--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you write you tell yourself a story…" description: "\"When you write you tell yourself a story. When you rewrite you take out everything that is NOT the story.\" — Stephen King" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/stephen-king-13_stories_when-you-write-you-tell-yourself-a-story_2793263.jpg" --- # When you write you tell yourself a story. When you rewrite… ![“When you write you tell yourself a story. When you rewrite you take out everything that is NOT the story.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/stephen-king-13_stories_when-you-write-you-tell-yourself-a-story_2793263.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/stephen-king-13_stories_when-you-write-you-tell-yourself-a-story_2793263.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/stephen-king-13_stories_when-you-write-you-tell-yourself-a-story_2793263.jpg) > “When you write you tell yourself a story. When you rewrite you take out everything that is 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 shaping a narrative, removing anything that doesn’t serve the core story. **In simple terms:** Focus on the story, cut the rest. Key Takeaway Edit ruthlessly to keep the story clear. Themes writing editing storytelling Mood reflective determined Type advice process When to use this quote - novel drafting - screenplay polishing - blog post editing - academic paper revision Key Concepts Narrative focus clarity revision Questions to Reflect On - What elements are essential to your story? - How do you decide what to discard? A Different Perspective Cutting too much can strip needed context or nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Rewrite Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewrite-story-675940/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story Rewrite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-rewrite-1507819/) [Tell Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-story/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-tell-1900521/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [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/) > [“You have the Elements to write a grand Tale,” Kai said with a sad smile. “But you will not rewrite Story.” He thumped his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-burt/you-have-the-elements-to-write-a-grand-tale-kai-said-with-a-sad-smile/) [Marissa Burt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-burt/) > [When it is my editor telling me how to rewrite a story, I listen and do what she asks because I have learned that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/when-it-is-my-editor-telling-me-how-to-rewrite-a-story-i-listen-and/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [We must rewrite our story from one of fear to one of celebration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kameron-hurley/we-must-rewrite-our-story-from-one-of-fear-to-one-of-celebration/) [Kameron Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kameron-hurley/) > [“but the way i see it is, hasn't it been long enough? Hasn't the world always been full of monsters and lies? Isn't it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-marx-fitzgerald/but-the-way-i-see-it-is-hasn-t-it-been-long-enough-hasn-t-the-world/) [Laura Marx Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-marx-fitzgerald/) > [“I am one man with a laptop. When I give the world my characters, it's because I don't want to keep them for myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-lillis/i-am-one-man-with-a-laptop-when-i-give-the-world-my-characters-it-s/) [J.C. Lillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-lillis/) > [If you want ACTION, don’t write. Go and tell the guy what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/if-you-want-action-don-t-write-go-and-tell-the-guy-what-you-want/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [I write to tell the truth about the black condition as I see it. Therefore, I write to offer a black woman's view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sanchez/i-write-to-tell-the-truth-about-the-black-condition-as-i-see-it/) [Sonia Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sanchez/) > [If you are at the mercy of what they call print interviews and the mercy of people who write about you, they can always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/if-you-are-at-the-mercy-of-what-they-call-print-interviews-and-the/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [You want songs to sound cohesive with the other songs on the record but when you first start writing you just want to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/you-want-songs-to-sound-cohesive-with-the-other-songs-on-the-record/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [I promised myself that I would write as well as I can, tell the truth, not to tell everything I know, but to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-promised-myself-that-i-would-write-as-well-as-i-can-tell-the-truth/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I hate when other people read the things I write down and tell other people. but then I get made fun of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-when-other-people-read-the-things-i-write-down-and-tell-other/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I write to tell stories. I believe that there a some professions in the world that will last forever: doctor or a nurse, teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eppu-nuotio/i-write-to-tell-stories-i-believe-that-there-a-some-professions-in/) [Eppu Nuotio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eppu-nuotio/) > [The existence of the writer is to write, and to write is to tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/the-existence-of-the-writer-is-to-write-and-to-write-is-to-tell-the/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) ## 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. 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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 Stories quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [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/) > [When you listen to someone improvise, the notes that are played are only half the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-laws/when-you-listen-to-someone-improvise-the-notes-that-are-played-are/) [Hubert Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-laws/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [She smiled, if he could see that, and waited for him to ask the real question. But he was silent. He wanted her to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-shinn/she-smiled-if-he-could-see-that-and-waited-for-him-to-ask-the-real/) [Sharon Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-shinn/) > [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/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I think it's actually kind of sweet how there is a reciprocal effect that our stories can have on each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-think-it-s-actually-kind-of-sweet-how-there-is-a-reciprocal-effect/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. 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We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Browse all 19,094 Stories quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you write you tell yourself a story. 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