--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In terms of smaller changes over time, I…" description: "\"In terms of smaller changes over time, I think good plays are like poems. Every syllable counts. So I wrestle with word choice, rhythm in final drafts...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/stephen-karam-10010_actor_in-terms-of-smaller-changes-over-time-i_2868081.jpg" --- # In terms of smaller changes over time, I think good plays… ![“In terms of smaller changes over time, I think good plays are like poems. Every syllable counts. So I wrestle with word choice, rhythm in final drafts.” quote by Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/stephen-karam-10010_actor_in-terms-of-smaller-changes-over-time-i_2868081.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/stephen-karam-10010_actor_in-terms-of-smaller-changes-over-time-i_2868081.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/stephen-karam-10010_actor_in-terms-of-smaller-changes-over-time-i_2868081.jpg) > “In terms of smaller changes over time, I think good plays are like poems. Every syllable counts. So I wrestle with word choice, rhythm in final drafts.” [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good writing is like poetry; every word matters, shaping rhythm and meaning. **In simple terms:** Precise word choice creates powerful prose. Key Takeaway Edit with attention to detail. Themes writing poetry craft Mood reflective creative Type literary instructional When to use this quote - playwriting - creative process - drafting Key Concepts literature editing artistry Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance precision and flow? - What techniques improve lyrical prose? A Different Perspective May cause paralysis by perfectionism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Once you get a couple good plays, you get confidence and it carries over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/once-you-get-a-couple-good-plays-you-get-confidence-and-it-carries/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [Good plays drive bad playgoers crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooks-atkinson/good-plays-drive-bad-playgoers-crazy/) [Brooks Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooks-atkinson/) > [My '60s plays were as good as most of the other plays I've written ... except I wasn't in a condition to refine them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/my-60s-plays-were-as-good-as-most-of-the-other-plays-i-ve-written/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [I don't believe really good plays - interesting plays, complicated plays - can mean just one thing to every single person in the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mantello/i-don-t-believe-really-good-plays-interesting-plays-complicated-plays/) [Joe Mantello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mantello/) > [A great many quite good plays could be performed with rhythmic howls in the place of dialogue and lose almost nothing by the change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-great-many-quite-good-plays-could-be-performed-with-rhythmic-howls/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Everyone's taste is different. But I think the best way to defend against regrets after opening night is to try your best to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/everyone-s-taste-is-different-but-i-think-the-best-way-to-defend/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I usually do at least a dozen drafts and progressively make more-conscious decisions. Because I've always believed stories are closer to poems than novels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/i-usually-do-at-least-a-dozen-drafts-and-progressively-make-more/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [I'm just going to continue to make good plays. Making the right decisions, good decisions with the ball so my team can play with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-moore/i-m-just-going-to-continue-to-make-good-plays-making-the-right/) [Maya Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-moore/) > [It's my job to get us in good plays, or more importantly, out of bad plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-brees/it-s-my-job-to-get-us-in-good-plays-or-more-importantly-out-of-bad/) [Drew Brees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-brees/) > [Our job is to unleash the play. It's not just about your character or interaction with the other characters. There's an energy in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/our-job-is-to-unleash-the-play-it-s-not-just-about-your-character-or/) [Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-jackson/) > [Anytime I get the opportunity to get the ball, I just want to make good plays and help my team win the game and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desean-jackson/anytime-i-get-the-opportunity-to-get-the-ball-i-just-want-to-make/) [DeSean Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desean-jackson/) > [There's going to be good plays that happen and bad plays that happen, but at the end of the day, when you have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dalton/there-s-going-to-be-good-plays-that-happen-and-bad-plays-that-happen/) [Andy Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dalton/) > [When I'm able to see the ice ahead of time when I get the puck, I'm able to make some pretty good plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-lemieux/when-i-m-able-to-see-the-ice-ahead-of-time-when-i-get-the-puck-i-m/) [Mario Lemieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-lemieux/) > [I like to get the ball on the ground, make good plays and move the ball around the pitch quickly at a good tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bojan-krkic/i-like-to-get-the-ball-on-the-ground-make-good-plays-and-move-the/) [Bojan Krkic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bojan-krkic/) > [Eat good dinners and drink good wine; read good novels if you have the leisure and see good plays; fall in love, if there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/eat-good-dinners-and-drink-good-wine-read-good-novels-if-you-have-the/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) ## More by Stephen Karam > [I've always viewed 'Sons of the Prophet' as the first part of a larger trilogy - not three plays dependent on each other but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-ve-always-viewed-sons-of-the-prophet-as-the-first-part-of-a-larger/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Until I have a family or a mortgage, I'm trying to keep my lifestyle simple and my apartment affordable so that I can continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/until-i-have-a-family-or-a-mortgage-i-m-trying-to-keep-my-lifestyle/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I worry that I will lose control over the projects I get to work on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-worry-that-i-will-lose-control-over-the-projects-i-get-to-work-on/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I don't think I could write a good play if I was setting out to write about the death of the American middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-don-t-think-i-could-write-a-good-play-if-i-was-setting-out-to-write/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Under Todd Haimes' leadership, Roundabout created a black-box theater whose sole mission was to house premieres by writers who are just starting out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/under-todd-haimes-leadership-roundabout-created-a-black-box-theater/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I didn't quite fit in in any particular, specific way. I was a gay teenager who was into drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-didn-t-quite-fit-in-in-any-particular-specific-way-i-was-a-gay/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I'm still learning so much with every play I write. So I wrestle with word choice, rhythm in final drafts. I think you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-m-still-learning-so-much-with-every-play-i-write-so-i-wrestle-with/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I'm always very self-conscious and assume the way faith or religion might come up in my plays will seem very harsh to people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-m-always-very-self-conscious-and-assume-the-way-faith-or-religion/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [To be totally honest, I thought I would have a Broadway debut in the distant, distant future, maybe in my 60s or 70s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/to-be-totally-honest-i-thought-i-would-have-a-broadway-debut-in-the/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Coming home for me isn't, like, one family dinner. It's about am I gonna see 50 relatives, or am I gonna see 85?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/coming-home-for-me-isn-t-like-one-family-dinner-it-s-about-am-i-gonna/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [When you're the artsy, weirdo, introverted outsider growing up, you don't fit into your community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/when-you-re-the-artsy-weirdo-introverted-outsider-growing-up-you-don/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Writing plays for me is often an act of looking at basement-level fears in terms of where they come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/writing-plays-for-me-is-often-an-act-of-looking-at-basement-level/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I don't come from a family of artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-don-t-come-from-a-family-of-artists/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [ Suddenly you're at church and you hear someone pray, "For gays and lesbians, that they might realize their \[sins\]…" That's happening less and less… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/suddenly-you-re-at-church-and-you-hear-someone-pray-for-gays-and/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Janet Carroll and Robert Pine, Chris Pine's dad, were in my first play, and they were so astonishingly good, I felt it raised my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/janet-carroll-and-robert-pine-chris-pine-s-dad-were-in-my-first-play/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) [Explore all 68 Stephen Karam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In terms of smaller changes over time, I think good plays are like poems. Every syllable counts. 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