--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of the total creative effort represented…" description: "\"Of the total creative effort represented in a finished work, 75 percent or more of a writer's labor goes into designing the story designing story tests..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/robert-mckee-8479_analytics_of-the-total-creative-effort-represented_2920291.jpg" --- # Of the total creative effort represented in a finished… ![“Of the total creative effort represented in a finished work, 75 percent or more of a writer's labor goes into designing the story designing story tests the maturity and insight of the writer, his knowledge of society, nature, and the human heart. Story demands both vivid imagination and powerful…” quote by Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/robert-mckee-8479_analytics_of-the-total-creative-effort-represented_2920291.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/robert-mckee-8479_analytics_of-the-total-creative-effort-represented_2920291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/robert-mckee-8479_analytics_of-the-total-creative-effort-represented_2920291.jpg) > “Of the total creative effort represented in a finished work, 75 percent or more of a writer's labor goes into designing the story designing story tests the maturity and insight of the writer, his knowledge of society, nature, and the human heart. Story demands both vivid imagination and powerful analytic thought.” [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It stresses that a writer's labor is largely spent on story design, requiring both imagination and analytical skill. **In simple terms:** Story design dominates writing effort. Key Takeaway Balance imagination with analysis. Themes writing story design analysis Mood educational inspirational Type nonfiction instructional When to use this quote - screenwriting - novel drafting - editing Key Concepts creative process psychology of storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How can analysis support imagination? - When does analysis hinder creativity? A Different Perspective May overlook spontaneous inspiration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Analytics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analytics/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-effort-720829/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Designing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designing/) [Designing Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designing-story-4251940/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Finished work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished-work/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Human heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-heart/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Insight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insight/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity/) [Percent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story Designing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-designing-4251939/) [Story Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-tests-4251941/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) [Vivid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vivid/) [Vivid imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vivid-imagination/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [In spite of my great admiration for individual splendid talents I do not accept the star system. 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The joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/happiness-lies-not-in-the-mere-possession-of-money-it-lies-in-the-joy-3/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [All creative effort - including the making of an omelet - is preceded by destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yi-fu-tuan/all-creative-effort-including-the-making-of-an-omelet-is-preceded-by/) [Yi-Fu Tuan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yi-fu-tuan/) > [The possibilities of creative effort connected with the subconscious mind are stupendous and imponderable. They inspire one with awe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-possibilities-of-creative-effort-connected-with-the-subconscious/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/happiness-lies-in-the-joy-of-achievement-and-the-thrill-of-creative/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the enjoyment of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt-2/happiness-lies-not-in-the-mere-possession-of-money-it-lies-in-the/) [Franklin D Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt-2/) > [Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/happiness-lies-not-in-the-mere-possession-of-money-it-lies-in-the-joy-2/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [Go for the moon. If you don't get it, you'll still be heading for a star. Happiness lies not in the mere possession of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/go-for-the-moon-if-you-don-t-get-it-you-ll-still-be-heading-for-a/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [There is the happiness which comes from creative effort. The joy of dreaming, creating, building, whether in painting a picture, writing an epic, singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/there-is-the-happiness-which-comes-from-creative-effort-the-joy-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Everything is the product of one universal creative effort. There is nothing dead in Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everything-is-the-product-of-one-universal-creative-effort-there-is-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Robert McKee > [Story isn't a flight from reality but a vehicle that carries us on our search for reality,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/story-isn-t-a-flight-from-reality-but-a-vehicle-that-carries-us-on/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Don't be didactic - don't write about poverty. Write about poor people. 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It's how we see the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/classical-design-is-a-mirror-of-the-human-mind-it-s-how-we-see-the/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [To get the truth, you want to get your own heart to pound while you write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/to-get-the-truth-you-want-to-get-your-own-heart-to-pound-while-you/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [What happens is fact, not truth. Truth is what we think about what happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/what-happens-is-fact-not-truth-truth-is-what-we-think-about-what/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [The universal erosion of values has lead to the universal erosion of story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/the-universal-erosion-of-values-has-lead-to-the-universal-erosion-of/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [In a world of lies and liars, an honest work of art is always an act of social responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/in-a-world-of-lies-and-liars-an-honest-work-of-art-is-always-an-act/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Influence is just persuasion in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/influence-is-just-persuasion-in-slow-motion/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Good story' means something worth telling that the world wants to hear. 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I do that for a reason: I like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/oh-by-the-way-i-tend-to-use-a-lot-of-profanities-i-do-that-for-a/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) [Explore all 78 Robert McKee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) ## More Analytics quotes > [Every NBA arena has six cameras in the ceiling. The question is what does the software do with video feeds? How to surface that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/every-nba-arena-has-six-cameras-in-the-ceiling-the-question-is-what/) [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) > [In my view, we ought to replace the notion of analytic philosophy by that of synthetic philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/in-my-view-we-ought-to-replace-the-notion-of-analytic-philosophy-by/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [The female mind is capable of understanding analytic geometry... The difficulty may just be that we have never yet discovered a way to communicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-female-mind-is-capable-of-understanding-analytic-geometry-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You can keep the Office of Personnel Management records, I don't need Electronic Health Records, give me the metadata, big data analytics and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-scott-senior-fellow-institute-for-critical-infrastructure-technology/you-can-keep-the-office-of-personnel-management-records-i-don-t-need/) [James Scott, Senior Fellow, Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-scott-senior-fellow-institute-for-critical-infrastructure-technology/) > [...(I)ndividual selfhood is expressed in the self's capacity for self-transcendence and not in its rational capacity for conceptual and analytic procedures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/i-ndividual-selfhood-is-expressed-in-the-self-s-capacity-for-self/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [The person of analytic or critical intellect finds something ridiculous in everything. The person of synthetic or constructive intellect, in almost nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-person-of-analytic-or-critical-intellect-finds-something/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [It is what makes conscious of the conditions and laws of observing which applied in this manner become a theme on its own. 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