--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: almost all American writers tend to…" description: "\"almost all American writers tend to overwrite, to tell too much. I get the disillusioned feeling that novels, today, are sold by the pound, like grocer..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28d/rona-jaffe-40502_able_almost-all-american-writers-tend-to-over_2415188.jpg" --- # almost all American writers tend to overwrite, to tell too… ![“almost all American writers tend to overwrite, to tell too much. I get the disillusioned feeling that novels, today, are sold by the pound, like groceries. It actually takes a great deal more discipline to be able to leave out rather than to throw in everything. This means that you have to say in…” quote by Rona Jaffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28d/rona-jaffe-40502_able_almost-all-american-writers-tend-to-over_2415188.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28d/rona-jaffe-40502_able_almost-all-american-writers-tend-to-over_2415188.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28d/rona-jaffe-40502_able_almost-all-american-writers-tend-to-over_2415188.jpg) > “almost all American writers tend to overwrite, to tell too much. I get the disillusioned feeling that novels, today, are sold by the pound, like groceries. It actually takes a great deal more discipline to be able to leave out rather than to throw in everything. This means that you have to say in one sentence precisely what you mean, instead of saying sort of what you kind of mean in hundreds of sentences and hoping the sum total will add up.” [Rona Jaffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rona-jaffe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective writing requires restraint; saying less often conveys more than overloading prose. **In simple terms:** Write concisely for impact. Key Takeaway Choose precision over excess. Themes writing discipline conciseness Mood reflective analytical Type literary advice When to use this quote - novel drafting - academic essays - blog posts - marketing copy Key Concepts minimalism clarity editing Questions to Reflect On - How can you decide what to cut? - What detail adds essential meaning? A Different Perspective Too much brevity can strip nuance or voice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-writer/) [American writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-writers/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Disillusioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disillusioned/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If you read many contemporary literary novels today, you may notice that regardless of the subject matter there's a 'sameness' about them, the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suhayl-saadi/if-you-read-many-contemporary-literary-novels-today-you-may-notice/) [Suhayl Saadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suhayl-saadi/) > [“I don't think that a novel is supposed to be a guide book to happiness any more than it's supposed to be a journal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-don-t-think-that-a-novel-is-supposed-to-be-a-guide-book-to/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [I think the best advice I give is to try not to write. 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This may be true to some extent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-cope/in-the-past-security-guides-often-suggested-that-it-was-necessary-to/) Sophia Cope > [Don't overwrite description in a story - you haven't got time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-spencer/don-t-overwrite-description-in-a-story-you-haven-t-got-time/) [Elizabeth Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-spencer/) > [I'm the mothafuckin' boss, overwrite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-the-mothafuckin-boss-overwrite/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [At the beginning of their careers many writers have a need to overwrite. They choose carefully turned-out phrases; they want to impress their readers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/at-the-beginning-of-their-careers-many-writers-have-a-need-to/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The tendency when you dictate is to overwrite, because you're not counting pages, you don't really know what the hell the page count is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/the-tendency-when-you-dictate-is-to-overwrite-because-you-re-not/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I tend to overwrite; I need a good editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf-blitzer/i-tend-to-overwrite-i-need-a-good-editor/) [Wolf Blitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolf-blitzer/) > [Largely this is a class thing - writers tend to be cosseted little middle-class kiddies who think that the world owes them a royalty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-parsons/largely-this-is-a-class-thing-writers-tend-to-be-cosseted-little/) [Tony Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-parsons/) > [Writers tend to think they occupy a much more relevant place in society than we actually do. 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