Smith, Red -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 22:33:43 +0000

You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins, and bleed.

Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith (1905-1982) American sportswriter, journalist
(Attributed)

Attributed in Water Winchell, in his syndicated column (1949-04-06):

Red Smith was asked if turning out a daily column wasn't quite a chore ... "Why, no," deadpanned Red. "You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins, and bleed."

In an article (1969-09-01), "The Press: Good Sports," Time magazine, this variant attributed to Smith was given (in an allusion to the Bible, Luke 22:44):

“Writing a column is easy,” he once said. “You just sit at your typewriter until little drops of blood appear on your forehead.”

This quotation, and many variants, have a hotly contested ledger of attributions and misattributions. The metaphor of blood and bleeding as part of the painful, personal creative process resonates with many writers. Variations are attributed to Ernest Hemmingway, Thomas Wolfe, Gene Fowler, Paul Gallico, Jeff MacNelly, and more, some with justification, others spurious.

Some variants:

Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed.
There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.
There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.
Writing is easy. Just put a piece of paper in the typewriter and start bleeding.

Discussion about and research into this quotation:

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Smith, Red -- (Attributed)