--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you write a story, you're telling…" description: "\"“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 not the story.”\" — St..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/stephen-king-13_story-telling_when-you-write-a-story-you-re-telling-yo_2549542.jpg" --- # When you write a story, you're telling yourself the story… ![“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 not the story.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/stephen-king-13_story-telling_when-you-write-a-story-you-re-telling-yo_2549542.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/stephen-king-13_story-telling_when-you-write-a-story-you-re-telling-yo_2549542.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/stephen-king-13_story-telling_when-you-write-a-story-you-re-telling-yo_2549542.jpg) > ““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 not the story.”” [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. Writing is a process of discovering personal truth; revision removes distractions to reveal the core narrative. **In simple terms:** Storytelling reveals self; editing clarifies it. Key Takeaway Focus on the essential truth. Themes creativity self‑discovery editing Mood introspective inspirational Type literary advice When to use this quote - writing a novel - journaling - screenwriting - personal essays Key Concepts Narrative truth clarity self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What parts of your story feel most authentic? - How do you decide what to cut? A Different Perspective Over‑editing can strip emotional nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Story Rewrite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-rewrite-1507819/) [Story telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-telling/) [Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling/) [Telling Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-story/) [Write Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-story/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [When you write you tell yourself a story. When you rewrite you take out everything that is NOT the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/when-you-write-you-tell-yourself-a-story-when-you-rewrite-you-take/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [If your subject is crime, then you know at least that you're going to have a real story. If your subject is the maturing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/if-your-subject-is-crime-then-you-know-at-least-that-you-re-going-to/) [Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/) > [Story is about pulling the reader in and a plot is a more externalized mechanism of revelation. A plot is more antic, more performative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/story-is-about-pulling-the-reader-in-and-a-plot-is-a-more/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [“If the story you're telling, is the story you're telling, you're in deep shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/if-the-story-you-re-telling-is-the-story-you-re-telling-you-re-in/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [All I care about is the story and telling the story. I don't care how people ingest it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/all-i-care-about-is-the-story-and-telling-the-story-i-don-t-care-how/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [Being an actor is an extension of telling a story and I loved story telling as a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-burton/being-an-actor-is-an-extension-of-telling-a-story-and-i-loved-story/) [Amanda Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-burton/) > [I never think of an entire book at once. I always just start with a very small idea. In 'Holes,' I just began with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sachar/i-never-think-of-an-entire-book-at-once-i-always-just-start-with-a/) [Louis Sachar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sachar/) > [I think that people have to have a story. When you tell a story, most people are not good storytellers because they think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-winget/i-think-that-people-have-to-have-a-story-when-you-tell-a-story-most/) [Larry Winget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-winget/) > [“Humans are a story telling species. Throughout history we have told stories to each other and ourselves as one of the ways to understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/humans-are-a-story-telling-species-throughout-history-we-have-told/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [The characters are telling you the story. I’m not telling you the story, they’re going to do it. If I do it right, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-v-higgins/the-characters-are-telling-you-the-story-i-m-not-telling-you-the/) [George V. Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-v-higgins/) > [“Stories continue in all directions to include even the retelling of the stories themselves, as legend is informed by interpretation, and interpretation is informed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/stories-continue-in-all-directions-to-include-even-the-retelling-of/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [I tell the story to you now, but in each telling the story itself changes a little, changes direction, and that in turn changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/i-tell-the-story-to-you-now-but-in-each-telling-the-story-itself/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [“So what does story telling give a piece? Ultimately this is their brand.  This is their story which makes them different from the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-merrett/so-what-does-story-telling-give-a-piece-ultimately-this-is-their/) [Julie Merrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-merrett/) > [“It doesn't matter what story we're telling, we're telling the story of family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-lorraine-scheidt/it-doesn-t-matter-what-story-we-re-telling-we-re-telling-the-story-of/) [Erica Lorraine Scheidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-lorraine-scheidt/) ## 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 Story telling quotes > [Story is about pulling the reader in and a plot is a more externalized mechanism of revelation. A plot is more antic, more performative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/story-is-about-pulling-the-reader-in-and-a-plot-is-a-more/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [“Her silent singing wrapped around the story she was telling herself, which she extended further every night on the deck. (Averill often told herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/her-silent-singing-wrapped-around-the-story-she-was-telling-herself/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [There should be a period of time during each practice session when you perform. Invite some friends in to your practice room and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-jacobs/there-should-be-a-period-of-time-during-each-practice-session-when/) [Arnold Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-jacobs/) > [Fiction and non-fiction are only different techniques of story telling. For reasons I do not fully understand, fiction dances out of me. Non-fiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/fiction-and-non-fiction-are-only-different-techniques-of-story/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“Someone once told me people write down stories because they would like to forget, and those who read are those who would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zelazny/someone-once-told-me-people-write-down-stories-because-they-would/) [John Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zelazny/) > [Audiences want great story telling; it's why white people watch my show 'Black in America.' It's why black people watch 'Latina in America.' All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/audiences-want-great-story-telling-it-s-why-white-people-watch-my/) [Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/) > [I never troll for material. It simply presents itself, and is always unmistakable. This is why I want to roll my eyes when people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-never-troll-for-material-it-simply-presents-itself-and-is-always/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [“Life is a collection of memories and feelings. Mawkish sentimentally urges us to engage in artistic overtures, we yearn to share with other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/life-is-a-collection-of-memories-and-feelings-mawkish-sentimentally/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [I want to make movies that people see. I really think that movies are the most popular form of story telling ever and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alden-ehrenreich/i-want-to-make-movies-that-people-see-i-really-think-that-movies-are/) [Alden Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alden-ehrenreich/) > [Being an actor is an extension of telling a story and I loved story telling as a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-burton/being-an-actor-is-an-extension-of-telling-a-story-and-i-loved-story/) [Amanda Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-burton/) > [“Storytelling is our task with the next generation, and it starts with loving the story ourselves and telling it as though we believe it—because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/storytelling-is-our-task-with-the-next-generation-and-it-starts-with/) [Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/) > [It's not what a person learns, but what story they're telling themself, that disorders their life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/it-s-not-what-a-person-learns-but-what-story-they-re-telling-themself/) [Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/) > [To me, there's still nothing more thrilling than, every week, people getting to see another chapter in this story that you're telling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-berlanti/to-me-there-s-still-nothing-more-thrilling-than-every-week-people/) [Greg Berlanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-berlanti/) > [Part of the job is knowing how to use this medium in the most effective way for the story you're telling, so for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/part-of-the-job-is-knowing-how-to-use-this-medium-in-the-most/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [“Story telling or teachable moments, provides us with a vast reference base of real life antidotes for possible future problems. They not only entertain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drexel-deal/story-telling-or-teachable-moments-provides-us-with-a-vast-reference/) [Drexel Deal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drexel-deal/) [Browse all 168 Story telling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-telling/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When you write a story, you're telling yourself the story. 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