--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you write, it's making a certain…" description: "\"When you write, it's making a certain kind of music in your head. There's a rhythm to it, a pulse, and on the whole, I'm writing to that drum rather th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/tom-stoppard-437_certain_when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kin_1124087.png" --- # When you write, it's making a certain kind of music in… ![“When you write, it's making a certain kind of music in your head. There's a rhythm to it, a pulse, and on the whole, I'm writing to that drum rather than the psychological process.” quote by Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/tom-stoppard-437_certain_when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kin_1124087.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/tom-stoppard-437_certain_when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kin_1124087.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/tom-stoppard-437_certain_when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kin_1124087.png) > “When you write, it's making a certain kind of music in your head. There's a rhythm to it, a pulse, and on the whole, I'm writing to that drum rather than the psychological process.” [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) ## 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 likened to music, with rhythm and pulse guiding the creative process. **In simple terms:** Writing feels like making music in your mind. Key Takeaway Embrace rhythm when you write. Themes creativity process music writing Mood inspired thoughtful Type creative metaphorical When to use this quote - author workshops - creative writing classes - personal journaling - songwriting Key Concepts metaphor flow cognitive rhythm Questions to Reflect On - How does rhythm affect your writing flow? - Can you hear a “drum” in your ideas? A Different Perspective Not all writers experience this musical sense. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [My drum parts are a song within the song; that's the way I look at writing my drum parts. They follow patterns, and they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-paul/my-drum-parts-are-a-song-within-the-song-that-s-the-way-i-look-at/) [Vinnie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-paul/) > [What I did with my first records was, my writing process was that I didn't touch any instruments to write it, so I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-e-clark/what-i-did-with-my-first-records-was-my-writing-process-was-that-i/) [Annie E. Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-e-clark/) > [In some ways, I don’t feel as if I had a choice. Looking back at my childhood, even before I could read and write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/in-some-ways-i-don-t-feel-as-if-i-had-a-choice-looking-back-at-my/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [I started getting back into buying old analog gear while we were recording. Lots of old drum machines and synths. It wasn't a conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gore/i-started-getting-back-into-buying-old-analog-gear-while-we-were/) [Martin Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gore/) > [Ourchestra: So you haven't got a drum, just beat your belly. So I haven't got a horn-I'll play my nose. So we haven't any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/ourchestra-so-you-haven-t-got-a-drum-just-beat-your-belly-so-i-haven/) [Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/) > [Uh, aint it crazy how shit be? Thats why I flush it. I got the Tommy gun with the drum, thats percussion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/uh-aint-it-crazy-how-shit-be-thats-why-i-flush-it-i-got-the-tommy-gun/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [We all have those friends that tick to their drum, and you don't want them to tick to anybody else's drum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-livingston/we-all-have-those-friends-that-tick-to-their-drum-and-you-don-t-want/) [Shaun Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-livingston/) > [“What I Will by Suheir Hammad I will not dance to your war drum. I will not lend my soul nor my bones to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suheir-hammad/what-i-will-by-suheir-hammad-i-will-not-dance-to-your-war-drum-i-will/) [Suheir Hammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suheir-hammad/) > [There is no music unless the drum and the drummer are one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/there-is-no-music-unless-the-drum-and-the-drummer-are-one/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [I try to drum each day. It's therapeutic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-chippendale/i-try-to-drum-each-day-it-s-therapeutic/) [Brian Chippendale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-chippendale/) > [I can kind of play the piano and I've got a drum kit which I've been meaning to learn. And I am going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhod-gilbert/i-can-kind-of-play-the-piano-and-i-ve-got-a-drum-kit-which-i-ve-been/) [Rhod Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhod-gilbert/) > [It's interesting. I've known quite a few good athletes that can't begin to play a beat on the drum set. Most team sport is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/it-s-interesting-i-ve-known-quite-a-few-good-athletes-that-can-t/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [The evocative power of the drum can be compared to the Trinity. The drum's frame comes from the trunk of a tree, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-olatunji/the-evocative-power-of-the-drum-can-be-compared-to-the-trinity-the/) [Babatunde Olatunji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-olatunji/) > [I feel like, with drum programming, the way I used to do it, I'd think of how somebody would play these drum patterns and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tycho/i-feel-like-with-drum-programming-the-way-i-used-to-do-it-i-d-think/) [Tycho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tycho/) > [The great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-great-issue-of-life-is-to-harness-the-drum-major-instinct/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) ## More by Tom Stoppard > [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [If you want to change something by Tuesday, theater is no good. Journalism is what does that. But, if you want to just alter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-you-want-to-change-something-by-tuesday-theater-is-no-good/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [After all these years, I definitely associate having a pen in my hand with having an ashtray just out of eye line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/after-all-these-years-i-definitely-associate-having-a-pen-in-my-hand/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [The universe is deterministic all right, just like Newton said, I mean it's trying to be, but the only thing going wrong is people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-universe-is-deterministic-all-right-just-like-newton-said-i-mean/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [For me, human rights simply endorse a view of life and a set of moral values that are perfectly clear to an eight-year-old child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/for-me-human-rights-simply-endorse-a-view-of-life-and-a-set-of-moral/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [“What is an artist? For every thousand people there's nine hundred doing the work, ninety doing well, nine doing good, and one lucky bastard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/what-is-an-artist-for-every-thousand-people-there-s-nine-hundred/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Dying is not romantic, and death is not a game which will soon be over... Death is not anything... death is not... It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/dying-is-not-romantic-and-death-is-not-a-game-which-will-soon-be-over/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I'm not interested in clothes; I just like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-m-not-interested-in-clothes-i-just-like-them/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [For 10 years of my life, 3 times a day, I thanked the Lord for what I was about to receive and thanked him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/for-10-years-of-my-life-3-times-a-day-i-thanked-the-lord-for-what-i/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [You should not translate for more than two hours at a time. After that, you lose your edge, the language becomes clumsy, rigid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-should-not-translate-for-more-than-two-hours-at-a-time-after-that/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [No matter how imperfect things are, if you've got a free press everything is correctable, and without it everything is concealable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/no-matter-how-imperfect-things-are-if-you-ve-got-a-free-press/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [We must be born with an intuition of mortality. Before we know the word for it. Before we know that there are words. Out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/we-must-be-born-with-an-intuition-of-mortality-before-we-know-the/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Eternity's a terrible thought. I mean, where's it all going to end?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/eternity-s-a-terrible-thought-i-mean-where-s-it-all-going-to-end/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [There is truth and falsehood in a comma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/there-is-truth-and-falsehood-in-a-comma/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) [Explore all 559 Tom Stoppard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) Riffat Hassan > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you write, it's making a certain kind of music in your head. There's a rhythm to it, a pulse, and on the whole, I'm writing to that drum rather than the psychological process.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Stoppard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kind-of-music-in-your-head-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kind-of-music-in-your-head-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/tom-stoppard-437_certain_when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kin_1124087.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/tom-stoppard-437_certain_when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kin_1124087.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/tom-stoppard-437_certain_when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kin_1124087.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you write, it's making a certain kind of music in your head. There's a rhythm to it, a pulse, and on…” — Tom Stoppard", "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": "Tom Stoppard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you write, it's making a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kind-of-music-in-your-head-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/when-you-write-it-s-making-a-certain-kind-of-music-in-your-head-there/#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 } } ] } ```