--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the last drafts, I focus on the words…" description: "\"On the last drafts, I focus on the words themselves, including the rub of vowels and consonants, stressed and unstressed syllables. Yet even at this st..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/ron-rash-10377_character_on-the-last-drafts-i-focus-on-the-words_1606473.jpg" --- # On the last drafts, I focus on the words themselves… ![“On the last drafts, I focus on the words themselves, including the rub of vowels and consonants, stressed and unstressed syllables. Yet even at this stage I'm often surprised. A different ending or a new character shows up and I'm back to where I began, letting the story happen, just trying to…” quote by Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/ron-rash-10377_character_on-the-last-drafts-i-focus-on-the-words_1606473.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/ron-rash-10377_character_on-the-last-drafts-i-focus-on-the-words_1606473.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/ron-rash-10377_character_on-the-last-drafts-i-focus-on-the-words_1606473.jpg) > “On the last drafts, I focus on the words themselves, including the rub of vowels and consonants, stressed and unstressed syllables. Yet even at this stage I'm often surprised. A different ending or a new character shows up and I'm back to where I began, letting the story happen, just trying to stay out of the way.” [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focusing on the sound and rhythm of words can reveal unexpected narrative turns, reminding writers to stay open to the story’s own direction. **In simple terms:** Listen to the language of your writing. Key Takeaway Stay flexible with story development. Themes writing creativity process Mood reflective inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - draft revisions - poetry workshops - editing sessions Key Concepts phonetics storytelling authorial humility Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance technical precision with narrative flow? - When does a surprise ending enhance a story? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on form may hinder plot clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Consonants Stressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consonants-stressed-6118502/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Drafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drafts/) [Drafts Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drafts-focus-6118500/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [I'm back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-m-back/) [Including](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/including/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Stressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stressed/) [Syllables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/syllables/) [Syllables Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/syllables-stage-6118501/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Unstressed Syllables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unstressed-syllables-6118503/) [Vowels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vowels/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Married to the game, but she broke her vowels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/married-to-the-game-but-she-broke-her-vowels/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [God have mercy on the sinner Who must write with no dinner, No gravy and no grub, No pewter and no pub, No bellyand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-crowe-ransom/god-have-mercy-on-the-sinner-who-must-write-with-no-dinner-no-gravy/) [John Crowe Ransom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-crowe-ransom/) > [The thing is to sift out the important sounds, little syllables and vowels that bring hints of their lost words, and not to mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-jackson/the-thing-is-to-sift-out-the-important-sounds-little-syllables-and/) [Richard Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-jackson/) > [The big political news, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he's running for governor of California, and already, people are chanting, 'Four more vowels, four more vowels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-kilborn/the-big-political-news-arnold-schwarzenegger-announced-he-s-running/) [Craig Kilborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-kilborn/) > [ We can translate word and letter into color - \[Arthur\] Rimbaud stated that in his color vowels, words quote "words" can be read in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/we-can-translate-word-and-letter-into-color-arthur-rimbaud-stated/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“I caught one last glimpse of her face, howling something at me. There were too many vowels in what she said, and they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-marshall-smith/i-caught-one-last-glimpse-of-her-face-howling-something-at-me-there/) [Michael Marshall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-marshall-smith/) > [Vowels were something else. He didn't like them and they didn't like him. There were only five of them, but they seemed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/vowels-were-something-else-he-didn-t-like-them-and-they-didn-t-like/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [My family is from Liverpool, so I have some of those vowel sounds, I've got the slack tone of someone from Birmingham, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/my-family-is-from-liverpool-so-i-have-some-of-those-vowel-sounds-i-ve/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [Where were they from originally? The Seabolts?" "I don't know, Idaho, Oklahoma, Iowa. One of those red-neck states with vowels on both ends." "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-stabenow/where-were-they-from-originally-the-seabolts-i-don-t-know-idaho/) [Dana Stabenow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-stabenow/) > [Hath Romeo slain himself? Say thou but ay, And that bare vowel ay shall poison more Than the death-darting eye of cockatrice. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hath-romeo-slain-himself-say-thou-but-ay-and-that-bare-vowel-ay-shall/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we listen to improvisational jazz, or solo classical violinists, the way they phrase and inflect melodies feels vocal, like they’re talking to us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/when-we-listen-to-improvisational-jazz-or-solo-classical-violinists/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [What is so special about LOVE? Two vowels, two consonants and two fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/what-is-so-special-about-love-two-vowels-two-consonants-and-two-fools/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [ On their own, each \[character\] is a victim of no importance. But when you bring them together, they become a dangerous weapon. Jeanne is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-chabrol/on-their-own-each-character-is-a-victim-of-no-importance-but-when-you/) [Claude Chabrol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-chabrol/) > [You can't find me 20 children in Chicago, I don't care which section you go in - you can be on Michigan Avenue or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marva-collins/you-can-t-find-me-20-children-in-chicago-i-don-t-care-which-section/) [Marva Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marva-collins/) > [Playing op is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duke-ellington/playing-op-is-like-playing-scrabble-with-all-the-vowels-missing/) [Duke Ellington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duke-ellington/) ## More by Ron Rash > [John Lane has long been recognized as one of the South's finest poets and memoirists. This debut establishes him as one of our finest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/john-lane-has-long-been-recognized-as-one-of-the-south-s-finest-poets/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [“Maybe calling it being hitched ain’t the prettiest way to say you’re married, but it’s the truth to my mind and true in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/maybe-calling-it-being-hitched-ain-t-the-prettiest-way-to-say-you-re/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [Short fiction is the medium I love the most, because it requires that I bring everything I've learned about poetry - the concision, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/short-fiction-is-the-medium-i-love-the-most-because-it-requires-that/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [“Dead and still in the world was worse than dead and in the ground. Dead in the ground at least gave you the hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/dead-and-still-in-the-world-was-worse-than-dead-and-in-the-ground/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [“We want what's in this world but we also want what ain't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/we-want-what-s-in-this-world-but-we-also-want-what-ain-t/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [“The song was wistful as the ballads Slidell and the Clayton brothers played, except words weren't needed to feel the yearning. That made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/the-song-was-wistful-as-the-ballads-slidell-and-the-clayton-brothers/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [“What does eminent domain mean?” Stewart asked. “It means you’re shit out of luck,” Ross said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/what-does-eminent-domain-mean-stewart-asked-it-means-you-re-shit-out/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [“The world is ripe, and we'll pluck it like an apple from a tree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/the-world-is-ripe-and-we-ll-pluck-it-like-an-apple-from-a-tree/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [Steve Yarbrough is a writer of many gifts, but what makes Safe from the Neighbors such a magnificent achievement is its moral complexity. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/steve-yarbrough-is-a-writer-of-many-gifts-but-what-makes-safe-from/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [“The lift of her heart she'd felt on the outcrop she now felt again, and it wasn't just love. She'd felt love before, known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/the-lift-of-her-heart-she-d-felt-on-the-outcrop-she-now-felt-again/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [“Most folks stay in the dark and then complain they can’t see nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/most-folks-stay-in-the-dark-and-then-complain-they-can-t-see-nothing/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [“Rachel kneeled beside Jacob. She took the child's hand and pressed it to the dirt. Her father had told Rachel that Harmons had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/rachel-kneeled-beside-jacob-she-took-the-child-s-hand-and-pressed-it/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [Faulkner came from my region and taught me how you could write about a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/faulkner-came-from-my-region-and-taught-me-how-you-could-write-about/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [I usually do at least a dozen drafts and progressively make more-conscious decisions. Because I've always believed stories are closer to poems than novels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/i-usually-do-at-least-a-dozen-drafts-and-progressively-make-more/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [The woman doesn't look up. It's as if she's deaf. Maybe she is. Maybe she's like the Cambodian women I've read about, the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/the-woman-doesn-t-look-up-it-s-as-if-she-s-deaf-maybe-she-is-maybe/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) [Explore all 66 Ron Rash quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "On the last drafts, I focus on the words themselves, including the rub of vowels and consonants, stressed and unstressed syllables. Yet even at this stage I'm often surprised. A different ending or a new character shows up and I'm back to where I began, letting the story happen, just trying to stay out of the way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ron Rash" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/on-the-last-drafts-i-focus-on-the-words-themselves-including-the-rub/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/on-the-last-drafts-i-focus-on-the-words-themselves-including-the-rub/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/ron-rash-10377_character_on-the-last-drafts-i-focus-on-the-words_1606473.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/ron-rash-10377_character_on-the-last-drafts-i-focus-on-the-words_1606473.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/ron-rash-10377_character_on-the-last-drafts-i-focus-on-the-words_1606473.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“On the last drafts, I focus on the words themselves, including the rub of vowels and consonants, stressed…” — Ron Rash", "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 Rash", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "On the last drafts, I focus...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/on-the-last-drafts-i-focus-on-the-words-themselves-including-the-rub/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/on-the-last-drafts-i-focus-on-the-words-themselves-including-the-rub/#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 } } ] } ```