--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whether you know it or not, your desire…" description: "\"“Whether you know it or not, your desire to write comes from the urge to not just be “creative,” it’s a need (one every human being on earth has) to he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ff/shawn-coyne-62076_books_whether-you-know-it-or-not-your-desire-t_3016353.jpg" --- # Whether you know it or not, your desire to write comes… ![“Whether you know it or not, your desire to write comes from the urge to not just be “creative,” it’s a need (one every human being on earth has) to help others. A well-told Story is a gift to the reader/listener/viewer because it teaches them how to confront their own discomforts.” quote by Shawn Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ff/shawn-coyne-62076_books_whether-you-know-it-or-not-your-desire-t_3016353.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ff/shawn-coyne-62076_books_whether-you-know-it-or-not-your-desire-t_3016353.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ff/shawn-coyne-62076_books_whether-you-know-it-or-not-your-desire-t_3016353.jpg) > ““Whether you know it or not, your desire to write comes from the urge to not just be “creative,” it’s a need (one every human being on earth has) to help others. A well-told Story is a gift to the reader/listener/viewer because it teaches them how to confront their own discomforts.”” [Shawn Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-coyne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing serves a universal human need to help others confront discomfort through narrative. **In simple terms:** Stories help others face discomfort. Key Takeaway Write to serve and teach. Themes storytelling empathy discomfort Mood empathetic motivational Type nonfiction inspirational When to use this quote - education - therapy - media production - personal growth Key Concepts human universals narrative therapy Questions to Reflect On - How can your story aid others? - What discomfort do you want to address? A Different Perspective May ignore writer’s own expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Help others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-others/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [That's the most important thing for me, that when I use my qualities in this way and coming to the ball, it creates more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divock-origi/that-s-the-most-important-thing-for-me-that-when-i-use-my-qualities/) [Divock Origi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divock-origi/) > [All the traditional models for doing things are collapsing; from music to publishing to film, and it's a wide open door for people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/all-the-traditional-models-for-doing-things-are-collapsing-from-music/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [The art works of women, who are intelligent and creative, need to be showcased and understanding their thoughts through art can definitely urge us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shriya-saran/the-art-works-of-women-who-are-intelligent-and-creative-need-to-be/) [Shriya Saran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shriya-saran/) > [I, like a lot of people who are creative, need to step away. I can't have stuff to write about if I don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/i-like-a-lot-of-people-who-are-creative-need-to-step-away-i-can-t/) [Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/) > [It's not enough to tell people to be creative; they need to know how, and what to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gilmore/it-s-not-enough-to-tell-people-to-be-creative-they-need-to-know-how/) [Jim Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gilmore/) > [I don't get writer's block. I don't try to write anything; when something comes, I write it. I just practice and when I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-james/i-don-t-get-writer-s-block-i-don-t-try-to-write-anything-when/) [Jose James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-james/) > [“I ask for tons of notebooks for my birthday, the ones with college ruled lines, and I carry them with me, pretend they're my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-porpora/i-ask-for-tons-of-notebooks-for-my-birthday-the-ones-with-college/) [Kenny Porpora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-porpora/) > [I just write about what comes up. Sometimes you're thinking about Palestine, and sometimes you're thinking about sex. People have a lot going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mirah/i-just-write-about-what-comes-up-sometimes-you-re-thinking-about/) [Mirah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mirah/) > [I am not a good enough writer to have an agenda or come up with a message and try to put it into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/i-am-not-a-good-enough-writer-to-have-an-agenda-or-come-up-with-a/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [Writing has never been an intentional endeavor to me. I know a lot of people have experiences and then sit down and try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/writing-has-never-been-an-intentional-endeavor-to-me-i-know-a-lot-of/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [Anything that I write comes from the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gore/anything-that-i-write-comes-from-the-soul/) [Martin Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gore/) > [There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it's like drilling rock and then blasting it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/there-is-no-rule-on-how-to-write-sometimes-it-comes-easily-and/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I never really know what I'm going to write next until it comes to me. So we'll just have to see what happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-never-really-know-what-i-m-going-to-write-next-until-it-comes-to-me/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“write whatever comes into your head, as fast as you can type, without reference to outlines, notes, data, books or any other aids. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-s-becker/write-whatever-comes-into-your-head-as-fast-as-you-can-type-without/) [Howard S. Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-s-becker/) > [Growth in the ability to write comes in spurts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-yolen/growth-in-the-ability-to-write-comes-in-spurts/) [Jane Yolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-yolen/) ## More by Shawn Coyne > [“So if your Story doesn’t change your lead character irrevocably from beginning to end, no one will deeply care about it. It may entertain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-coyne/so-if-your-story-doesn-t-change-your-lead-character-irrevocably-from/) [Shawn Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-coyne/) > [“External conflict is the sizzle that gets bottoms in movie seats and books on bestseller lists. As consumers, we have concrete expectations of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-coyne/external-conflict-is-the-sizzle-that-gets-bottoms-in-movie-seats-and/) [Shawn Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-coyne/) > [“When human beings are faced with chaotic circumstances, our impulse is to stay safe by doing what we’ve always done before. To change our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-coyne/when-human-beings-are-faced-with-chaotic-circumstances-our-impulse-is/) [Shawn Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-coyne/) > [“Remember that the first rule when editing a book is to DO NO HARM.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-coyne/remember-that-the-first-rule-when-editing-a-book-is-to-do-no-harm/) [Shawn Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-coyne/) [Explore all 5 Shawn Coyne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-coyne/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [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 have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Whether you know it or not, your desire to write comes from the urge to not just be “creative,” it’s a need (one every human being on earth has) to help others. A well-told Story is a gift to the reader/listener/viewer because it teaches them how to confront their own discomforts.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shawn Coyne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-coyne/whether-you-know-it-or-not-your-desire-to-write-comes-from-the-urge/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-coyne/whether-you-know-it-or-not-your-desire-to-write-comes-from-the-urge/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ff/shawn-coyne-62076_books_whether-you-know-it-or-not-your-desire-t_3016353.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ff/shawn-coyne-62076_books_whether-you-know-it-or-not-your-desire-t_3016353.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ff/shawn-coyne-62076_books_whether-you-know-it-or-not-your-desire-t_3016353.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whether you know it or not, your desire to write comes from the urge to not just be “creative,” it’s a need…” — Shawn Coyne", "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": "Shawn Coyne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-coyne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Whether you know it or not,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-coyne/whether-you-know-it-or-not-your-desire-to-write-comes-from-the-urge/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-coyne/whether-you-know-it-or-not-your-desire-to-write-comes-from-the-urge/#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 } } ] } ```