--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A novelist writes a novel, and people…" description: "\"A novelist writes a novel, and people read it. But reading is a solitary act. While it may elicit a varied and personal response, the communal nature o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bd/august-wilson-3646_audience_a-novelist-writes-a-novel-and-people-rea_1935247.png" --- # A novelist writes a novel, and people read it. But reading… ![“A novelist writes a novel, and people read it. But reading is a solitary act. While it may elicit a varied and personal response, the communal nature of the audience is like having five hundred people read your novel and respond to it at the same time. I find that thrilling.” quote by August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bd/august-wilson-3646_audience_a-novelist-writes-a-novel-and-people-rea_1935247.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bd/august-wilson-3646_audience_a-novelist-writes-a-novel-and-people-rea_1935247.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bd/august-wilson-3646_audience_a-novelist-writes-a-novel-and-people-rea_1935247.png) > “A novelist writes a novel, and people read it. But reading is a solitary act. While it may elicit a varied and personal response, the communal nature of the audience is like having five hundred people read your novel and respond to it at the same time. I find that thrilling.” [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights reading as a private experience, yet imagines a massive shared audience, creating excitement about collective interpretation **In simple terms:** Reading is solitary, but imagining many readers together is thrilling Key Takeaway Value both personal and communal aspects of storytelling Themes literature solitude community Mood thoughtful enthusiastic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - book clubs - online forums - author events Key Concepts Reader response theory collective imagination Questions to Reflect On - How does sharing a story change its meaning? - Can solitary reading still foster community? A Different Perspective Individual reading may not capture the full spectrum of audience reaction ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelist/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Solitary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitary/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [A novelist who writes nothing for 10 years finds his reputation rising. Because I keep on producing books they say there must be something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/a-novelist-who-writes-nothing-for-10-years-finds-his-reputation/) [J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/) > [The novel that an author writes is often not the novel that the reader reads, and most of the 'messages' in a novel are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/the-novel-that-an-author-writes-is-often-not-the-novel-that-the/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [One man writes a novel. One man writes a symphony. 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While publishers still do love the novel and people do still like to sink into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-do-see-an-interest-in-writing-for-twitter-while-publishers-still-do/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [What's the challenge in writing a novel that few people will read? I'm more than happy writing what I do and have no plans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-challenge-in-writing-a-novel-that-few-people-will-read-i-m/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Of course, in a novel, people's hearts break, and they die and that is the end of it; and in a story this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/of-course-in-a-novel-people-s-hearts-break-and-they-die-and-that-is-2/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [I start with theory rather than people. 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I think a place can be as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/strangely-enough-the-first-character-in-fried-green-tomatoes-was-the/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [Your life story is a novel; and people, though they love novels wound between two yellow paper covers, are oddly suspicious of those which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/your-life-story-is-a-novel-and-people-though-they-love-novels-wound/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [“As far as I can tell, a young adult novel is a regular novel that people actually read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/as-far-as-i-can-tell-a-young-adult-novel-is-a-regular-novel-that/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [History is a novel for which the people is the author.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-de-vigny/history-is-a-novel-for-which-the-people-is-the-author/) [Alfred de Vigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-de-vigny/) > [When I was writing 'The White Tiger' I lived in a building pretty much exactly like the one I described in this novel, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/when-i-was-writing-the-white-tiger-i-lived-in-a-building-pretty-much/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) ## More by August Wilson > [Most of black America is in housing projects, without jobs, living on welfare. And this is not the case in 'The Cosby Show,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/most-of-black-america-is-in-housing-projects-without-jobs-living-on/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [I just write stuff down and pile it up, and when I get enough stuff, I spread it out and look at it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-just-write-stuff-down-and-pile-it-up-and-when-i-get-enough-stuff-i/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [I don't look at our society today too much. 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I thought that in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/when-i-first-started-writing-plays-i-couldn-t-write-good-dialogue/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [“Like you? I go out of here every morning...bust my butt...cause I like you? It's my job. It's my responsibility!... Not cause I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/like-you-i-go-out-of-here-every-morning-bust-my-butt-cause-i-like-you/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [“-How long you been with the rail road now? -Twenty-seven years. Now, I'll tell you something about the railroad. What I done learned after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/how-long-you-been-with-the-rail-road-now-twenty-seven-years-now-i-ll/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [Scripts were rather scarce in 1968. We did a lot of Amiri Baraka's plays, the agitprop stuff he was writing. It was at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/scripts-were-rather-scarce-in-1968-we-did-a-lot-of-amiri-baraka-s/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [All you need in the world is love and laughter. That's all anybody needs. To have love in one hand and laughter in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/all-you-need-in-the-world-is-love-and-laughter-that-s-all-anybody/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [I ain't never found no place for me to fit. Seem like all I do is start over. It ain't nothing to find no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-ain-t-never-found-no-place-for-me-to-fit-seem-like-all-i-do-is/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [I don't write for a particular audience. I work as an artist, and I think the audience of one, which is the self, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-don-t-write-for-a-particular-audience-i-work-as-an-artist-and-i/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [I dont write particularly to effect social change. I believe writing can do that, but thats not why I write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-dont-write-particularly-to-effect-social-change-i-believe-writing/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [“Don't try and go through life worrying about if somebody like you or not. You best be making sure they doing right by you,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/don-t-try-and-go-through-life-worrying-about-if-somebody-like-you-or/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [Suffice it to say, I'm not poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/suffice-it-to-say-i-m-not-poor/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) [Explore all 124 August Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! 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That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. 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