"Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life"
About this Quote
The intent is half warning, half solidarity. If you want the identity of “writer,” you’re also signing up for a permanent relationship with deadlines, revision, and self-imposed accountability. Homework is never just the assignment; it’s the psychology of it: the procrastination spiral, the guilt, the bargaining, the little bursts of pride when you finally finish. Kasdan compresses that whole cycle into one domestic metaphor.
The subtext is that writing isn’t an event, it’s maintenance. Screenwriting especially is built on drafts, notes, meetings, and the constant pressure to make something legible to other people’s budgets and opinions. “Every night” suggests a grind that doesn’t care about your mood; “for the rest of your life” quietly frames the vocation as a lifestyle choice with no off switch.
It works because it’s funny in the way truth is funny: it lowers the stakes just enough to be bearable, while still admitting the cost. The joke is also a dare. If you hear “homework” and still want in, you might actually be built for it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Kasdan, Lawrence. (2026, January 16). Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/being-a-writer-is-like-having-homework-every-92895/
Chicago Style
Kasdan, Lawrence. "Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/being-a-writer-is-like-having-homework-every-92895/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/being-a-writer-is-like-having-homework-every-92895/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.







