--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I tend to plan as I write. And I want to…" description: "\"I tend to plan as I write. And I want to leave myself open and the character open to keep on going until it seems to be the time to stop.\" — Roddy Doyle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/roddy-doyle-10269_character_i-tend-to-plan-as-i-write-and-i-want-to_1515764.jpg" --- # I tend to plan as I write. And I want to leave myself open… ![“I tend to plan as I write. And I want to leave myself open and the character open to keep on going until it seems to be the time to stop.” quote by Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/roddy-doyle-10269_character_i-tend-to-plan-as-i-write-and-i-want-to_1515764.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/roddy-doyle-10269_character_i-tend-to-plan-as-i-write-and-i-want-to_1515764.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/roddy-doyle-10269_character_i-tend-to-plan-as-i-write-and-i-want-to_1515764.jpg) > “I tend to plan as I write. And I want to leave myself open and the character open to keep on going until it seems to be the time to stop.” [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer allows the story to develop organically, keeping both the author and characters flexible until a natural conclusion emerges. **In simple terms:** Write with openness, letting the story guide you. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility and let the narrative shape itself. Themes writing creativity process flexibility storytelling Mood reflective inspirational Type creative process-oriented When to use this quote - novel drafting - screenwriting - creative workshops - story planning Key Concepts improvisation character development organic narrative Questions to Reflect On - When should you impose structure on a fluid story? - How do you know when a story is ready to end? A Different Perspective Too much openness may lead to lack of direction or endless revisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The best way to reveal a character is to get them to open their mouths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/the-best-way-to-reveal-a-character-is-to-get-them-to-open-their-mouths/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/personality-can-open-doors-but-only-character-can-keep-them-open/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have always been open towards character roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanshu-chatterjee/i-have-always-been-open-towards-character-roles/) [Priyanshu Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanshu-chatterjee/) > [In a way, I don't create anything; I just open myself to the character, and the character takes over. Of course, I'm aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/in-a-way-i-don-t-create-anything-i-just-open-myself-to-the-character/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [I don't want to play the lead and look like a hero. I am open to do character roles; what is the harm in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aparshakti-khurana/i-don-t-want-to-play-the-lead-and-look-like-a-hero-i-am-open-to-do/) [Aparshakti Khurana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aparshakti-khurana/) > [“The first part of my plan is to write until I die. The second part is to not die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-carver/the-first-part-of-my-plan-is-to-write-until-i-die-the-second-part-is/) Will Carver > [I never had a plan, except to write. I love what I do, and have from the beginning. Loving what you do makes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/i-never-had-a-plan-except-to-write-i-love-what-i-do-and-have-from-the/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [If I plan to write, I won't be able to write anything good. I just need to kind of jam and let things come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shavo-odadjian/if-i-plan-to-write-i-won-t-be-able-to-write-anything-good-i-just-need/) [Shavo Odadjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shavo-odadjian/) > [Writing is such a weird emotional thing. It's hard. If you sit down with a plan to write something, it's going to be harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-miller/writing-is-such-a-weird-emotional-thing-it-s-hard-if-you-sit-down/) [Lauren Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-miller/) > [We were here a couple of days early, so I went over to a gym with him and we took shots and he didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-paul/we-were-here-a-couple-of-days-early-so-i-went-over-to-a-gym-with-him/) [Chris Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-paul/) > [If you're wearing a jacket, as I always am, the sweater vest always needs to be buttoned, with the exception of the bottom button.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/if-you-re-wearing-a-jacket-as-i-always-am-the-sweater-vest-always/) [Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/) > [I don't want to say, 'This is where I'm going to be in five years and I'm going to get there no matter what.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-burke/i-don-t-want-to-say-this-is-where-i-m-going-to-be-in-five-years-and-i/) [Brooke Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-burke/) > [Sometimes, if you leave yourself open, an actor can bring nice nuances to a character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-twohy/sometimes-if-you-leave-yourself-open-an-actor-can-bring-nice-nuances/) [David Twohy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-twohy/) > [Best friends understand when you say forget it, wait forever when you say just a minute, stay when you say leave me alone, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/best-friends-understand-when-you-say-forget-it-wait-forever-when-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Defenders tend to leave me open on the elbow and when I step out, so it was only the smart thing to do to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittney-griner/defenders-tend-to-leave-me-open-on-the-elbow-and-when-i-step-out-so/) [Brittney Griner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittney-griner/) ## More by Roddy Doyle > [“Sometimes, when you were thinking about something, trying to understand it, it opened up in your head without you expecting it to, like it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/sometimes-when-you-were-thinking-about-something-trying-to-understand/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [“It was frightening, though, how little time you got. You only became yourself when you were twenty-three or twenty-four. A few years later, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/it-was-frightening-though-how-little-time-you-got-you-only-became/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [The Irish are the niggers of Europe, lads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/the-irish-are-the-niggers-of-europe-lads/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [“Terror. That was it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/terror-that-was-it/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [Ulysses could have done with a good editor. You know people are always putting Ulysses in the top 10 books ever written but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/ulysses-could-have-done-with-a-good-editor-you-know-people-are-always/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [Dreaming was only nice while it lasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/dreaming-was-only-nice-while-it-lasted/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [It was a sign of growing up, when the dark made no more difference to you than the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/it-was-a-sign-of-growing-up-when-the-dark-made-no-more-difference-to/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [When I started writing full time I had not long stopped being a teacher and when at last I had a full day to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/when-i-started-writing-full-time-i-had-not-long-stopped-being-a/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [When I was a kid, if you didn't speak Irish, you really wanted to. And you played Gaelic games and you didn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/when-i-was-a-kid-if-you-didn-t-speak-irish-you-really-wanted-to-and/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [I'm not recognised that much. I'm just a bald man in glasses and there's a rash of them in Dublin. It'd be different if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/i-m-not-recognised-that-much-i-m-just-a-bald-man-in-glasses-and-there/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [It's a big con job. We have sold the myth of Dublin as a sexy place incredibly well; because it is a dreary little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/it-s-a-big-con-job-we-have-sold-the-myth-of-dublin-as-a-sexy-place/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [“One day at a time, sweet Jesus. Whoever wrote that one hadn’t a clue. A day is a fuckin’ eternity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/one-day-at-a-time-sweet-jesus-whoever-wrote-that-one-hadn-t-a-clue-a/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [Schools don't really allow failure and yet it's a valid part of any endeavour, not just writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/schools-don-t-really-allow-failure-and-yet-it-s-a-valid-part-of-any/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [My novels come from within me; they are things I feel I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/my-novels-come-from-within-me-they-are-things-i-feel-i-want-to-do/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [Most working days I can be at my desk for nine hours a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/most-working-days-i-can-be-at-my-desk-for-nine-hours-a-day/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) [Explore all 65 Roddy Doyle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [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'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I tend to plan as I write. And I want to leave myself open and the character open to keep on going until it seems to be the time to stop.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roddy Doyle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/i-tend-to-plan-as-i-write-and-i-want-to-leave-myself-open-and-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/i-tend-to-plan-as-i-write-and-i-want-to-leave-myself-open-and-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/roddy-doyle-10269_character_i-tend-to-plan-as-i-write-and-i-want-to_1515764.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/roddy-doyle-10269_character_i-tend-to-plan-as-i-write-and-i-want-to_1515764.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/roddy-doyle-10269_character_i-tend-to-plan-as-i-write-and-i-want-to_1515764.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I tend to plan as I write. And I want to leave myself open and the character open to keep on going until it…” — Roddy Doyle", "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": "Roddy Doyle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I tend to plan as I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/i-tend-to-plan-as-i-write-and-i-want-to-leave-myself-open-and-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/i-tend-to-plan-as-i-write-and-i-want-to-leave-myself-open-and-the/#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 } } ] } ```