change from one perspective to another. 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We want to show him as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-parnell/when-writing-the-opening-of-your-story-we-want-to-see-the-hero-in-his/) [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) > [“The Fool is a great template for the lead character in a story, untarnished by what is to come, eager for adventure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-parnell/the-fool-is-a-great-template-for-the-lead-character-in-a-story/) [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) > [“We are questioning animals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-parnell/we-are-questioning-animals/) [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) > [“In the next five cards, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, and The Devil, we see that, armed with knowledge of life and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-parnell/in-the-next-five-cards-justice-the-hanged-man-death-temperance-and/) [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) > [“Take it easy, have fun, and everything important will follow!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-parnell/take-it-easy-have-fun-and-everything-important-will-follow/) [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) > [“The Empress acknowledges our nurturing side, the need for tact and careful consideration about the consequences of our attitudes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-parnell/the-empress-acknowledges-our-nurturing-side-the-need-for-tact-and/) [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) > [“Jung also developed the idea of archetypes and the collective unconscious. He believed that far from being a mass of individual minds, humanity was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-parnell/jung-also-developed-the-idea-of-archetypes-and-the-collective/) [Rob Parnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-parnell/) > [“We often don't react well to change. 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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": "“This is something I've learned from writing my own short stories, novels and screenplays. Editors and film producers will often keep asking for rewrites until all, or at least most, of the above elements are dealt with. I didn't realize that this was what was happening until I took a step back and analyzed my stories from the perspective of the hero's journey. 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