---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All of a sudden it felt like people were…"
description: "\"All of a sudden it felt like people were peering over my shoulder, wondering what I would write next. I was blocked for four years.\" — S. E. Hinton"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7be/s-e-hinton-13299_blocked_all-of-a-sudden-it-felt-like-people-were_714012.png"
---

#  All of a sudden it felt like people were peering over my…

![“All of a sudden it felt like people were peering over my shoulder, wondering what I would write next. I was blocked for four years.” quote by S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7be/s-e-hinton-13299_blocked_all-of-a-sudden-it-felt-like-people-were_714012.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7be/s-e-hinton-13299_blocked_all-of-a-sudden-it-felt-like-people-were_714012.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7be/s-e-hinton-13299_blocked_all-of-a-sudden-it-felt-like-people-were_714012.png)

> “All of a sudden it felt like people were peering over my shoulder, wondering what I would write next. I was blocked for four years.”

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

## About This Quote

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

After a long silence, she felt pressure and curiosity about her next writing move.

**In simple terms:** She felt watched and blocked before writing again.

Key Takeaway

Use pressure as creative fuel.

Themes

creativity block pressure anticipation writing

Mood

anxious hopeful

Type

creative personal

When to use this quote

- writing retreats
- publishing deadlines
- media interviews

Key Concepts

Creative process psychology of fame

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you handle creative blocks?
- What helps you stay true under observation?

A Different Perspective

Public scrutiny can stifle authenticity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [The information I requested under the Freedom of Information Act has been blocked for two years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sibel-edmonds/the-information-i-requested-under-the-freedom-of-information-act-has/)

[Sibel Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sibel-edmonds/)

> [I have spent my years since Princeton, while at law school and in my various professional jobs, not feeling completely a part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/i-have-spent-my-years-since-princeton-while-at-law-school-and-in-my/)

[Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/)

> [We are all frightened now. No one says anything public without looking over their shoulder and wondering, Have I said something wrong? Am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baddiel/we-are-all-frightened-now-no-one-says-anything-public-without-looking/)

[David Baddiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baddiel/)

> [“I was lying there on the floor, feeling a cold draft tiptoe down the hall and into the living room, and all of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lili-st-crow/i-was-lying-there-on-the-floor-feeling-a-cold-draft-tiptoe-down-the/)

[Lili St. Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lili-st-crow/)

> [I am not a spiritual guy, but all of a sudden I felt the need to really feel things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-baio/i-am-not-a-spiritual-guy-but-all-of-a-sudden-i-felt-the-need-to/)

[Scott Baio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-baio/)

> [“She did not know why the heat felt so heavy in that house, why all of a sudden it felt so much less like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-slovin/she-did-not-know-why-the-heat-felt-so-heavy-in-that-house-why-all-of/)

[Abby Slovin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-slovin/)

> [“All of a sudden I felt invisible. Forgotten. Like the universe had played a really mean practical joke on me, even though I've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-rothenberg/all-of-a-sudden-i-felt-invisible-forgotten-like-the-universe-had/)

[Jess Rothenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-rothenberg/)

> [“Tired, yes, but it was more than that. Watching everything unfold had lurched me from anger to disgust and finally sorrow, had reminded me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/tired-yes-but-it-was-more-than-that-watching-everything-unfold-had/)

[Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/)

> [...all of a sudden I felt filled up again, so that my heart might come up my throat. And I was thinking how that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-hannigan/all-of-a-sudden-i-felt-filled-up-again-so-that-my-heart-might-come-up/)

[Katherine Hannigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-hannigan/)

> [I thought I had too much money to be happy and normal. Thousand of pounds is just too much for a working person to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-green/i-thought-i-had-too-much-money-to-be-happy-and-normal-thousand-of-2/)

[Peter Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-green/)

> [I thought I had too much money to be happy and normal. Thousand of pounds is just too much for a working person to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-green/i-thought-i-had-too-much-money-to-be-happy-and-normal-thousand-of/)

[Peter Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-green/)

> [“… a son?” “Yes. A son.” All of a sudden, he felt the biggest, widest, happiest grin hit his face, the goddamn thing stretching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-j-r/a-son-yes-a-son-all-of-a-sudden-he-felt-the-biggest-widest-happiest/)

Ward J. R

> [Lincoln-sad, patient, kindly Lincoln, who after bearing upon his weary shoulders for four years a greater burden than that borne by any other man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/lincoln-sad-patient-kindly-lincoln-who-after-bearing-upon-his-weary/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [“You cannot block someone from your life who doesn't want to be blocked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamar-cohen/you-cannot-block-someone-from-your-life-who-doesn-t-want-to-be-blocked/)

[Tamar Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamar-cohen/)

> [ \[Sport officials\] blocked their support of us. But those individuals \[ Muhammad Ali, the Jim Browns, the Bill Russells, Kareem Abdul Jabbar \] were… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carlos/sport-officials-blocked-their-support-of-us-but-those-individuals/)

[John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carlos/)

## More by S. E. Hinton

> [I learned that if you want to get somewhere, you just make up your mind and work like hell til you get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-learned-that-if-you-want-to-get-somewhere-you-just-make-up-your/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [Asleep, he looked a lot younger than going-on-seventeen, but I had noticed that Johnny looked younger when he was asleep too, so I figured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/asleep-he-looked-a-lot-younger-than-going-on-seventeen-but-i-had/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [Naturally, everything boils down to relationships in my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/naturally-everything-boils-down-to-relationships-in-my-books/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [Since I am first of all a character writer, that character's emotions are as vivid to me as my own. I always begin with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/since-i-am-first-of-all-a-character-writer-that-character-s-emotions/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [Any writer who gives a reader a pleasurable experience is doing every other writer a favor because it will make the reader want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/any-writer-who-gives-a-reader-a-pleasurable-experience-is-doing-every/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [I grew up here and my friends are here. There's nothing wrong with here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-grew-up-here-and-my-friends-are-here-there-s-nothing-wrong-with-here/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [I find it to be easier to write from a man's point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-find-it-to-be-easier-to-write-from-a-man-s-point-of-view/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/stay-gold-ponyboy-stay-gold/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [My mother was physically and emotionally abusive. My father was an extremely cold man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/my-mother-was-physically-and-emotionally-abusive-my-father-was-an/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> ['The Outsiders' cast in particular was a joy to be around - sweet kids, normal goofy teenagers off camera and serious artists on. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/the-outsiders-cast-in-particular-was-a-joy-to-be-around-sweet-kids/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [If people want to find me, they can. They'll see a middle-aged woman wandering around the grocery store, looking to see what to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/if-people-want-to-find-me-they-can-they-ll-see-a-middle-aged-woman/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/when-i-stepped-out-into-the-bright-sunlight-from-the-darkness-of-the/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [My goal from being a child was to have a happy home life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/my-goal-from-being-a-child-was-to-have-a-happy-home-life/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [I never base a character on someone I know. You can get ideas from real life, but every character you write is some aspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-never-base-a-character-on-someone-i-know-you-can-get-ideas-from/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [My boyfriend suggested I write two pages a day. He wouldn't take me out if I hadn't done my two pages. That's how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/my-boyfriend-suggested-i-write-two-pages-a-day-he-wouldn-t-take-me/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

[Explore all 51 S. E. Hinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

## More Blocked quotes

> [ \[Sport officials\] blocked their support of us. But those individuals \[ Muhammad Ali, the Jim Browns, the Bill Russells, Kareem Abdul Jabbar \] were… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carlos/sport-officials-blocked-their-support-of-us-but-those-individuals/)

[John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carlos/)

> [“You cannot block someone from your life who doesn't want to be blocked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamar-cohen/you-cannot-block-someone-from-your-life-who-doesn-t-want-to-be-blocked/)

[Tamar Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamar-cohen/)

> [Another mistake a director can make is not to be prepared, so you get there on the day to shoot the scene, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/another-mistake-a-director-can-make-is-not-to-be-prepared-so-you-get/)

[William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/)

> [Your my Boo thang(;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/your-my-boo-thang/)

[Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/)

> [“I recommend reading #FourBloodMoons by @PastorJohnHagee // @worthypub” // #BloodMoons”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/i-recommend-reading-fourbloodmoons-by-pastorjohnhagee-worthypub/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-write-write-and-write-and-write-if-you/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [Hillary Clinton has pledged to keep both of these illegal amnesty programs, including the 2014 amnesty which has been blocked by the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/hillary-clinton-has-pledged-to-keep-both-of-these-illegal-amnesty/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [There were probably about five games in my career where everything was moving in slow motion and you could be out there all day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-taylor/there-were-probably-about-five-games-in-my-career-where-everything/)

[Lawrence Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-taylor/)

> [Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it. It is a corrective to the sluggishness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/protest-beyond-the-law-is-not-a-departure-from-democracy-it-is/)

[Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/)

> [At the drabber moments of my life (swilling some excrement from the steps, for instance, or rooting with a bent coat-hanger down a blocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/at-the-drabber-moments-of-my-life-swilling-some-excrement-from-the/)

[Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/)

> [I remember secretly going off and crying. All of a sudden I'm being blocked and have to be intimate in a scene, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-rigby/i-remember-secretly-going-off-and-crying-all-of-a-sudden-i-m-being/)

[Cathy Rigby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-rigby/)

> [How it seemed like you could see everything, but certain things were blocked out, hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/how-it-seemed-like-you-could-see-everything-but-certain-things-were/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I've always thought it was important not to attach too much superstition to the space where you're writing, because once you get into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-ve-always-thought-it-was-important-not-to-attach-too-much/)

[Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/)

> [“Sometimes feeling blocked is simply a sign that we need to wait and let the natural course of events to unfold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-e-smith/sometimes-feeling-blocked-is-simply-a-sign-that-we-need-to-wait-and/)

[Laurie E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-e-smith/)

> [Luckily my fans are so lovely and I haven't really had to - what's the phrase? - "Clap back at the trolls?" Every now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-brooks/luckily-my-fans-are-so-lovely-and-i-haven-t-really-had-to-what-s-the/)

[Danielle Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-brooks/)

Browse all 372 Blocked quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "All of a sudden it felt like people were peering over my shoulder, wondering what I would write next. I was blocked for four years.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "S. E. Hinton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/all-of-a-sudden-it-felt-like-people-were-peering-over-my-shoulder/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blocked"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/all-of-a-sudden-it-felt-like-people-were-peering-over-my-shoulder/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7be/s-e-hinton-13299_blocked_all-of-a-sudden-it-felt-like-people-were_714012.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7be/s-e-hinton-13299_blocked_all-of-a-sudden-it-felt-like-people-were_714012.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7be/s-e-hinton-13299_blocked_all-of-a-sudden-it-felt-like-people-were_714012.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“All of a sudden it felt like people were peering over my shoulder, wondering what I would write next. I was…” — S. E. Hinton",
                "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": "S. E. Hinton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "All of a sudden it felt...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/all-of-a-sudden-it-felt-like-people-were-peering-over-my-shoulder/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/all-of-a-sudden-it-felt-like-people-were-peering-over-my-shoulder/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```