---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You become a different writer when you…"
description: "\"You become a different writer when you approach a short story. When things are not always having to represent other things, you find real human beings ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/zadie-smith-584_approach_you-become-a-different-writer-when-you-a_1993000.png"
---

#  You become a different writer when you approach a short…

![“You become a different writer when you approach a short story. When things are not always having to represent other things, you find real human beings begin to cautiously appear on your pages.” quote by Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/zadie-smith-584_approach_you-become-a-different-writer-when-you-a_1993000.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/zadie-smith-584_approach_you-become-a-different-writer-when-you-a_1993000.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/zadie-smith-584_approach_you-become-a-different-writer-when-you-a_1993000.png)

> “You become a different writer when you approach a short story. When things are not always having to represent other things, you find real human beings begin to cautiously appear on your pages.”

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When writing short stories, focusing on human characters rather than symbolic representations yields authentic narratives.

**In simple terms:** Focus on real people for genuine stories.

Key Takeaway

Write with human depth.

Themes

writing authenticity character literature

Mood

reflective inspired

Type

literary instructional

When to use this quote

- short story workshops
- creative writing classes
- personal essays
- fiction editing

Key Concepts

Narrative focus humanism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does character focus change your storytelling?
- What risks arise from avoiding symbolism?

A Different Perspective

May overlook broader thematic resonance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Insightful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insightful/) [Short story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-story/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm a different writer now. You don't sit in a room with Sopranos creator David Chase and writer Terence Winter for four years and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-weiner/i-m-a-different-writer-now-you-don-t-sit-in-a-room-with-sopranos/)

[Matthew Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-weiner/)

> [It's different for every writer. It's not a career for anyone who needs security. It's a career for gamblers. It's a career of ups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/it-s-different-for-every-writer-it-s-not-a-career-for-anyone-who/)

[George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/)

> [I think about all my scenes. I do so much revising as I go along; I wonder how I could write books if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mccafferty/i-think-about-all-my-scenes-i-do-so-much-revising-as-i-go-along-i/)

[Megan McCafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mccafferty/)

> [There are certain writers I can't read when I'm trying to write because their voices are so distinct. Cormac McCarthy, he's the most different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/there-are-certain-writers-i-can-t-read-when-i-m-trying-to-write/)

[Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/)

> [I do so much revising as I go along; I wonder how I could write books if I hadn't grown up in the computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mccafferty/i-do-so-much-revising-as-i-go-along-i-wonder-how-i-could-write-books/)

[Megan McCafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mccafferty/)

> [Any fictional story will take things from real events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoojit-sircar/any-fictional-story-will-take-things-from-real-events/)

[Shoojit Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoojit-sircar/)

> [Change is fundamental in story. If things go static, stories die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-stanton/change-is-fundamental-in-story-if-things-go-static-stories-die/)

[Andrew Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-stanton/)

> [Then I tell my own story. The two things that people really need to transform is language to understand their experience and to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/then-i-tell-my-own-story-the-two-things-that-people-really-need-to/)

[Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

> [“There's nothing new about this story of ours, such things happen. Love misses its mark, arrives too early or too late. Nobody dies, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aminatta-forna/there-s-nothing-new-about-this-story-of-ours-such-things-happen-love/)

[Aminatta Forna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aminatta-forna/)

> [A mathematical proof is beautiful, but when you're finished, it's really only about one thing. A story can be about many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/a-mathematical-proof-is-beautiful-but-when-you-re-finished-it-s/)

[Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/)

> [Some things work better as a book, some things work better as a story, some things works better as a film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-nolan/some-things-work-better-as-a-book-some-things-work-better-as-a-story/)

[Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-nolan/)

> [Sometimes I get the story wrong, or it's the wrong story, and then things don't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lloyd-webber/sometimes-i-get-the-story-wrong-or-it-s-the-wrong-story-and-then/)

[Andrew Lloyd Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lloyd-webber/)

> [“This book contains a story and several other things. The other things might be connected with the story, or they might not; they might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/this-book-contains-a-story-and-several-other-things-the-other-things/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [That was one of the key things - when you asked the story about the writing of the story - one of the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-reeves/that-was-one-of-the-key-things-when-you-asked-the-story-about-the/)

[Matt Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-reeves/)

> [I feel like my job as a storyteller and director is to create an experience where the audience forgets they're in a cinema and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-unkrich/i-feel-like-my-job-as-a-storyteller-and-director-is-to-create-an/)

[Lee Unkrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-unkrich/)

## More by Zadie Smith

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [“Pretty girls lie at the centre of straight culture, dyke culture, fag culture. They sell everything, they buy everything, they ruin great men and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/pretty-girls-lie-at-the-centre-of-straight-culture-dyke-culture-fag/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [“I have known many true connoisseurs, with excellent tastes that range across the humanities and the culinary arts--and they never fail to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with-excellent-tastes-that-range/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [I cannot believe homosexuality is that much fun. Heterosexuality certainly is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-cannot-believe-homosexuality-is-that-much-fun-heterosexuality/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [“Either everything is sacred or nothing is. And if he starts burning other people’s things, then he loses something sacred also. Everyone gets what’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/either-everything-is-sacred-or-nothing-is-and-if-he-starts-burning/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [My feeling is, having lived in different classes, that people want equality of opportunity... that's the thing that makes me despair: the idea that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/my-feeling-is-having-lived-in-different-classes-that-people-want/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [I don't keep any copies of my books in the house - they go to my mum's flat. I don't like them around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-don-t-keep-any-copies-of-my-books-in-the-house-they-go-to-my-mum-s/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [But it makes an immigrant laugh to hear the fears of the nationalist, scared of infection, penetration, miscegenation, when this is small fry, peanuts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/but-it-makes-an-immigrant-laugh-to-hear-the-fears-of-the-nationalist/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [Oh, I know that. You know me, baby, I cannot be broken. Takes a giant to snap me in half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/oh-i-know-that-you-know-me-baby-i-cannot-be-broken-takes-a-giant-to/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [“In short, it was precisely the kind of friendship and Englishman makes on holiday, that he can make only on holiday. A friendship that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/in-short-it-was-precisely-the-kind-of-friendship-and-englishman-makes/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [I suppose I often think of my writing as quite impersonal. But it turned out, when my father died, writing was exactly what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-suppose-i-often-think-of-my-writing-as-quite-impersonal-but-it/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [“Some of us are happy with our African hair, thank you very much. I don't want some poor Indian girl's hair. And I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/some-of-us-are-happy-with-our-african-hair-thank-you-very-much-i-don/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [You can't state difference and also state equality. We have to state sameness to understand equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-can-t-state-difference-and-also-state-equality-we-have-to-state/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [“(Unlike many others around this time, Joyce felt no shame about using the term 'middle class'. In the Chalfen lexicon the middle classes were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/unlike-many-others-around-this-time-joyce-felt-no-shame-about-using/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [A lot of women, when they're young, feel they have very good friends, and find later on that friendship is complicated. It's easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/a-lot-of-women-when-they-re-young-feel-they-have-very-good-friends/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

[Explore all 457 Zadie Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

## More Approach quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/)

[Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/)

> [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/)

[Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/)

[Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/)

> [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/)

[Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/)

> [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/)

[Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/)

> [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/)

[Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/)

> [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. Because you have to force a utopia on a free people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/what-begins-as-a-utopian-vision-always-always-ends-in-bloodshed/)

[Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/)

> [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/)

[Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/)

[Browse all 3,949 Approach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You become a different writer when you approach a short story. When things are not always having to represent other things, you find real human beings begin to cautiously appear on your pages.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Zadie Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-become-a-different-writer-when-you-approach-a-short-story-when/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Approach"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-become-a-different-writer-when-you-approach-a-short-story-when/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/zadie-smith-584_approach_you-become-a-different-writer-when-you-a_1993000.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/zadie-smith-584_approach_you-become-a-different-writer-when-you-a_1993000.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/964/zadie-smith-584_approach_you-become-a-different-writer-when-you-a_1993000.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You become a different writer when you approach a short story. When things are not always having to…” — Zadie Smith",
                "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": "Zadie Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You become a different writer when...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-become-a-different-writer-when-you-approach-a-short-story-when/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-become-a-different-writer-when-you-approach-a-short-story-when/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
