---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing a novel is like running a…"
description: "\"“Writing a novel is like running a marathon. Selling one is like building a castle. You gotta do it one brick at a time.”\" — Charles R. Hall"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1de/charles-r-hall-70653_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-running-a-marath_2961480.jpg"
---

#  Writing a novel is like running a marathon. Selling one is…

![“Writing a novel is like running a marathon. Selling one is like building a castle. You gotta do it one brick at a time.” quote by Charles R. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1de/charles-r-hall-70653_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-running-a-marath_2961480.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1de/charles-r-hall-70653_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-running-a-marath_2961480.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1de/charles-r-hall-70653_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-running-a-marath_2961480.jpg)

> ““Writing a novel is like running a marathon. Selling one is like building a castle. You gotta do it one brick at a time.””

Charles R. Hall

## About This Quote

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

Writing a novel is a marathon; publishing is building a castle brick by brick.

**In simple terms:** Writing is endurance; publishing is incremental.

Key Takeaway

Persist stepwise in creative projects.

Themes

writing endurance building

Mood

motivational practical

Type

inspirational instructional

When to use this quote

- novel drafting
- self‑publishing
- marketing campaigns
- product development

Key Concepts

goal setting project management

Questions to Reflect On

- What “brick” will you lay today?
- How do you sustain marathon stamina?

A Different Perspective

Progress can be slow and taxing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Running A Marathon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-a-marathon/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I love my lifestyle now, but at the end of nine months, you're toast. You are toast. It's like running a marathon. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-meloni/i-love-my-lifestyle-now-but-at-the-end-of-nine-months-you-re-toast/)

[Christopher Meloni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-meloni/)

> [“It's a bit like running a marathon, isn't it? It's only when you reach the finish line that you have time to collapse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucinda-riley/it-s-a-bit-like-running-a-marathon-isn-t-it-it-s-only-when-you-reach/)

[Lucinda Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucinda-riley/)

> [Being on stage is like running a marathon every night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-sharp/being-on-stage-is-like-running-a-marathon-every-night/)

[Lesley Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-sharp/)

> [Living life is like running a marathon. It takes a lot of courage and tenacity to keep going till the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fauja-singh/living-life-is-like-running-a-marathon-it-takes-a-lot-of-courage-and/)

[Fauja Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fauja-singh/)

> [When I make a live-action movie, it's a very physical process. It's like running a marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-snyder/when-i-make-a-live-action-movie-it-s-a-very-physical-process-it-s/)

[Zack Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-snyder/)

> [There are things I've always wanted to do. Things I may not be able to do, but I never really ruled them out -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/there-are-things-i-ve-always-wanted-to-do-things-i-may-not-be-able-to/)

[Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/)

> [Playing a three-hour Rush show is like running a marathon while solving equations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/playing-a-three-hour-rush-show-is-like-running-a-marathon-while/)

[Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/)

> [In some respects, progressing through life is like running a marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/in-some-respects-progressing-through-life-is-like-running-a-marathon/)

[Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/)

> [Posing on the red carpet feels like you're selling something that has nothing to do with you. If you do it with someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carey-mulligan/posing-on-the-red-carpet-feels-like-you-re-selling-something-that-has/)

[Carey Mulligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carey-mulligan/)

> [I guess if one set of my books was selling like Stephen King's, and the other wasn't selling at all, editors would want me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-saberhagen/i-guess-if-one-set-of-my-books-was-selling-like-stephen-king-s-and/)

[Fred Saberhagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-saberhagen/)

> [I'll always understand the Schadenfreude aspect to short-selling. I get that no one will always like it. I'm also convinced to the deepest part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-chanos/i-ll-always-understand-the-schadenfreude-aspect-to-short-selling-i/)

[James Chanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-chanos/)

> [Nobody's ever tried the peace thing, ... We are selling it like soap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/nobody-s-ever-tried-the-peace-thing-we-are-selling-it-like-soap/)

[John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/)

> [As soon as I sat down to write music, really, with Café Blue. I just can't think about that when I sit down to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-barber/as-soon-as-i-sat-down-to-write-music-really-with-caf-blue-i-just-can/)

[Patricia Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-barber/)

> [Who ever would have thought that I'd be running a marathon? Certainly not me, but it's amazing where life leads you if you're willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-gosselin/who-ever-would-have-thought-that-i-d-be-running-a-marathon-certainly/)

[Kate Gosselin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-gosselin/)

> [Sometimes for me not throwing a tantrum is what running a marathon or swimming the English Channel must be like for others of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/sometimes-for-me-not-throwing-a-tantrum-is-what-running-a-marathon-or/)

[Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/)

## More by Charles R. Hall

> [“I do nothing... but try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-hall/i-do-nothing-but-try/)

Charles R. Hall

> [“Live your life like your eulogy depended on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-hall/live-your-life-like-your-eulogy-depended-on-it/)

Charles R. Hall

> [“The secret to success… Every time you think you've done enough, do more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-hall/the-secret-to-success-every-time-you-think-you-ve-done-enough-do-more/)

Charles R. Hall

Explore all 4 Charles R. Hall quotes

## More Books 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/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

Markus Herz

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Writing a novel is like running a marathon. Selling one is like building a castle. You gotta do it one brick at a time.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles R. Hall"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-hall/writing-a-novel-is-like-running-a-marathon-selling-one-is-like/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-hall/writing-a-novel-is-like-running-a-marathon-selling-one-is-like/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1de/charles-r-hall-70653_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-running-a-marath_2961480.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1de/charles-r-hall-70653_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-running-a-marath_2961480.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1de/charles-r-hall-70653_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-running-a-marath_2961480.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Writing a novel is like running a marathon. Selling one is like building a castle. You gotta do it one brick…” — Charles R. Hall",
                "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": "Charles R. Hall",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-hall/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Writing a novel is like running...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-hall/writing-a-novel-is-like-running-a-marathon-selling-one-is-like/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-hall/writing-a-novel-is-like-running-a-marathon-selling-one-is-like/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
