--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it is harder to write a story…" description: "\"I think it is harder to write a story that appeals to the intellect. But, when you tie onto one, you can do it quite deeply. It really depends on the t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/stephen-king-13_appeals_i-think-it-is-harder-to-write-a-story-th_2603134.jpg" --- # I think it is harder to write a story that appeals to the… ![“I think it is harder to write a story that appeals to the intellect. But, when you tie onto one, you can do it quite deeply. It really depends on the type of idea you have to begin with.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/stephen-king-13_appeals_i-think-it-is-harder-to-write-a-story-th_2603134.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/stephen-king-13_appeals_i-think-it-is-harder-to-write-a-story-th_2603134.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/stephen-king-13_appeals_i-think-it-is-harder-to-write-a-story-th_2603134.jpg) > “I think it is harder to write a story that appeals to the intellect. But, when you tie onto one, you can do it quite deeply. It really depends on the type of idea you have to begin with.” [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. Crafting a story that engages the mind requires a clear, compelling idea as a foundation, allowing depth in intellectual appeal. **In simple terms:** A good story needs a strong core idea to engage intellect. Key Takeaway Start with a clear, strong concept. Themes writing intellect creativity Mood thoughtful inspired Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - teaching creative writing Key Concepts story structure idea development Questions to Reflect On - What core idea drives your current project? - How can you balance intellect and emotion? A Different Perspective A strong idea alone may not guarantee reader interest without emotional resonance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appeals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appeals/) [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends/) [Harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harder/) [Harder Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harder-write-317060/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect/) [Intellect Tie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect-tie-1962880/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story Appeals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-appeals-1242701/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Ties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ties/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-story/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [You can do it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you-can-do-it/) ## Related quotes > [People don't come to the theatres to watch a kiss. It's the story that appeals to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kriti-kharbanda/people-don-t-come-to-the-theatres-to-watch-a-kiss-it-s-the-story-that/) [Kriti Kharbanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kriti-kharbanda/) > [It's harder to write a story with just two people in a room than with 50 characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/it-s-harder-to-write-a-story-with-just-two-people-in-a-room-than-with/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [“When you write a story, you're telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/when-you-write-a-story-you-re-telling-yourself-the-story-when-you/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story,” he said. “When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/when-you-write-a-story-you-re-telling-yourself-the-story-he-said-when/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Yes, I've made a great deal of dough from my fiction, but I never set a single word down on paper with the thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/yes-i-ve-made-a-great-deal-of-dough-from-my-fiction-but-i-never-set-a-2/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Some of this book—perhaps too much—has been about how I learned to do it. Much of it has been about how you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/some-of-this-book-perhaps-too-much-has-been-about-how-i-learned-to-do/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Yes, I’ve made a great deal of dough from my fiction, but I never set a single word down on paper with the thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/yes-i-ve-made-a-great-deal-of-dough-from-my-fiction-but-i-never-set-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [For some it is harder to write a novel than to row a bathtub across the North Atlantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/for-some-it-is-harder-to-write-a-novel-than-to-row-a-bathtub-across/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [Nonfiction is both easier and harder to write than fiction. It's easier because the facts are already laid out before you, and there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/nonfiction-is-both-easier-and-harder-to-write-than-fiction-it-s/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [The rain comes down harder as I write. It sheets off the roof in torrents. I wish it would pound against me. Pound the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-donnelly/the-rain-comes-down-harder-as-i-write-it-sheets-off-the-roof-in/) [Jennifer Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-donnelly/) > [It's harder to write two people happy and in love than two people fighting and driving each other crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-long/it-s-harder-to-write-two-people-happy-and-in-love-than-two-people/) [Shelley Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-long/) > [“I feel pretty good about it so far, but it's been a little harder to write than I'd hoped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-davis/i-feel-pretty-good-about-it-so-far-but-it-s-been-a-little-harder-to/) [Peter Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-davis/) > [In an odd way I thought I was lowering the bar for myself, in saying, well, I'll make a pop album. But in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-pierce/in-an-odd-way-i-thought-i-was-lowering-the-bar-for-myself-in-saying/) [Jason Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-pierce/) > [A lot of people who don't write for kids think it's easy, because they think kids aren't as smart as they are, or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/a-lot-of-people-who-don-t-write-for-kids-think-it-s-easy-because-they/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) ## 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 Appeals quotes > [Quotations can be valuable, like raisins in the rice pudding, for adding iron as well as eye appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/quotations-can-be-valuable-like-raisins-in-the-rice-pudding-for/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [If Robert Heinlein is more to your taste than George Lucas: “If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drum/if-robert-heinlein-is-more-to-your-taste-than-george-lucas-if-you-are/) [Kevin Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drum/) > [All the cliches of glamorous sophistication have little appeal to me. Do I want to live the British version of 'Dynasty?' No thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/all-the-cliches-of-glamorous-sophistication-have-little-appeal-to-me/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) > [It's an appeal as old as America and its presidency: This is an extraordinary country populated by hard-working, big-dreaming, freedom-loving people graced by God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/it-s-an-appeal-as-old-as-america-and-its-presidency-this-is-an/) [Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/) > [I liked wrestling a lot better than boxing. I remember thinking at that time that wrestling was a pure demonstration of strength, which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-carpenter/i-liked-wrestling-a-lot-better-than-boxing-i-remember-thinking-at/) [Scott Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-carpenter/) > [As a social and as a personal force, religion has become a dependent variable. It does not originate; it reacts. It does not denounce;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-wright-mills/as-a-social-and-as-a-personal-force-religion-has-become-a-dependent/) [C. Wright Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-wright-mills/) > [The ascent of any route begins, in dreams at least, the autumn before. Our minds ring, involuntarily, with the alluring names of mountains, aiguilles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-rebuffat/the-ascent-of-any-route-begins-in-dreams-at-least-the-autumn-before/) [Gaston Rebuffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-rebuffat/) > [I sometimes find that my family's emphasis on stories, characters, and art that appeals directly to children rather than over their heads to adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-berenstain/i-sometimes-find-that-my-family-s-emphasis-on-stories-characters-and/) [Mike Berenstain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-berenstain/) > [Vice is its own reward. It is virtue which, if it is to be marketed with consumer appeal, must carry Green Shield stamps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/vice-is-its-own-reward-it-is-virtue-which-if-it-is-to-be-marketed/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [In my early teens, science fiction and fantasy had an almost-total hold over my imagination. Their outcast status was part of their appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/in-my-early-teens-science-fiction-and-fantasy-had-an-almost-total/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [The fact is that there is a profound spiritual hunger in the western world which, for a variety of reasons, its church is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-phillips/the-fact-is-that-there-is-a-profound-spiritual-hunger-in-the-western/) [Melanie Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-phillips/) > [People can talk about punk all they want, but after new wave put that down, metal is the voice of the disenfranchised and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/people-can-talk-about-punk-all-they-want-but-after-new-wave-put-that/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [Appeal to all scholars of stupidity in the world. Come to Italy, this country has the highest rate of morons of the universe, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/appeal-to-all-scholars-of-stupidity-in-the-world-come-to-italy-this/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Popular thought appeals to crowds, gatherings and tribes, who use it as a way to guide the herd. It is very evident in protests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/popular-thought-appeals-to-crowds-gatherings-and-tribes-who-use-it-as/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble. An animal perfectly in harmony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-law-of-nature-we-overlook-that-intellectual-versatility-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 1,420 Appeals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appeals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it is harder to write a story that appeals to the intellect. But, when you tie onto one, you can do it quite deeply. It really depends on the type of idea you have to begin with.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-think-it-is-harder-to-write-a-story-that-appeals-to-the-intellect/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appeals" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-think-it-is-harder-to-write-a-story-that-appeals-to-the-intellect/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/stephen-king-13_appeals_i-think-it-is-harder-to-write-a-story-th_2603134.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/stephen-king-13_appeals_i-think-it-is-harder-to-write-a-story-th_2603134.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/stephen-king-13_appeals_i-think-it-is-harder-to-write-a-story-th_2603134.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think it is harder to write a story that appeals to the intellect. But, when you tie onto one, you can do…” — Stephen King", "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": "Stephen King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think it is harder to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-think-it-is-harder-to-write-a-story-that-appeals-to-the-intellect/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-think-it-is-harder-to-write-a-story-that-appeals-to-the-intellect/#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 } } ] } ```