--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do think that short story writing is…" description: "\"I do think that short story writing is often a matter of luck.\" — Robert Sheckley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/robert-sheckley-14086_luck_i-do-think-that-short-story-writing-is-o_2932100.png" --- # I do think that short story writing is often a matter of… ![“I do think that short story writing is often a matter of luck.” quote by Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/robert-sheckley-14086_luck_i-do-think-that-short-story-writing-is-o_2932100.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/robert-sheckley-14086_luck_i-do-think-that-short-story-writing-is-o_2932100.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/robert-sheckley-14086_luck_i-do-think-that-short-story-writing-is-o_2932100.png) > “I do think that short story writing is often a matter of luck.” [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Short story success often depends on chance encounters and unexpected ideas more than pure skill. **In simple terms:** Luck plays a big role in short story success. Key Takeaway Embrace randomness and stay open to serendipity. Themes creativity luck writing chance storytelling Mood hopeful reflective inspirational Type advice philosophical motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - daily prompts - collaborative brainstorming - submission deadlines Key Concepts probability inspiration creative process Questions to Reflect On - How can you create conditions that increase lucky opportunities? - What habits help you recognize and act on unexpected ideas? A Different Perspective Skill and perseverance still matter; luck alone rarely guarantees lasting success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Short story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-story/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-writing/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Find the key emotion; this may be all you need know to find your short story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/find-the-key-emotion-this-may-be-all-you-need-know-to-find-your-short/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Here in Manto's own words that he wanted to mark his grave with: "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful Here lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saadat-hasan-manto/here-in-manto-s-own-words-that-he-wanted-to-mark-his-grave-with-in/) [Saadat Hasan Manto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saadat-hasan-manto/) > [You learn by writing short stories. Keep writing short stories. The money's in novels, but writing short stories keeps your writing lean and pointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-niven/you-learn-by-writing-short-stories-keep-writing-short-stories-the/) [Larry Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-niven/) > [Success is a matter of luck,ask any failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lekan-wahab/success-is-a-matter-of-luck-ask-any-failure/) [Lekan Wahab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lekan-wahab/) > [Education was almost entirely a matter of luck — usually of ill-luck — in those distant days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/education-was-almost-entirely-a-matter-of-luck-usually-of-ill-luck-in/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Success is always a matter of some luck and timing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-kennedy/success-is-always-a-matter-of-some-luck-and-timing/) [Kathleen Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-kennedy/) > [Sometimes they are a matter of luck; the photographer could not expect or hope for them. Sometimes they are a matter of patience, waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/sometimes-they-are-a-matter-of-luck-the-photographer-could-not-expect/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [Whether or not we have personality disturbances, whether or not we have the ability to overcome deficiencies of early environment, is like the answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hospers/whether-or-not-we-have-personality-disturbances-whether-or-not-we/) [John Hospers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hospers/) > [Success is a matter of luck. If you want proof, ask any failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-wilson/success-is-a-matter-of-luck-if-you-want-proof-ask-any-failure/) [Earl Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-wilson/) > [Everything in life is a matter of luck. If luck is with you, people will know where you live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/everything-in-life-is-a-matter-of-luck-if-luck-is-with-you-people/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Success is not a miracle. Nor is it a matter of luck. Everything happens for a reason, good or bad, positive or negative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/success-is-not-a-miracle-nor-is-it-a-matter-of-luck-everything/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [I think there's a million talented people out there, it's just a matter of luck a lot of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-cusack/i-think-there-s-a-million-talented-people-out-there-it-s-just-a/) [Joan Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-cusack/) > [Education was almost always a matter of luck usually ill luck in those distant days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/education-was-almost-always-a-matter-of-luck-usually-ill-luck-in/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Getting published is a matter of luck. The more we rewrite, the luckier we get.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-van-rooyen/getting-published-is-a-matter-of-luck-the-more-we-rewrite-the-luckier/) Pierre Van Rooyen > [To guess what to keep and what to throw away takes considerable skill. Actually it is probably merely a matter of luck, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/to-guess-what-to-keep-and-what-to-throw-away-takes-considerable-skill/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) ## More by Robert Sheckley > [Why in God's name should a God be praised if he is only performing his Godly function?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/why-in-god-s-name-should-a-god-be-praised-if-he-is-only-performing/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [I don't finish every story, but I probably write and send out three out of five of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-don-t-finish-every-story-but-i-probably-write-and-send-out-three/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [Wherever you go in the galaxy, you can find a food business, a house-building business, a war business, a peace business, a governing business,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/wherever-you-go-in-the-galaxy-you-can-find-a-food-business-a-house/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [“You must realize, Mr. Blaine, that a man is not his body, for he receives his body accidentally. He is not his skills, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/you-must-realize-mr-blaine-that-a-man-is-not-his-body-for-he-receives/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [“But that's crazy, " George said. "How can I be the Average American Man? I'm only five foot eight and my name is Blaxter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/but-that-s-crazy-george-said-how-can-i-be-the-average-american-man-i/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [I knew I was doing something right because it was selling so I didn't want to interfere with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-knew-i-was-doing-something-right-because-it-was-selling-so-i-didn-t/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [“She was an extremely attractive woman if you liked the type, which could best be described as homicidal schizophrenic paranoiac with kittenish overtones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/she-was-an-extremely-attractive-woman-if-you-liked-the-type-which/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [I'm not too fond of the hard work and the constant battle with self-doubt that goes on when I write, but I figure that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-m-not-too-fond-of-the-hard-work-and-the-constant-battle-with-self/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [I sell well now in Russia. I remember one signing in Russia some years ago where the bookstore had two strongmen to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-sell-well-now-in-russia-i-remember-one-signing-in-russia-some-years/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [So I wrote what I hoped would be science fiction, I was not at all sure if what I wrote would be acceptable even.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/so-i-wrote-what-i-hoped-would-be-science-fiction-i-was-not-at-all/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [I was forever reading outside of the field as well as in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-was-forever-reading-outside-of-the-field-as-well-as-in-it/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [I'm quite influenced in this by one of my heroes, Montaigne, who thought a man's real task was to render as honest an account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-m-quite-influenced-in-this-by-one-of-my-heroes-montaigne-who/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [Ethical and questions of philosophy interest me a great deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/ethical-and-questions-of-philosophy-interest-me-a-great-deal/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [It is a truism throughout the civilized galaxy that when you go to the police, your troubles really begin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/it-is-a-truism-throughout-the-civilized-galaxy-that-when-you-go-to/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [“When you have a project, do it exactly as you see fit; then fit the facts around the event, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/when-you-have-a-project-do-it-exactly-as-you-see-fit-then-fit-the/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) [Explore all 47 Robert Sheckley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) ## More Luck quotes > [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [“Coincidence is the exception, not the rule.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soheir-khashoggi/coincidence-is-the-exception-not-the-rule/) [Soheir Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soheir-khashoggi/) > [If you don't meet luck halfway with really hard work, luck won't get you all the way there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asia-kate-dillon/if-you-don-t-meet-luck-halfway-with-really-hard-work-luck-won-t-get/) [Asia Kate Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asia-kate-dillon/) > [“Failing to meet your true destiny is a tragic act of free will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/failing-to-meet-your-true-destiny-is-a-tragic-act-of-free-will/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [“Clent, however, suppressed any sense of pity without the slightest difficulty. His brain was busy with the icy clockwork of calculation. If only this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/clent-however-suppressed-any-sense-of-pity-without-the-slightest/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [If you scared to take chances, you'll never have the answers...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/if-you-scared-to-take-chances-you-ll-never-have-the-answers/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [Don't minimize the importance of luck in determining life's course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-trebek/don-t-minimize-the-importance-of-luck-in-determining-life-s-course/) [Alex Trebek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-trebek/) > [I had a visit from an artist friend who basically said, "Your paintings are wonderful. Now stop." It did resonate with me. It hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caio-fonseca/i-had-a-visit-from-an-artist-friend-who-basically-said-your-paintings/) [Caio Fonseca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caio-fonseca/) > [Everybody needs a chance to find love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-longoria/everybody-needs-a-chance-to-find-love/) [Eva Longoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-longoria/) > [We seal our fate with the choices we take, but don't give a second thought to the chances we take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/we-seal-our-fate-with-the-choices-we-take-but-don-t-give-a-second/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [Life is a luck coin, once you're thrown into the pond..only you can make your worth the most by making it to the people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zacomh/life-is-a-luck-coin-once-you-re-thrown-into-the-pond-only-you-can/) Zacomh > [Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/bad-luck-isn-t-brought-by-broken-mirrors-but-by-broken-minds/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) [Browse all 5,673 Luck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do think that short story writing is often a matter of luck.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Sheckley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-do-think-that-short-story-writing-is-often-a-matter-of-luck/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Luck" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-do-think-that-short-story-writing-is-often-a-matter-of-luck/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/robert-sheckley-14086_luck_i-do-think-that-short-story-writing-is-o_2932100.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/robert-sheckley-14086_luck_i-do-think-that-short-story-writing-is-o_2932100.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/robert-sheckley-14086_luck_i-do-think-that-short-story-writing-is-o_2932100.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I do think that short story writing is often a matter of luck.” — Robert Sheckley", "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": "Robert Sheckley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I do think that short story...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-do-think-that-short-story-writing-is-often-a-matter-of-luck/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-do-think-that-short-story-writing-is-often-a-matter-of-luck/#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 } } ] } ```