--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't have an idea for a play until…" description: "\"I don't have an idea for a play until after I've finished writing it. I write first, and come up with what it's about later. My technique could be comp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ba/wallace-shawn-7437_canvas_i-don-t-have-an-idea-for-a-play-until-af_1409792.jpg" --- # I don't have an idea for a play until after I've finished… ![“I don't have an idea for a play until after I've finished writing it. I write first, and come up with what it's about later. My technique could be compared to having a large canvas and coming in every day and putting a dot on it somewhere, and after several years - literally - I begin to say, That…” quote by Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ba/wallace-shawn-7437_canvas_i-don-t-have-an-idea-for-a-play-until-af_1409792.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ba/wallace-shawn-7437_canvas_i-don-t-have-an-idea-for-a-play-until-af_1409792.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ba/wallace-shawn-7437_canvas_i-don-t-have-an-idea-for-a-play-until-af_1409792.jpg) > “I don't have an idea for a play until after I've finished writing it. I write first, and come up with what it's about later. My technique could be compared to having a large canvas and coming in every day and putting a dot on it somewhere, and after several years - literally - I begin to say, That reminds me of an elephant, so I think I'll make it one.” [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. His creative process is iterative, starting without a clear concept and allowing the work to reveal its direction over time. **In simple terms:** He writes first, discovers story later. Key Takeaway Start creating, let ideas emerge. Themes creativity process iteration discovery Mood reflective inspirational Type creative process-oriented When to use this quote - writing - painting - design - long‑term projects Key Concepts artistic methodology innovation Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle uncertainty in creation? - What strategies help you stay motivated without a clear goal? A Different Perspective Lack of initial vision can cause inefficiency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Elephants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elephants/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [My idea is to play with the people who you know want to get it right. Then it's fun and easy to record, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-folds/my-idea-is-to-play-with-the-people-who-you-know-want-to-get-it-right/) [Ben Folds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-folds/) > [I had no idea of who could play it, no notion really. Then Richard came to see us but I don't think it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/i-had-no-idea-of-who-could-play-it-no-notion-really-then-richard-came/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [True, I don't begin with an idea for a play - a thesis, in other words, to construct the play around. But I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/true-i-don-t-begin-with-an-idea-for-a-play-a-thesis-in-other-words-to/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [The process by which the idea for a play comes to me has always been something I really couldn't pinpoint. A play just seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/the-process-by-which-the-idea-for-a-play-comes-to-me-has-always-been/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [And it was the idea that you can do a play - like a Shakespeare play, or any well-written play, Arthur Miller, whatever -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-earl-jones/and-it-was-the-idea-that-you-can-do-a-play-like-a-shakespeare-play-or/) [James Earl Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-earl-jones/) > [But I can't find anybody. That's the problem. I don't know where they are. I mean, I've got an idea that there must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd-barrett/but-i-can-t-find-anybody-that-s-the-problem-i-don-t-know-where-they/) [Syd Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd-barrett/) > [When I grew up, I always had the idea that I would play for England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-dier/when-i-grew-up-i-always-had-the-idea-that-i-would-play-for-england/) [Eric Dier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-dier/) > [There is this idea that you have to play heroines or women who succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/there-is-this-idea-that-you-have-to-play-heroines-or-women-who-succeed/) [Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/) > [The whole idea of play is in finding, acknowledging, and then working with the natural constraints and limitations that you find in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bogost/the-whole-idea-of-play-is-in-finding-acknowledging-and-then-working/) [Ian Bogost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bogost/) > [Also, from a technical point of view, as you're standing in front of a microphone all day, it's quite a good idea that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-darrow/also-from-a-technical-point-of-view-as-you-re-standing-in-front-of-a/) [Paul Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-darrow/) > [I think there's this idea that if we put up a play with all African-Americans or all Latinas, or even if we mix it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-c-moore/i-think-there-s-this-idea-that-if-we-put-up-a-play-with-all-african/) [Adrienne C. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-c-moore/) > [If it’s a pure expression of yourself no matter what it is or what medium, it’s going to shine. It’s going to resonate. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/if-it-s-a-pure-expression-of-yourself-no-matter-what-it-is-or-what/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [My use of evenly repeated dots and diagonal lines and uninflected color areas suggest that my work is right where it is, right on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-lichtenstein/my-use-of-evenly-repeated-dots-and-diagonal-lines-and-uninflected/) [Roy Lichtenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-lichtenstein/) > [When finished writing a post, go back and add bullets, sub heads, spacing; eliminate long paragraphs or sentences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hyatt/when-finished-writing-a-post-go-back-and-add-bullets-sub-heads/) [Michael Hyatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hyatt/) > [Ever since 'Strange Heaven,' I haven't really reread my old work. Not so much because I don't like the writer I was, or because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/ever-since-strange-heaven-i-haven-t-really-reread-my-old-work-not-so/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) ## More by Wallace Shawn > [Acting is an escape from the boring person that I am in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/acting-is-an-escape-from-the-boring-person-that-i-am-in-real-life/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [You can go to a play that is enjoyable because it's funny, and then on the next night you can go to a play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/you-can-go-to-a-play-that-is-enjoyable-because-it-s-funny-and-then-on/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [The actor's role in the community is quite unlike anyone else's. Businessmen, for example, don't take their clothes off or cry in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/the-actor-s-role-in-the-community-is-quite-unlike-anyone-else-s/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [From being a writer of plays, it was not that surprising that somebody thought of giving me a job as an actor. After I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/from-being-a-writer-of-plays-it-was-not-that-surprising-that-somebody/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I have more free time than a lot of individuals, so, instead of talking, I sometimes write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-have-more-free-time-than-a-lot-of-individuals-so-instead-of-talking/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [My personal life is lived as 'me,' but my professional life is lived as other people. In other words, when I go to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/my-personal-life-is-lived-as-me-but-my-professional-life-is-lived-as/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [There's nothing regular about my life at all, really. I don't keep a regular schedule and every day is different. It's all rather chaotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/there-s-nothing-regular-about-my-life-at-all-really-i-don-t-keep-a/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I am recognized a lot for 'Clueless,' but I am recognized a great deal for 'The Princess Bride.' I don't know... maybe everybody who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-am-recognized-a-lot-for-clueless-but-i-am-recognized-a-great-deal/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [Sleep: a poor substitute for caffeine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/sleep-a-poor-substitute-for-caffeine/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I'm a very lucky man. It's a beautiful thing for a writer, to see people allowing your words to enter their own unconscious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-m-a-very-lucky-man-it-s-a-beautiful-thing-for-a-writer-to-see/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [And my singing, I don't think I could sing Wagner or opera, but I could probably carry a tune. I was in a musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/and-my-singing-i-don-t-think-i-could-sing-wagner-or-opera-but-i-could/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I think I'm trying to write truthfully about life, and naturalism, or the way people normally talk in movies, is a convention. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-think-i-m-trying-to-write-truthfully-about-life-and-naturalism-or/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [I'm trying to write truthfully about life, and naturalism, or the way people normally talk in movies, is a convention. The way I write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-m-trying-to-write-truthfully-about-life-and-naturalism-or-the-way/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [When I was first starting to write plays, I quite literally had never heard of the idea of studying playwriting. I wouldn't have studied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/when-i-was-first-starting-to-write-plays-i-quite-literally-had-never/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [When I was a child, I did always feel that people were hiding things, and that they weren't expressing their true feelings. When adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/when-i-was-a-child-i-did-always-feel-that-people-were-hiding-things/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) [Explore all 91 Wallace Shawn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [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/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! 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I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't have an idea for a play until after I've finished writing it. I write first, and come up with what it's about later. 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