--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's so difficult to be conscious of a…" description: "\"It's so difficult to be conscious of a development of a style. You find yourself writing in a certain style, and the analysis of how you came to it can..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/sally-rooney-9142_difficult_it-s-so-difficult-to-be-conscious-of-a-d_1901548.jpg" --- # It's so difficult to be conscious of a development of a… ![“It's so difficult to be conscious of a development of a style. You find yourself writing in a certain style, and the analysis of how you came to it can only ever be applied retroactively. You're never conscious of why you're producing it.” quote by Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/sally-rooney-9142_difficult_it-s-so-difficult-to-be-conscious-of-a-d_1901548.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/sally-rooney-9142_difficult_it-s-so-difficult-to-be-conscious-of-a-d_1901548.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/sally-rooney-9142_difficult_it-s-so-difficult-to-be-conscious-of-a-d_1901548.jpg) > “It's so difficult to be conscious of a development of a style. You find yourself writing in a certain style, and the analysis of how you came to it can only ever be applied retroactively. You're never conscious of why you're producing it.” [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Awareness of one's own writing style emerges only after the fact; we cannot consciously control it in the moment. **In simple terms:** Style awareness is retroactive. Key Takeaway Accept that style evolves unconsciously. Themes writing self‑reflection creativity Mood reflective introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - editing drafts - learning new techniques - teaching writing Key Concepts cognitive bias habit formation Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate more conscious stylistic choices? - What habits influence your writing without you noticing? A Different Perspective Style may be hard to change consciously without deliberate practice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Responsible Development is the style of development I aspire to now. It can be summarized by answering the question, How would I develop if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/responsible-development-is-the-style-of-development-i-aspire-to-now/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [As Im writing, certain things become clear to me and certain things begin to feel right and make sense. The pieces start to fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/as-im-writing-certain-things-become-clear-to-me-and-certain-things/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) > [You have a great deal of yourself on the line, writing- your vanity is at stake. You discover a tricky thing about fiction writing;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/you-have-a-great-deal-of-yourself-on-the-line-writing-your-vanity-is/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [I strive to use references that may still make some kind of sense once our age has passed into history. That robs my writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/i-strive-to-use-references-that-may-still-make-some-kind-of-sense/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [If I can be writing, I can take a certain amount of control when so much around me is upsetting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-chute/if-i-can-be-writing-i-can-take-a-certain-amount-of-control-when-so/) [Carolyn Chute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-chute/) > [As I'm writing, certain things become clear to me and certain things begin to feel right and make sense. The pieces start to fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/as-i-m-writing-certain-things-become-clear-to-me-and-certain-things/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) > [Writing in certain environments carries with it an occupational risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/writing-in-certain-environments-carries-with-it-an-occupational-risk/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [My style of writing has been influenced by sort of scavenging the pieces of music that I've heard, and it'll just be a moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-schwartz/my-style-of-writing-has-been-influenced-by-sort-of-scavenging-the/) [Stephen Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-schwartz/) > [“As social concerns override literary ones, writers seem fated to eschew virtuosity and experimentation in favor of a bland but immediately accessible style. Writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-carr/as-social-concerns-override-literary-ones-writers-seem-fated-to/) [Nicholas Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-carr/) > [I would observe to you that what is called style in writing or speaking is formed very early in life while the imagination is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-would-observe-to-you-that-what-is-called-style-in-writing-or/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I think I developed a style of writing that was more, I guess, open for people to be able to interpret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/griff/i-think-i-developed-a-style-of-writing-that-was-more-i-guess-open-for/) [Griff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/griff/) > [I have a particular style of writing and my voice sounds a particular way, which lends itself to a certain style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-fraser/i-have-a-particular-style-of-writing-and-my-voice-sounds-a-particular/) [Brooke Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-fraser/) > [My style of writing is to allow the story to unfold on its own. I try not to structure my work too rigidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-desai/my-style-of-writing-is-to-allow-the-story-to-unfold-on-its-own-i-try/) [Anita Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-desai/) > [Ultimately, it's about the quality of the writing whatever style you are writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-fischer/ultimately-it-s-about-the-quality-of-the-writing-whatever-style-you/) [Tibor Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-fischer/) > [The style of writing required in the great world is distinguished by a free and daring grace, a careless security, a fine and sharp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-style-of-writing-required-in-the-great-world-is-distinguished-by/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) ## More by Sally Rooney > [I like Christianity. I'm a fan of Jesus and his whole philosophy but not the social teaching aspects of it, of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-like-christianity-i-m-a-fan-of-jesus-and-his-whole-philosophy-but/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“I lay there in the bath not thinking, not doing anything. After a few seconds, I heard her open the front door, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-lay-there-in-the-bath-not-thinking-not-doing-anything-after-a-few/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [There are a lot of people who probably enjoyed 'Conversations with Friends' who are part of the system that is actively exploiting other people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-probably-enjoyed-conversations-with/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I would rather do two things really, really, really well than do 16 things and have 14 of them fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-would-rather-do-two-things-really-really-really-well-than-do-16/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [When I'm writing something, everything falls into place. When I'm not writing, stuff keeps happening to me, and there's nowhere to put it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/when-i-m-writing-something-everything-falls-into-place-when-i-m-not/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I try to keep my sentences quite pared back. What I really want to do is observe people's relationships and interactions. I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-try-to-keep-my-sentences-quite-pared-back-what-i-really-want-to-do/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“Well, if that's suffering, he thinks, let me suffer. Yes. To love whoever I have left. And if ever I lose someone, let me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/well-if-that-s-suffering-he-thinks-let-me-suffer-yes-to-love-whoever/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“I thought about all the things I had never told Nick about myself, and I started to feel better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-thought-about-all-the-things-i-had-never-told-nick-about-myself-and/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“All these people are suffering without the tools to end their own suffering. And we who have the tools refuse to do anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/all-these-people-are-suffering-without-the-tools-to-end-their-own/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I couldn't quite get the hang of how to socialise as a teenager. I didn't really understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-couldn-t-quite-get-the-hang-of-how-to-socialise-as-a-teenager-i/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I'm very introverted. Easily a few days could go by where I would not really leave the house or talk to anybody other than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-m-very-introverted-easily-a-few-days-could-go-by-where-i-would-not/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I'm not totally comfortable with the ways in which our culture monetises art and literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-m-not-totally-comfortable-with-the-ways-in-which-our-culture/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [Dialogue is the most fun to write. It's kind of like a tennis match.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/dialogue-is-the-most-fun-to-write-it-s-kind-of-like-a-tennis-match/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I don't really believe in the idea of the individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-don-t-really-believe-in-the-idea-of-the-individual/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [It annoys me when contemporary films and television shows create artificial tensions that could easily be resolved by a quick email or the use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/it-annoys-me-when-contemporary-films-and-television-shows-create/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) [Explore all 74 Sally Rooney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) ## More Difficult quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. 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Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/) [Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/) Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's so difficult to be conscious of a development of a style. You find yourself writing in a certain style, and the analysis of how you came to it can only ever be applied retroactively. 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