--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I try not to picture a reader when I'm…" description: "\"I try not to picture a reader when I'm writing. It's like trying to make a great table but not picturing anybody sitting at it.\" — Sadie Jones" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/sadie-jones-20359_anybody_i-try-not-to-picture-a-reader-when-i-m-w_2982762.jpg" --- # I try not to picture a reader when I'm writing. It's like… ![“I try not to picture a reader when I'm writing. It's like trying to make a great table but not picturing anybody sitting at it.” quote by Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/sadie-jones-20359_anybody_i-try-not-to-picture-a-reader-when-i-m-w_2982762.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/sadie-jones-20359_anybody_i-try-not-to-picture-a-reader-when-i-m-w_2982762.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/sadie-jones-20359_anybody_i-try-not-to-picture-a-reader-when-i-m-w_2982762.jpg) > “I try not to picture a reader when I'm writing. It's like trying to make a great table but not picturing anybody sitting at it.” [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imagining a product without its audience leads to disconnected work lacking purpose. **In simple terms:** Consider audience when creating. Key Takeaway Write with reader in mind. Themes writing audience purpose Mood analytical creative Type professional instructional When to use this quote - book publishing - marketing - product design Key Concepts creative process empathy design thinking Questions to Reflect On - How to balance author vision with reader needs? - What techniques keep audience in mind? A Different Perspective Audience focus may limit creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picture/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think about the reader when I'm writing, but I do when I'm editing, of course. For instance, I self-consciously didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-don-t-think-about-the-reader-when-i-m-writing-but-i-do-when-i-m/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [In the most self-protective of ways, I don't think about the reader when I'm writing - I just think about the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/in-the-most-self-protective-of-ways-i-don-t-think-about-the-reader/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I've long come to the conclusion that when people say they can't put a book down, they don't mean they're interested in what's happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-malouf/i-ve-long-come-to-the-conclusion-that-when-people-say-they-can-t-put/) [David Malouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-malouf/) > [I am an avid reader! As for writing, I might - someday. But we'll have to wait and see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zosia-mamet/i-am-an-avid-reader-as-for-writing-i-might-someday-but-we-ll-have-to/) [Zosia Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zosia-mamet/) > [It's insane to be a writer and not be a reader. When I'm writing I'm more likely to be reading four or five books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/it-s-insane-to-be-a-writer-and-not-be-a-reader-when-i-m-writing-i-m/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [Nice writing isn't enough. It isn't enough to have smooth and pretty language. You have to surprise the reader frequently, you can't just be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bernays/nice-writing-isn-t-enough-it-isn-t-enough-to-have-smooth-and-pretty/) [Anne Bernays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bernays/) > [Being a librarian certainly helped me with my writing because it made me even more of a reader, and I was always an enthusiastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mahy/being-a-librarian-certainly-helped-me-with-my-writing-because-it-made/) [Margaret Mahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mahy/) > [“So, reader, should you ever find yourself writing about the world, take care not to nibble at the many tempting symbols she sets squarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/so-reader-should-you-ever-find-yourself-writing-about-the-world-take/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [“The curse of imagination is picturing the world as it should be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley/the-curse-of-imagination-is-picturing-the-world-as-it-should-be/) [Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley/) > [Sometimes no matter how strong your imagination is and how many days you spend picturing a life with a woman, she turns out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-viall/sometimes-no-matter-how-strong-your-imagination-is-and-how-many-days/) [Nick Viall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-viall/) > [“I never tired of picturing sharks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-granfors/i-never-tired-of-picturing-sharks/) [Eileen Granfors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-granfors/) > [“The picturing of data allows us to be sensitive not only to the multiple hypotheses that we hold, but to the many more we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tukey-1974/the-picturing-of-data-allows-us-to-be-sensitive-not-only-to-the/) Tukey 1974 > [“Do you know what it's like to love someone so much, that you can't see yourself without picturing her? Or what it's like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/do-you-know-what-it-s-like-to-love-someone-so-much-that-you-can-t-see/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Visualizing, creative mental picturing, is no more difficult than what you do when you remember some scene out of the past, or worry about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxwell-maltz/visualizing-creative-mental-picturing-is-no-more-difficult-than-what/) [Maxwell Maltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxwell-maltz/) > [Painting is the chance to create a different space, or different way of picturing a literal stream of images.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-daignault/painting-is-the-chance-to-create-a-different-space-or-different-way/) [Cynthia Daignault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-daignault/) ## More by Sadie Jones > [I think if you write about human relationships, you're always exploring the psyche and the soul. I don't separate certain - perhaps more extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-think-if-you-write-about-human-relationships-you-re-always/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [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/) > [My father is from Jamaica, and as a child I spent many holidays there. I remember the weight and drenching wetness of that hot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/my-father-is-from-jamaica-and-as-a-child-i-spent-many-holidays-there/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [I don't eat when I'm working. If I start to fridge-raid, I'm in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-don-t-eat-when-i-m-working-if-i-start-to-fridge-raid-i-m-in-trouble/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [My favourite author as a child and teenager, and who I still re-read now, is K. M. Peyton. She writes very truthfully; sometimes I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/my-favourite-author-as-a-child-and-teenager-and-who-i-still-re-read/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [Remove all the traffic lights, yellow lines, one-way systems and road markings, and let blissful anarchy prevail. I imagine it would produce a kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/remove-all-the-traffic-lights-yellow-lines-one-way-systems-and-road/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [I don't consciously use my own life or experience at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-don-t-consciously-use-my-own-life-or-experience-at-all/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [Our minds and memories are crowded with the common experience of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/our-minds-and-memories-are-crowded-with-the-common-experience-of/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [I have a study now - I used not to. I also love working in cafes; ignoring noise is good for concentration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-have-a-study-now-i-used-not-to-i-also-love-working-in-cafes/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [I like to come into my workspace and feel it's a living environment and not frozen, which is why I often change or add…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-like-to-come-into-my-workspace-and-feel-it-s-a-living-environment/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [We feel the pull of nature very strongly, relating - even unknowingly - feeling in ourselves to bulbs being stirred in frozen ground, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/we-feel-the-pull-of-nature-very-strongly-relating-even-unknowingly/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [“It's not a romance, it's a love story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/it-s-not-a-romance-it-s-a-love-story/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [Horses know how to be loyal but still keep their distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/horses-know-how-to-be-loyal-but-still-keep-their-distance/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [Oh, I always think everyone feels left out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/oh-i-always-think-everyone-feels-left-out/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) > [I think very visually, and I just never thought I had a novel in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-think-very-visually-and-i-just-never-thought-i-had-a-novel-in-me/) [Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) [Explore all 31 Sadie Jones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/) ## More Anybody quotes > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. 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Deliver some value, any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/take-control-of-who-you-report-to-what-you-do-what-you-create-or/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [I'm against unanswerable concentrations of power, whether that be government or private industry or religious figures - anybody who is not accountable to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/i-m-against-unanswerable-concentrations-of-power-whether-that-be/) [Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/) > [Anybody who is an entrepreneur is a person who essentially has impaired judgment. The odds of success are zilch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/anybody-who-is-an-entrepreneur-is-a-person-who-essentially-has/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The reality is that the work I do is not private work. I bring all my secrets, my life, to my work. Anybody who's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-garcia/the-reality-is-that-the-work-i-do-is-not-private-work-i-bring-all-my/) [Andy Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-garcia/) > [I want everybody to worship the God of love instead of worshipping the God of hate and torture. But in the meantime, we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mosab-hassan-yousef/i-want-everybody-to-worship-the-god-of-love-instead-of-worshipping/) [Mosab Hassan Yousef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mosab-hassan-yousef/) > [I don't know anybody that doesn't own a gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manchin/i-don-t-know-anybody-that-doesn-t-own-a-gun/) [Joe Manchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manchin/) > [The Bushes were certainly part of Texas in their mind, but they didn't have the kind of political flavor that you normally find in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/the-bushes-were-certainly-part-of-texas-in-their-mind-but-they-didn-t/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [There's no recovery on Main Street, I can tell you that for sure. And in a re - in an economy like this, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-barbour/there-s-no-recovery-on-main-street-i-can-tell-you-that-for-sure-and/) [Haley Barbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-barbour/) > [With what all these people are saying, do you think that anybody wants to be around me? They all think that I did this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/with-what-all-these-people-are-saying-do-you-think-that-anybody-wants/) [Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/) > [I'll fight anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-aaron/i-ll-fight-anybody/) [Max Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-aaron/) > [The problem men seem to have, and women, too, is that they have this very structured idea that we should find a partner and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-kendal/the-problem-men-seem-to-have-and-women-too-is-that-they-have-this/) [Felicity Kendal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-kendal/) > [I've done more impeachments than anybody else in the history of the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/i-ve-done-more-impeachments-than-anybody-else-in-the-history-of-the/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) Browse all 1,177 Anybody quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I try not to picture a reader when I'm writing. 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