--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not trying as a writer to be smart or…" description: "\"“I'm not trying as a writer to be smart or to understand the inner workings of my narrator, I'm trying to survive the typing of this story.”\" — Ron Car..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/ron-carlson-28022_writer_i-m-not-trying-as-a-writer-to-be-smart-o_1374180.png" --- # I'm not trying as a writer to be smart or to understand… ![“I'm not trying as a writer to be smart or to understand the inner workings of my narrator, I'm trying to survive the typing of this story.” quote by Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/ron-carlson-28022_writer_i-m-not-trying-as-a-writer-to-be-smart-o_1374180.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/ron-carlson-28022_writer_i-m-not-trying-as-a-writer-to-be-smart-o_1374180.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/ron-carlson-28022_writer_i-m-not-trying-as-a-writer-to-be-smart-o_1374180.png) > ““I'm not trying as a writer to be smart or to understand the inner workings of my narrator, I'm trying to survive the typing of this story.”” [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) ## 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 focuses on simply getting the story down rather than over‑analyzing characters or being clever. **In simple terms:** Write the story, don’t overthink it. Key Takeaway Prioritize progress over perfection. Themes writing creativity process Mood determined pragmatic Type advice process When to use this quote - drafting a novel - daily writing practice - overcoming writer’s block Key Concepts authorship narrative flow Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance survival of the story with depth? - What does “survive the typing” mean to you? A Different Perspective May sacrifice depth for speed and clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I feel like I have to be a walking encyclopedia - I constantly have to be explaining myself - especially when I do table…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nilo-cruz/i-feel-like-i-have-to-be-a-walking-encyclopedia-i-constantly-have-to/) [Nilo Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nilo-cruz/) > [Punk gave you a kind of chutzpah, so even trying to be a writer, I just thought, 'Well, I'm going to send poems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-rankin/punk-gave-you-a-kind-of-chutzpah-so-even-trying-to-be-a-writer-i-just/) [Ian Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-rankin/) > [My great fear of being attacked or trivialized by my contemporaries made me concentrate on what I was trying to do as a writer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-great-fear-of-being-attacked-or-trivialized-by-my-contemporaries/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [As soon as I start to write I'm very aware, I'm trying to be aware that a reader just might well pick up this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/as-soon-as-i-start-to-write-i-m-very-aware-i-m-trying-to-be-aware/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Are you a reader? If you aren't a reader, you might as well forget trying to be a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/are-you-a-reader-if-you-aren-t-a-reader-you-might-as-well-forget/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [If my mother hadn't been trying to be a writer, I don't know if I would have thought of it myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/if-my-mother-hadn-t-been-trying-to-be-a-writer-i-don-t-know-if-i/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The only certainty about writing and trying to be a writer is that it has to be done, not dreamed of or planned and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/the-only-certainty-about-writing-and-trying-to-be-a-writer-is-that-it/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [“The sooner you finish procrastinating, the sooner you can get back to your art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lennox/the-sooner-you-finish-procrastinating-the-sooner-you-can-get-back-to/) [Stephanie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lennox/) > [“It's a difficult path that we tread, us Indie self-publishers, but we're not alone. How many bands practicing in their dad’s garage have heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wiggins/it-s-a-difficult-path-that-we-tread-us-indie-self-publishers-but-we/) [Karl Wiggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wiggins/) > [“At least I understood that writing was this: an impulse to share with other people a feeling or truth that I myself had. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-ueland/at-least-i-understood-that-writing-was-this-an-impulse-to-share-with/) [Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-ueland/) > [I have to declare in all candor that no one interested in being published in our time can afford to be so naive as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-curtis/i-have-to-declare-in-all-candor-that-no-one-interested-in-being/) [Richard Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-curtis/) > [“Sometimes we don't know where we are going until we get there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/sometimes-we-don-t-know-where-we-are-going-until-we-get-there/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“I have from the first felt sure that the writer, when he sits down to commence his novel, should do so, not because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/i-have-from-the-first-felt-sure-that-the-writer-when-he-sits-down-to/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [Writing is the life blood of everything in Hollywood. Without writers, there are no scripts, no acting work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/writing-is-the-life-blood-of-everything-in-hollywood-without-writers/) [Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/) > [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) ## More by Ron Carlson > [The big secret is the ability to stay in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/the-big-secret-is-the-ability-to-stay-in-the-room/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [It is philosophically impossible to be an atheist, since to be an atheist you must have infinite knowledge in order to know absolutely that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/it-is-philosophically-impossible-to-be-an-atheist-since-to-be-an/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [Key to all fiction, long or short, is to remember that the wolfman did not want the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/key-to-all-fiction-long-or-short-is-to-remember-that-the-wolfman-did/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [“I tell students, when in doubt, to title their story after the smallest concrete object in their story. I warn them off plays on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/i-tell-students-when-in-doubt-to-title-their-story-after-the-smallest/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [The men and women, the weapons, the deerhunt all make a huge and fragile danger in John Bolger's novel The Hunters. There is care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/the-men-and-women-the-weapons-the-deerhunt-all-make-a-huge-and/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [In grammar school they taught me that a frog turning into a prince was a fairy tale. In the university they taught me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/in-grammar-school-they-taught-me-that-a-frog-turning-into-a-prince/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [“I always write from my own experiences, whether I've had them or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/i-always-write-from-my-own-experiences-whether-i-ve-had-them-or-not/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [The writer is the person who stays in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/the-writer-is-the-person-who-stays-in-the-room/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [“The most important thing a writer can do after completing a sentence is to stay in the room. The great temptation is to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/the-most-important-thing-a-writer-can-do-after-completing-a-sentence/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [“I was young those nights, but I was getting over it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/i-was-young-those-nights-but-i-was-getting-over-it/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [Get down, get naked, get savage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/get-down-get-naked-get-savage/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [“THE TABLECLOTH OF TURIN”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/the-tablecloth-of-turin/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [“We live in a society that doesn’t offer any support or appreciation for ventures that aren’t clearly articulated and aligned for a goal. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/we-live-in-a-society-that-doesn-t-offer-any-support-or-appreciation/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [It never ceases to amaze us that when we were in kindergarten they taught us that a frog turning into a prince was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/it-never-ceases-to-amaze-us-that-when-we-were-in-kindergarten-they/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) > [“It is not my job to explain the story or understand the story or reduce it to a phrase or offer it as being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/it-is-not-my-job-to-explain-the-story-or-understand-the-story-or/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) [Explore all 20 Ron Carlson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) ## More Writer quotes > [“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/) > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [“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 > [“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/) > [If I don't know who I'm writing for, I make it up and pick somebody I'm writing for. That's really the only way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-mazin/if-i-don-t-know-who-i-m-writing-for-i-make-it-up-and-pick-somebody-i/) [Craig Mazin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-mazin/) > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [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/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“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 > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“Note found in the patron suggestion box: "You have SIGNS up near the computers that say BE QUIET, but people don't be quiet. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/note-found-in-the-patron-suggestion-box-you-have-signs-up-near-the/) [Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/) [Browse all 43,858 Writer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I'm not trying as a writer to be smart or to understand the inner workings of my narrator, I'm trying to survive the typing of this story.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ron Carlson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/i-m-not-trying-as-a-writer-to-be-smart-or-to-understand-the-inner/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Writer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/i-m-not-trying-as-a-writer-to-be-smart-or-to-understand-the-inner/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/ron-carlson-28022_writer_i-m-not-trying-as-a-writer-to-be-smart-o_1374180.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/ron-carlson-28022_writer_i-m-not-trying-as-a-writer-to-be-smart-o_1374180.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/ron-carlson-28022_writer_i-m-not-trying-as-a-writer-to-be-smart-o_1374180.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not trying as a writer to be smart or to understand the inner workings of my narrator, I'm trying to…” — Ron Carlson", "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": "Ron Carlson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I'm not trying as a writer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/i-m-not-trying-as-a-writer-to-be-smart-or-to-understand-the-inner/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/i-m-not-trying-as-a-writer-to-be-smart-or-to-understand-the-inner/#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 } } ] } ```