--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is a habit, an addiction, as…" description: "\"“Writing is a habit, an addiction, as powerful and overmastering an urge as putting a bottle to your lips or a spike in your arm. Call it the impulse t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdf/t-c-boyle-8108_addiction_writing-is-a-habit-an-addiction-as-power_824023.jpg" --- # Writing is a habit, an addiction, as powerful and… ![“Writing is a habit, an addiction, as powerful and overmastering an urge as putting a bottle to your lips or a spike in your arm. Call it the impulse to make something out of nothing, call it an obsessive-compulsive disorder, call it logorrhea. Have you been in a bookstore lately? Have you seen…” quote by T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdf/t-c-boyle-8108_addiction_writing-is-a-habit-an-addiction-as-power_824023.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdf/t-c-boyle-8108_addiction_writing-is-a-habit-an-addiction-as-power_824023.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdf/t-c-boyle-8108_addiction_writing-is-a-habit-an-addiction-as-power_824023.jpg) > ““Writing is a habit, an addiction, as powerful and overmastering an urge as putting a bottle to your lips or a spike in your arm. Call it the impulse to make something out of nothing, call it an obsessive-compulsive disorder, call it logorrhea. Have you been in a bookstore lately? Have you seen what these authors are doing, the mountainous piles of the flakes of themselves they're leaving behind, like the neatly labeled jars of shit, piss, and toenail clippings one of John Barth's characters bequeathed to his wife, the ultimate expression of his deepest self?”” [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing can become a compulsive habit that dominates a writer’s life, turning creation into an obsessive need. **In simple terms:** Writing can become an obsessive habit. Key Takeaway Recognize and balance creative drive. Themes creativity addiction selfexpression Mood intense reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - author workshops - personal journaling - creative blocks - mental health - literary analysis Key Concepts obsessivecompulsion identity artistic drive Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate healthy creativity from harmful obsession? - What strategies help maintain balance? A Different Perspective The compulsion may hinder productivity and mental well‑being. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Obsessive compulsive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessive-compulsive/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [John Barth, I think, was really a writer of my own age and somewhat of my own temperament, although his books are very different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/john-barth-i-think-was-really-a-writer-of-my-own-age-and-somewhat-of/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“I lean my head back and stare at the stark white ceiling. “My friend Zoe used to say I had obsessive compulsive disorder when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siobhan-davis/i-lean-my-head-back-and-stare-at-the-stark-white-ceiling-my-friend/) [Siobhan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siobhan-davis/) > [“I think, therefore I am (obsessive and compulsive).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-croall/i-think-therefore-i-am-obsessive-and-compulsive/) Amy Croall > [I could not do what I do if I were not obsessive compulsive to a certain extent. I don't act clinically OCD. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/i-could-not-do-what-i-do-if-i-were-not-obsessive-compulsive-to-a/) [Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/) > [I'm not as obsessive-compulsive about certain things; I give a lot of latitude to people and support people. I know that I can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-karan/i-m-not-as-obsessive-compulsive-about-certain-things-i-give-a-lot-of/) [Donna Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-karan/) > [If only I had discipline, but alas, it is only an obsessive-compulsive trait and the beauty of habit that causes me to return again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/if-only-i-had-discipline-but-alas-it-is-only-an-obsessive-compulsive/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [Writing became an obsessive compulsive habit but I had almost no money so I thought about being an urban firefighter and having lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/writing-became-an-obsessive-compulsive-habit-but-i-had-almost-no/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [We work crazy hours in Silicon Valley; my wife says we're all kind of diseased in some way. We're totally obsessive compulsive - when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-fadell/we-work-crazy-hours-in-silicon-valley-my-wife-says-we-re-all-kind-of/) [Tony Fadell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-fadell/) > [My personality's very obsessive-compulsive. I tend to fixate a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitski/my-personality-s-very-obsessive-compulsive-i-tend-to-fixate-a-lot/) [Mitski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitski/) > [Baseball is not necessarily an obsessive-compulsive disorder, like washing your hands 100 times a day, but it's beginning to seem that way. We're reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-boswell/baseball-is-not-necessarily-an-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-like/) [Thomas Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-boswell/) > [I don't switch off at 5 P.M. I am obsessive and compulsive about what I do, so my personal and professional lives are totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-barton/i-don-t-switch-off-at-5-p-m-i-am-obsessive-and-compulsive-about-what/) [Joey Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-barton/) > [Curing yourself of obsessive compulsive disorder by going to a strip club is pretty strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/curing-yourself-of-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-by-going-to-a-strip/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [I'm pretty obsessive-compulsive, and I'm very fast. I tend to not write for a long period of time until I can't not write, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rapp/i-m-pretty-obsessive-compulsive-and-i-m-very-fast-i-tend-to-not-write/) [Adam Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rapp/) > [Manchester United could have any goalkeeper in the world. I was a 23-year-old kid from New Jersey who, from an early age, had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-howard/manchester-united-could-have-any-goalkeeper-in-the-world-i-was-a-23/) [Tim Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-howard/) > [Every moment in life can be interpreted as a risk, depending on our outlook - and level of obsessive- compulsive disorder! I do my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dash-mihok/every-moment-in-life-can-be-interpreted-as-a-risk-depending-on-our/) [Dash Mihok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dash-mihok/) ## More by T.C. Boyle > [Everything we do is escapism, because we'll all be dead and everything we do is completely meaningless. Why brush your teeth? Why not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/everything-we-do-is-escapism-because-we-ll-all-be-dead-and-everything/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [ The hardest thing in a novel is time. You've got \[a line like\] "two weeks later, he woke up with a headache," and you've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/the-hardest-thing-in-a-novel-is-time-you-ve-got-a-line-like-two-weeks/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [Writing is a channeling of an individual experience; so is reading. That's what's so exciting about this art form - it's interactive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/writing-is-a-channeling-of-an-individual-experience-so-is-reading/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [I'm pretty hardcore. I stick exactly to what I'm doing. So I write a novel in one period, and then I'll write stories in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-m-pretty-hardcore-i-stick-exactly-to-what-i-m-doing-so-i-write-a/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [Work saved me. Literature saved me. It sounds corny but it's absolutely true. I was going in the wrong direction, but after the 9,000th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/work-saved-me-literature-saved-me-it-sounds-corny-but-it-s-absolutely/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [There are always surprises. Life may be inveterately grim and the surprises disproportionately unpleasant, but it would be hardly worth living if there were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/there-are-always-surprises-life-may-be-inveterately-grim-and-the/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [“Besides, to like something, to really like it and come out and say so, is taking a terrible risk. I mean, what if I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/besides-to-like-something-to-really-like-it-and-come-out-and-say-so/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [“I am concerned with social and environmental issues. What rational person is not? But advocacy and art do not mix. Art is a seduction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-am-concerned-with-social-and-environmental-issues-what-rational/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [Pleasure, I remind myself, is inseparable from its lawfully wedded mate, pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/pleasure-i-remind-myself-is-inseparable-from-its-lawfully-wedded-mate/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [A glad zest and hopefulness might be inspired even in the most jaded and ennui-cursed, were there in our homes such simple, truthful natures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/a-glad-zest-and-hopefulness-might-be-inspired-even-in-the-most-jaded/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [What I'm doing is exploring things. This is why I'm a fiction writer rather than an essayist or a politician or whatever. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/what-i-m-doing-is-exploring-things-this-is-why-i-m-a-fiction-writer/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [“Who was she in high school? Little Miss Nobody. She could have embroidered it on her sweaters, tattooed it across her forehead. And in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/who-was-she-in-high-school-little-miss-nobody-she-could-have/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [The professorial dictum has always been to write what you know, but I say write what you don't know and find something out. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/the-professorial-dictum-has-always-been-to-write-what-you-know-but-i/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [A richly detailed, poignant, and utterly fascinating look into another culture and how it is cross-pollinated by our own. It brings to mind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/a-richly-detailed-poignant-and-utterly-fascinating-look-into-another/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [I always listen to music while I'm working and I always read aloud to my wife. I love to read aloud to an audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-always-listen-to-music-while-i-m-working-and-i-always-read-aloud-to/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) [Explore all 83 T.C. Boyle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) ## More Addiction quotes > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [“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/) > [I really think the disease aspect gets lost when you're talking about alcoholism and addiction; it's not like you're battling leukemia or a heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-irsay/i-really-think-the-disease-aspect-gets-lost-when-you-re-talking-about/) [Jim Irsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-irsay/) > [I had an addiction to artificial points of success. Like being able to run for this or run for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-gallego/i-had-an-addiction-to-artificial-points-of-success-like-being-able-to/) [Ruben Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-gallego/) > [“Addictions are just symptoms of underlying issues, and in my view Nikki self-medicated the emotional pain of his childhood, and being away from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/addictions-are-just-symptoms-of-underlying-issues-and-in-my-view/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [“Oil. The great addiction of the civilized world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/oil-the-great-addiction-of-the-civilized-world/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [“They say when you fall in love in love with someone that person becomes like a drug,an addiction you don't want to live without.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-when-you-fall-in-love-in-love-with-someone-that-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Addictions - Run to Jesus instead of running to your addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/addictions-run-to-jesus-instead-of-running-to-your-addiction/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Music is my personal addiction. So much of everything I've done has only been to open more doors for the music itself. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/music-is-my-personal-addiction-so-much-of-everything-i-ve-done-has/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) > [Cold sweats, hallucinations I wanna speed to stop. The hell I'm going through The addiction's taking you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bullet-for-my-valentine/cold-sweats-hallucinations-i-wanna-speed-to-stop-the-hell-i-m-going/) [Bullet For My Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bullet-for-my-valentine/) > [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) David Norman > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Browse all 2,134 Addiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Writing is a habit, an addiction, as powerful and overmastering an urge as putting a bottle to your lips or a spike in your arm. 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