---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I tell him, and I write it down as I go…"
description: "\"“I tell him, and I write it down as I go. It makes me feel better, as if the weirdness is flowing out of my blood and onto the page, through the dark p..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-i_92414.png"
---

#  I tell him, and I write it down as I go. It makes me feel…

![“I tell him, and I write it down as I go. It makes me feel better, as if the weirdness is flowing out of my blood and onto the page, through the dark point of the pen” quote by Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-i_92414.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-i_92414.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-i_92414.png)

> ““I tell him, and I write it down as I go. It makes me feel better, as if the weirdness is flowing out of my blood and onto the page, through the dark point of the pen””

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writing acts as a conduit for releasing inner oddities, turning chaotic thoughts into tangible ink, providing relief through externalization.

**In simple terms:** Writing externalizes inner weirdness.

Key Takeaway

Pen is a vessel for emotional release.

Themes

creativity catharsis writing self‑expression mental health

Mood

reflective intimate calm

Type

personal anecdote literary

When to use this quote

- journaling after a dream
- author drafting a novel
- artist sketching ideas

Key Concepts

pen blood flow darkness

Practical Applications

- therapeutic writing exercises
- creative workshops

Questions to Reflect On

- Why does the act of writing soothe mental turbulence?
- How does physical medium affect emotional processing?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Makes Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-feel-232768/) [Mr-penumbra-s-24-hour-bookstore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mr-penumbra-s-24-hour-bookstore-126456/) [Tell Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-write-368174/) [Weirdness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weirdness/) [Weirdness Flowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weirdness-flowing-1144196/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“They say Shakespeare invented the internal monologue." Oh, I am very familiar with the internal monologue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/they-say-shakespeare-invented-the-internal-monologue-oh-i-am-very/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [Dear John, tell me everything. Write it all down, that way, we’ll be with each other all the time, even if we’re not with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/dear-john-tell-me-everything-write-it-all-down-that-way-we-ll-be-with/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [“I always tell myself, 'you can write anything, but first you have to write something'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevan-duke/i-always-tell-myself-you-can-write-anything-but-first-you-have-to/)

[Kevan Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevan-duke/)

> [“I can't just sit at my desk and let this web of weirdness spin around me. (That describes a lot of jobs, I realize,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-can-t-just-sit-at-my-desk-and-let-this-web-of-weirdness-spin-around/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [Bad books on writing tell you to "WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW", a solemn and totally false adage that is the reason there exist so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/bad-books-on-writing-tell-you-to-write-what-you-know-a-solemn-and/)

[Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/)

> [“And it's not that I'm a good writer. I found good characters. They tell me what to write, and thank God for that because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-gardner/and-it-s-not-that-i-m-a-good-writer-i-found-good-characters-they-tell/)

[M.L. Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-gardner/)

> [Once you have your characters, they tell you what to write, you don't tell them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/once-you-have-your-characters-they-tell-you-what-to-write-you-don-t/)

[Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/)

> [What that book does for me is give me the tools in the same way that I had the tools when I learned the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baker/what-that-book-does-for-me-is-give-me-the-tools-in-the-same-way-that/)

[David Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baker/)

> [I tell myself I write because I want to say something true and original about the nature of evil. That is very ambitious -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesbo/i-tell-myself-i-write-because-i-want-to-say-something-true-and/)

[Jo Nesbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesbo/)

> [“I wish I hadn't met you in the rain: it comes every winter. I wish you hadn't told me your favorite wine: I've become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kristian-flores/i-wish-i-hadn-t-met-you-in-the-rain-it-comes-every-winter-i-wish-you/)

[Karl Kristian Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kristian-flores/)

> [I don't tell anyone how to write and no one tells me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-don-t-tell-anyone-how-to-write-and-no-one-tells-me/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [I would never tell myself, you have to write 20 pages today or something. But I do try to show up. Read what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/i-would-never-tell-myself-you-have-to-write-20-pages-today-or/)

[Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/)

> [One of the ways in which writers most show their inventiveness is in the things they tell us about how they write. Generally speaking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/one-of-the-ways-in-which-writers-most-show-their-inventiveness-is-in/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [Everyone has a story to tell. All you have to do is write it. But it's not that easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/everyone-has-a-story-to-tell-all-you-have-to-do-is-write-it-but-it-s/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [“No one can tell your story so tell it yourself. No one can write your story so write it yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unsure/no-one-can-tell-your-story-so-tell-it-yourself-no-one-can-write-your/)

[Unsure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unsure/)

## More by Robin Sloan

> [“But it will make mistakes," she says. "Hadoop will probably get us from a hundred thousand buildings down to, like, five thousand." "So we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/but-it-will-make-mistakes-she-says-hadoop-will-probably-get-us-from-a/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [You can go as far back as fifth grade, and you will find me tinkering with media and computers, making things that are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/you-can-go-as-far-back-as-fifth-grade-and-you-will-find-me-tinkering/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [He has the strangest expression on his face- the emotional equivalent of 404 PAGE NOT FOUND.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/he-has-the-strangest-expression-on-his-face-the-emotional-equivalent/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [“Baking, by contrast, was solving the same problem over and over again, because every time, the solution was consumed. I mean, really: chewed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/baking-by-contrast-was-solving-the-same-problem-over-and-over-again/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [There's just no escaping it: The half-life of media on the Internet is super short. Tweets flow and fade; pages that look great today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/there-s-just-no-escaping-it-the-half-life-of-media-on-the-internet-is/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [Imagination runs out. But it makes sense, right? We probably just imagine things based on what we already know, and we run out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/imagination-runs-out-but-it-makes-sense-right-we-probably-just/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [“My limbic system has grown accustomed to a certain (very low) level of human (female) contact. With her standing right next to me, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/my-limbic-system-has-grown-accustomed-to-a-certain-very-low-level-of/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [“The shelves were packed close together, and it felt like I was standing at the border of a forest--not a friendly Californian forest, either,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/the-shelves-were-packed-close-together-and-it-felt-like-i-was/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [“How was New York?' Ashley asks politely. I'm not sure how to respond. Something like: Well, the mustachioed master of the secret library is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/how-was-new-york-ashley-asks-politely-i-m-not-sure-how-to-respond/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [We range widely, we readers of fiction, but I think we all need a home. Mine is science fiction. It's my home shelf, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/we-range-widely-we-readers-of-fiction-but-i-think-we-all-need-a-home/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [“Neel cuts in: "Where'd you grow up?" "Palo Alto," she says. From there to Stanford to Google: for a girl obsessed with the outer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/neel-cuts-in-where-d-you-grow-up-palo-alto-she-says-from-there-to/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [Doing research for 'Penumbra,' I read quite a bit about the early history of printing, and the more I did, the more it sounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/doing-research-for-penumbra-i-read-quite-a-bit-about-the-early/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [“History hinges on such small things. A difference of thirty degrees, and this story would end here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/history-hinges-on-such-small-things-a-difference-of-thirty-degrees/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [“It is very quiet. I set my chin into my palm and count my friends and wonder what else is hiding in plain sight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/it-is-very-quiet-i-set-my-chin-into-my-palm-and-count-my-friends-and/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [“Hi there...Let me ask you a question...How would you find a needle in a haystack?" The first-grader pauses, pensive, tugging on the green yarn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/hi-there-let-me-ask-you-a-question-how-would-you-find-a-needle-in-a/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

[Explore all 227 Robin Sloan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

## 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. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“I tell him, and I write it down as I go. It makes me feel better, as if the weirdness is flowing out of my blood and onto the page, through the dark point of the pen”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robin Sloan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-it-makes-me-feel-better-as-if/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-it-makes-me-feel-better-as-if/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-i_92414.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-i_92414.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/robin-sloan-1513_books_i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-i_92414.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I tell him, and I write it down as I go. It makes me feel better, as if the weirdness is flowing out of my…” — Robin Sloan",
                "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": "Robin Sloan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I tell him, and I write...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-it-makes-me-feel-better-as-if/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-tell-him-and-i-write-it-down-as-i-go-it-makes-me-feel-better-as-if/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
