--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because I was a television writer for…" description: "\"Because I was a television writer for many years, I write very conversationally. I put things straight, and with a lot of humor.\" — Tracy McMillan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e4/tracy-mcmillan-13411_because_because-i-was-a-television-writer-for-ma_2987017.png" --- # Because I was a television writer for many years, I write… ![“Because I was a television writer for many years, I write very conversationally. I put things straight, and with a lot of humor.” quote by Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e4/tracy-mcmillan-13411_because_because-i-was-a-television-writer-for-ma_2987017.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e4/tracy-mcmillan-13411_because_because-i-was-a-television-writer-for-ma_2987017.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e4/tracy-mcmillan-13411_because_because-i-was-a-television-writer-for-ma_2987017.png) > “Because I was a television writer for many years, I write very conversationally. I put things straight, and with a lot of humor.” [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Television writing teaches a conversational style: direct, humorous, and clear. **In simple terms:** TV writing makes prose conversational and witty. Key Takeaway Write like you speak, with humor. Themes writing style humor clarity Mood playful informative Type advice reflection When to use this quote - blog posts - screenplays - public speaking Key Concepts conversational tone directness Questions to Reflect On - How does humor affect your message? - When is a formal tone needed? A Different Perspective Overly casual tone may reduce perceived authority. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I try to write conversationally; I try to write like people speak and put the emphasis on the right syllable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-henley/i-try-to-write-conversationally-i-try-to-write-like-people-speak-and/) [Don Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-henley/) > [A smile is a curve that sets things straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-josland/a-smile-is-a-curve-that-sets-things-straight/) Azgraybebly Josland > [Getting things straight in your head is a major achievement because there's so much clutter out there. You've got to push aside the static…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wynn/getting-things-straight-in-your-head-is-a-major-achievement-because/) [Steve Wynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wynn/) > [People like me because I am the only one that says things straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-milei/people-like-me-because-i-am-the-only-one-that-says-things-straight/) [Javier Milei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-milei/) > [Actually, I do have a knack of pulling things off with a straight face, guess it runs in my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riya-sen/actually-i-do-have-a-knack-of-pulling-things-off-with-a-straight-face/) [Riya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riya-sen/) > [I'd like to set things straight, a few more people should be pulling their weight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-tippin/i-d-like-to-set-things-straight-a-few-more-people-should-be-pulling/) [Aaron Tippin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-tippin/) > [Do you think that Hemingway knew he was a writer at twenty years old? No, he did not. Or Fitzgerald, or Wolfe. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/do-you-think-that-hemingway-knew-he-was-a-writer-at-twenty-years-old/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [Genius is the talent for seeing things straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maude-adams/genius-is-the-talent-for-seeing-things-straight/) Maude Adams > [A Smile is a curve which can set a lot of things straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/a-smile-is-a-curve-which-can-set-a-lot-of-things-straight/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [The way I have progressed as a writer over the years is to try and stay true to the principles I absorbed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-chapman/the-way-i-have-progressed-as-a-writer-over-the-years-is-to-try-and/) [Rob Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-chapman/) > [A smile is a curve that can get a lot of things straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-smile-is-a-curve-that-can-get-a-lot-of-things-straight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My mother was a restorer, she repaired broken things. I don't do that. I destroy things. I cannot go the straight line. I must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bourgeois/my-mother-was-a-restorer-she-repaired-broken-things-i-don-t-do-that-i/) [Louise Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bourgeois/) > [“A smile is a curve that can set things straight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anvita-ahuja/a-smile-is-a-curve-that-can-set-things-straight/) [Anvita Ahuja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anvita-ahuja/) > [I've been a writer for years, but it was mainly as a function of trying to be a director, so I just got work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-baena/i-ve-been-a-writer-for-years-but-it-was-mainly-as-a-function-of/) [Jeff Baena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-baena/) > [I always prefer things straight up, not cold or watered down. Not big on cocktails either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-law/i-always-prefer-things-straight-up-not-cold-or-watered-down-not-big/) [Jude Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-law/) ## More by Tracy McMillan > [When you ask for patience, what you get is a line at the bank. In other words, life gives you the people, places, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/when-you-ask-for-patience-what-you-get-is-a-line-at-the-bank-in-other/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [I'm a blunt person, not mean-spirited. I come from a place of love, but I'm interested in being real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/i-m-a-blunt-person-not-mean-spirited-i-come-from-a-place-of-love-but/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [I think of masculine and feminine energy like two sides to a battery. There's a plus side and a minus side, and in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/i-think-of-masculine-and-feminine-energy-like-two-sides-to-a-battery/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [“Being a dick is when you're so self-centered, you think your ideas are pretty much the only worthy ones, and you secretly believe other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/being-a-dick-is-when-you-re-so-self-centered-you-think-your-ideas-are/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [When relationships don't work out, it doesn't mean you're a bad person, it just means you weren't meant to be together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/when-relationships-don-t-work-out-it-doesn-t-mean-you-re-a-bad-person/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [Ask anyone who has been in a love relationship for a while: nothing is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/ask-anyone-who-has-been-in-a-love-relationship-for-a-while-nothing-is/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [Women with low self-esteem love bad boys. Women who have work to do love bad boys. Women who love themselves love good men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/women-with-low-self-esteem-love-bad-boys-women-who-have-work-to-do/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [Yes, I have 'failed' at marriage - a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/yes-i-have-failed-at-marriage-a-lot/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [Relationships are like the world's most intense yoga! It's a daily practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/relationships-are-like-the-world-s-most-intense-yoga-it-s-a-daily/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [One of the beautiful things about men is that they're very in the moment. That's why they don't want to have an argument about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/one-of-the-beautiful-things-about-men-is-that-they-re-very-in-the/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [Work is a different type of pursuit than relationships. You can't take the skills that you know that have gotten you into that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/work-is-a-different-type-of-pursuit-than-relationships-you-can-t-take/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [We have this false idea in our culture that if you haven't made it by 30, then you're never going to do anything interesting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/we-have-this-false-idea-in-our-culture-that-if-you-haven-t-made-it-by/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [The thing is, relationships never work out... until they do. You learn a lot from relationships that don't work out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/the-thing-is-relationships-never-work-out-until-they-do-you-learn-a/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [“Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out yet, it's not the end. Unknown”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/everything-works-out-in-the-end-if-it-hasn-t-worked-out-yet-it-s-not/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [Putting my words piece online was an important part of my plan to help women learn how to love themselves and have a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/putting-my-words-piece-online-was-an-important-part-of-my-plan-to/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) [Explore all 50 Tracy McMillan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [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/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I was contacted by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MP, through the Pune Film Institute and offered the post in the NFDC. I accepted it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-was-contacted-by-rajyavardhan-singh-rathore-mp-through-the-pune/) [Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) Browse all 15,485 Because quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Because I was a television writer for many years, I write very conversationally. 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