Update: the quote attributed to Jordan Peele has often been attributed to another writer, Shannon Hale. I’ve amended the original post to reflect this other source.
A good friend (and friend of this blog) recently forwarded a newsletter from the Gotham Writers Workshop that included a quote from the brilliant comedian, actor, filmmaker, and writer Jordan Peele. (Note: since posting this and sharing on social media, I’ve learned the quote is also often attributed to author Shannon Hale. My apologies to Ms. Hale if I’ve attributed it to the wrong person.) This quote captures beautifully the messy process of creating a first draft. It’s so good, I need to share it with you all. And as I plow forward on my writing projects in 2025, I’m going to make this statement my mantra.
‘When I’m writing the first draft, I’m constantly reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.’
— Jordan Peele
Think about it.
Just as a child cannot build a sand castle until all the sand is in the box, neither can a writer create a story, essay, poem, or novel until all the elements are in the right place.
And just as the creator of a sand castle does not need to use every grain of sand, so the writer does not need to use every word, every scene, every subplot, every character for their final creation. Both the builder in the sandbox and the writer at the keyboard (or notebook, or tablet) must sift through the ingredients and select the best parts for their work.
Happy 2025, fellow writers and readers. May this be the year you get all the sand in the box you need to build your masterpieces.
Top image: generated by AI.
Andy writes! 
Good job widening the quote attribution net–I wonder if Gotham Writers Workshop made a similar effort.