--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Professor Al Drake encouraged me to just…" description: "\"Professor Al Drake encouraged me to just write the way I talk. I decided if that's what I needed to do, I didn't need to be in school to do it.\" — Tom ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c6/tom-bodett-20459_als_professor-al-drake-encouraged-me-to-just_1751200.png" --- # Professor Al Drake encouraged me to just write the way I… ![“Professor Al Drake encouraged me to just write the way I talk. I decided if that's what I needed to do, I didn't need to be in school to do it.” quote by Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c6/tom-bodett-20459_als_professor-al-drake-encouraged-me-to-just_1751200.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c6/tom-bodett-20459_als_professor-al-drake-encouraged-me-to-just_1751200.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c6/tom-bodett-20459_als_professor-al-drake-encouraged-me-to-just_1751200.png) > “Professor Al Drake encouraged me to just write the way I talk. I decided if that's what I needed to do, I didn't need to be in school to do it.” [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages writing in a natural, conversational voice, bypassing formal constraints. **In simple terms:** Write as you speak. Key Takeaway Embrace authentic voice. Themes authenticity writing creativity Mood reflective inspirational Type advice personal When to use this quote - blogging - personal essays - journaling - teaching writing Key Concepts voice self‑expression Questions to Reflect On - How does your natural voice affect reader engagement? - Can informal style convey complex ideas? A Different Perspective May lack polish for formal contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Professors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professors/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [What I do when I write is I just write the way I would tell it, so it comes out just exactly the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/what-i-do-when-i-write-is-i-just-write-the-way-i-would-tell-it-so-it/) [Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/) > [I remember thinking during those times that I wanted to write in a way where there are no rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanis-morissette/i-remember-thinking-during-those-times-that-i-wanted-to-write-in-a/) [Alanis Morissette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanis-morissette/) > [“Write the way you want to, not the way you think you should.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-j-mcdonagh/write-the-way-you-want-to-not-the-way-you-think-you-should/) Nicola J. McDonagh > [Write your own part. It is the only way I've gotten anywhere. It is much harder work, but sometimes you have to take destiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/write-your-own-part-it-is-the-only-way-i-ve-gotten-anywhere-it-is/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [You will feel discouraged; you will lose confidence in your abilities; you will be bored with the characters–and the only way to overcome these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dufresne/you-will-feel-discouraged-you-will-lose-confidence-in-your-abilities/) [John Dufresne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dufresne/) > [And so I write the way I myself would like the book to be – if I were a child. I write for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astrid-lindgren/and-so-i-write-the-way-i-myself-would-like-the-book-to-be-if-i-were-a/) [Astrid Lindgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astrid-lindgren/) > [Write in a disciplined manner, but write in a way that is natural to the individual's thought processes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/write-in-a-disciplined-manner-but-write-in-a-way-that-is-natural-to/) [Donald McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-mckay/) > [“whatever I was writing, I was always trying to write my way back to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/whatever-i-was-writing-i-was-always-trying-to-write-my-way-back-to-you/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [I'd like to write the way Matisse paints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/i-d-like-to-write-the-way-matisse-paints/) [A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) > [“As neanderthals, writing on the caves, I write as a way to behave”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-michael-wahlgren/as-neanderthals-writing-on-the-caves-i-write-as-a-way-to-behave/) J. Michael Wahlgren > [reading is not a passive act. It's a creative act. It's a relationship between the writer and a person the writer will probably never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/reading-is-not-a-passive-act-it-s-a-creative-act-it-s-a-relationship/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I digress a lot - it's how I experience the world. I would like to write in a way that will convey that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-digress-a-lot-it-s-how-i-experience-the-world-i-would-like-to-write/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [I probably read 100 times more than I write, but that way when I move my characters through it, I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-auel/i-probably-read-100-times-more-than-i-write-but-that-way-when-i-move/) [Jean M. Auel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-auel/) > [The way we learn to write is the way we learn to talk: We listen to others and start mimicking speech, and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/the-way-we-learn-to-write-is-the-way-we-learn-to-talk-we-listen-to/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [Dear John, tell me everything. Write it all down, that way, we’ll be with each other all the time, even if we’re not with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/dear-john-tell-me-everything-write-it-all-down-that-way-we-ll-be-with/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) ## More by Tom Bodett > [Kids in Alaska don't know they're growing up on the Last Frontier. It's just what they see on the license plates, and it's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/kids-in-alaska-don-t-know-they-re-growing-up-on-the-last-frontier-it/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [Did you ever notice that nobody you see on television looks like anyone you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/did-you-ever-notice-that-nobody-you-see-on-television-looks-like/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [It's not like Alaska isn't wilderness - it mostly is. But most Alaskans don't live in the wild. They live on the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/it-s-not-like-alaska-isn-t-wilderness-it-mostly-is-but-most-alaskans/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [What you hear is southern Michigan, not a drawl, but a halting kind of speech where you leave spaces when there shouldn't be any.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/what-you-hear-is-southern-michigan-not-a-drawl-but-a-halting-kind-of/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [My work is still very much light-hearted, positive outlook, laugh at yourself. But it isn't going to be the laugh-a-minute kind of thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/my-work-is-still-very-much-light-hearted-positive-outlook-laugh-at/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [Americans are generally very self-sufficient and I think generally averse to pretension, just as I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/americans-are-generally-very-self-sufficient-and-i-think-generally/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [I'm real. I believe what I'm saying. If Motel 6 wasn't the type of operation they say it is - and I stay at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/i-m-real-i-believe-what-i-m-saying-if-motel-6-wasn-t-the-type-of/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [Like most Alaska immigrants, my roots continue to petition for equal time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/like-most-alaska-immigrants-my-roots-continue-to-petition-for-equal/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [Could the garment and appliance industries be in cahoots together, creating an artificial sock demand to keep us buying?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/could-the-garment-and-appliance-industries-be-in-cahoots-together/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/they-say-a-person-needs-just-three-things-to-be-truly-happy-in-this/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [Mine is not a story to tell struggling writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/mine-is-not-a-story-to-tell-struggling-writers/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [The difference between an optimist and a pessimist? An optimist laughs to forget, but a pessimist forgets to laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/the-difference-between-an-optimist-and-a-pessimist-an-optimist-laughs/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [I know how to make adults laugh pretty well. I don't know if kids think I'm that funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/i-know-how-to-make-adults-laugh-pretty-well-i-don-t-know-if-kids/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [I went to Alaska as a young man just looking for adventure. And like so many of us in the '70s, we found it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/i-went-to-alaska-as-a-young-man-just-looking-for-adventure-and-like/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [For some people, you know, Garrison Keillor, Rush Limbaugh, really the stars, they've got a passion. They eat, drink and breathe radio, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/for-some-people-you-know-garrison-keillor-rush-limbaugh-really-the/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) [Explore all 31 Tom Bodett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) ## More Als quotes > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [You can't ignore reality. 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It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/constitutional-is-just-a-real-pip-of-a-word-positively-rolls-off-the/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [Everybody who I ever cared about has told me that they like my music: Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Al Green, The Spinners, Smokey Robinson.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/everybody-who-i-ever-cared-about-has-told-me-that-they-like-my-music/) [Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/) > [Paraphrased: The way of al-Junayd includes among other things abstaining constantly from resisting God Most High in whatever happens to one, whether good or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-ata-allah/paraphrased-the-way-of-al-junayd-includes-among-other-things/) [Ibn Ata Allah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-ata-allah/) > [For Al Gore and Paul Ehrlich and Co., whatever the problem, the solution is always the same. Whether it's global cooling, global warming, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/for-al-gore-and-paul-ehrlich-and-co-whatever-the-problem-the-solution/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Barack Obama became president, and he abandoned Iraq. He left, and when he left Al Qaida was done for. ISIS was created because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/barack-obama-became-president-and-he-abandoned-iraq-he-left-and-when/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [USC is the National Champion like Al Gore is the President of the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-emmert/usc-is-the-national-champion-like-al-gore-is-the-president-of-the/) [Mark Emmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-emmert/) > [Critics have stepped up their attacks on the President for authorizing the National Security Agency to listen to international communications of known al Qaeda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mcclellan/critics-have-stepped-up-their-attacks-on-the-president-for/) [Scott McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mcclellan/) > [ The heart becomes sick, as the body becomes sick, and its remedy is al-Tawbah (repentance) and protection \[from transgression\]. It becomes rusty as a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/the-heart-becomes-sick-as-the-body-becomes-sick-and-its-remedy-is-al/) [Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/) > [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/) [Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/) > [ This war \[in Syria\] is going to support Al-Qaeda and the same people that killed Americans in the 11th of September. The second thing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/this-war-in-syria-is-going-to-support-al-qaeda-and-the-same-people/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [Courageous? Courageous would have been admitting weakness and leaving Dauntless, no matter what shame accompanied it. Pride is what killed Al, and it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/courageous-courageous-would-have-been-admitting-weakness-and-leaving/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [And I, the former mystic, was thinking: Yes, man is stronger, greater than God. When Adam and Eve deceived You, You chased them from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/and-i-the-former-mystic-was-thinking-yes-man-is-stronger-greater-than/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) Browse all 894 Als quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Professor Al Drake encouraged me to just write the way I talk. 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