--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't take notes; I don't outline, I…" description: "\"I don't take notes; I don't outline, I don't do anything like that. I just flail away at the goddamn thing. I'm a salami writer. I try to write good sa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/458/stephen-king-13_caviar_i-don-t-take-notes-i-don-t-outline-i-don_1082471.jpg" --- # I don't take notes; I don't outline, I don't do anything… ![“I don't take notes; I don't outline, I don't do anything like that. I just flail away at the goddamn thing. I'm a salami writer. I try to write good salami, but salami is salami. You can't sell it as caviar.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/458/stephen-king-13_caviar_i-don-t-take-notes-i-don-t-outline-i-don_1082471.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/458/stephen-king-13_caviar_i-don-t-take-notes-i-don-t-outline-i-don_1082471.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/458/stephen-king-13_caviar_i-don-t-take-notes-i-don-t-outline-i-don_1082471.jpg) > “I don't take notes; I don't outline, I don't do anything like that. I just flail away at the goddamn thing. I'm a salami writer. I try to write good salami, but salami is salami. You can't sell it as caviar.” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He rejects formal planning, preferring spontaneous, unstructured writing, likening it to slicing salami—each piece is the, not a premium product. **In simple terms:** He writes without outlines, producing raw, unrefined work. Key Takeaway Embrace spontaneity, but recognize limits of unstructured drafts. Themes creativity process authenticity Mood frustrated determined reflective Type advice process When to use this quote - novel drafting - first drafts - creative blocks - self‑editing Key Concepts spontaneous writing salami metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does lack of structure affect quality? - Can spontaneity coexist with disciplined editing? A Different Perspective May result in incoherent or uneven work without revision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Caviar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caviar/) [Salami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salami/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a salami writer. I try to write good salami, but salami is salami.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-m-a-salami-writer-i-try-to-write-good-salami-but-salami-is-salami/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Russians will consume marinated mushrooms and vodka, salted herring and vodka, smoked salmon and vodka, salami and vodka, caviar on brown bread and vodka,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedrick-smith/russians-will-consume-marinated-mushrooms-and-vodka-salted-herring/) [Hedrick Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedrick-smith/) > [Do not make a stingy sandwich; pile the cold cuts high; so you should see salami coming through the rye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-sherman/do-not-make-a-stingy-sandwich-pile-the-cold-cuts-high-so-you-should/) [Allan Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-sherman/) > [“You are so full of salami.” “It’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-t-sullivan/you-are-so-full-of-salami-it-s/) [Mark T. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-t-sullivan/) > [Get a taste of the salami, knock knock knock knock you down like a tsunami, bust in you like atomi-ee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pretty-ricky/get-a-taste-of-the-salami-knock-knock-knock-knock-you-down-like-a/) [Pretty Ricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pretty-ricky/) > [To eat the boiled head of a pig sliced like salami is very strange. It may seem cutting edge, but it's actually a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/to-eat-the-boiled-head-of-a-pig-sliced-like-salami-is-very-strange-it/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [In the middle of this it was good to have some moments in which whatever was left of you could sit in silence. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-o-ceallaigh/in-the-middle-of-this-it-was-good-to-have-some-moments-in-which/) [Philip O Ceallaigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-o-ceallaigh/) > [I can never resist the good stuff: salami, pepperoni, you name it. I love it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/i-can-never-resist-the-good-stuff-salami-pepperoni-you-name-it-i-love/) [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/) > [Baloney is just salami with an inferiority complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/baloney-is-just-salami-with-an-inferiority-complex/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [“It's not polite to ask if a man has a big salami in his pants, okay?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/it-s-not-polite-to-ask-if-a-man-has-a-big-salami-in-his-pants-okay/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [Get out the rye bread and mustard grandma, cause it's GRAND SALAMI TIME!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-niehaus/get-out-the-rye-bread-and-mustard-grandma-cause-it-s-grand-salami-time/) Dave Niehaus > [While I have the utmost respect for people who practice the Christian faith, the fact is, as everyone knows, I am as Jewish as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-mason/while-i-have-the-utmost-respect-for-people-who-practice-the-christian/) [Jackie Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-mason/) > [On Saturday, he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice-cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-carle/on-saturday-he-ate-through-one-piece-of-chocolate-cake-one-ice-cream/) [Eric Carle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-carle/) > [One of our neighbors is a salami distributor, and they pretty well - I mean, we used their salami to make a rocket engine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/one-of-our-neighbors-is-a-salami-distributor-and-they-pretty-well-i/) [Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/) > [“salami tactics—slicing off layers of opposition one by one. Most people were distracted, some were imprisoned, and others were outmatched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/salami-tactics-slicing-off-layers-of-opposition-one-by-one-most/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Caviar quotes > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [“Honestly,’ she said when they were out of Bruce’s earshot, ‘he’s as bad in the kitchen as you are. What do you people do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-pascal/honestly-she-said-when-they-were-out-of-bruce-s-earshot-he-s-as-bad/) [Francine Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-pascal/) > [It was part of theTexas ritual? We know about champagne and caviar but we talk hog and hominy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/it-was-part-of-thetexas-ritual-we-know-about-champagne-and-caviar-but/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [Wit ought to be a glorious treat like caviar; never spread it about like marmalade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/wit-ought-to-be-a-glorious-treat-like-caviar-never-spread-it-about/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [Some people wanted champagne and caviar when they should have had beer and hot dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/some-people-wanted-champagne-and-caviar-when-they-should-have-had/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [ “\[Her\] idea of a fair trade--her lentils for your caviar.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-corrigan/her-idea-of-a-fair-trade-her-lentils-for-your-caviar/) Maya Corrigan > [ I guess, as they say, I never acquired a taste for \[caviar\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-guess-as-they-say-i-never-acquired-a-taste-for-caviar/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [Ain't got no caviar, no Dom Perignon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-rucker/ain-t-got-no-caviar-no-dom-perignon/) [Darius Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darius-rucker/) > [ \[on whether he harbored any resentment at his forced retirement from the stage after he was fired by Britain's National Theater\] I should be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-olivier/on-whether-he-harbored-any-resentment-at-his-forced-retirement-from/) [Laurence Olivier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-olivier/) > [When I go out, I love steak and caviar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-diaz/when-i-go-out-i-love-steak-and-caviar/) [Cameron Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-diaz/) > [Children never lie...I remember my daughter standing in her crib the first time I gave her caviar. I put it on bread. She ate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-p-pin/children-never-lie-i-remember-my-daughter-standing-in-her-crib-the/) [Jacques Pepin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-p-pin/) > [I love quinoa. It's great, it cooks like rice and is better than caviar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clotilde-hesme/i-love-quinoa-it-s-great-it-cooks-like-rice-and-is-better-than-caviar/) [Clotilde Hesme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clotilde-hesme/) > [God didn't bless me with success so I could eat caviar every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathie-lee-gifford/god-didn-t-bless-me-with-success-so-i-could-eat-caviar-every-day/) [Kathie Lee Gifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathie-lee-gifford/) > [Grab some caviar from the kitchen. You wouldn't believe the muck they feed us in Bartleby's for ten thousand a term.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/grab-some-caviar-from-the-kitchen-you-wouldn-t-believe-the-muck-they/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [Give me Caviar Kaspia and give me a hamburger. I love the two extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/give-me-caviar-kaspia-and-give-me-a-hamburger-i-love-the-two-extremes/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) [Browse all 79 Caviar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caviar/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't take notes; I don't outline, I don't do anything like that. I just flail away at the goddamn thing. I'm a salami writer. I try to write good salami, but salami is salami. 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