--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was writing from the time I was 12…" description: "\"I was writing from the time I was 12 years old, but I originally wanted to be a novelist.\" — Christopher McQuarrie" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/christopher-mcquarrie-14283_novelist_i-was-writing-from-the-time-i-was-12-yea_2308333.jpg" --- # I was writing from the time I was 12 years old, but I… ![“I was writing from the time I was 12 years old, but I originally wanted to be a novelist.” quote by Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/christopher-mcquarrie-14283_novelist_i-was-writing-from-the-time-i-was-12-yea_2308333.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/christopher-mcquarrie-14283_novelist_i-was-writing-from-the-time-i-was-12-yea_2308333.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/christopher-mcquarrie-14283_novelist_i-was-writing-from-the-time-i-was-12-yea_2308333.jpg) > “I was writing from the time I was 12 years old, but I originally wanted to be a novelist.” [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He began writing young but initially aimed to become a novelist, showing early creative ambition before shifting to screenwriting. **In simple terms:** He started writing at 12, wanted to be a novelist. Key Takeaway Explore early passions, they may evolve. Themes creativity career ambition Mood inspirational thoughtful Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - writing - film industry - education Key Concepts early development career transition Questions to Reflect On - What early dreams have changed for you? - How can early writing shape later success? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Novelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelist/) [Novelists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelists/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I originally wanted to be a rapper and musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-truth/i-originally-wanted-to-be-a-rapper-and-musician/) [R-Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-truth/) > [I originally wanted to be F. Scott Fitzgerald, but failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/i-originally-wanted-to-be-f-scott-fitzgerald-but-failed/) [Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/) > [When I was young, I originally wanted to be a radio on-air personality. Once I realized I may not be fit for that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-civil/when-i-was-young-i-originally-wanted-to-be-a-radio-on-air-personality/) [Karen Civil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-civil/) > [I'm a novelist at heart. How's that? And that's how I make my living, is I write novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-m-a-novelist-at-heart-how-s-that-and-that-s-how-i-make-my-living-is/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [The bad novelist constructs his characters; he directs them and makes them speak. The true novelist listens to them and watches them act; he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/the-bad-novelist-constructs-his-characters-he-directs-them-and-makes/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [That balance between involvement and detachment is what novelists do. It's the ideal relationship between a novelist and a character, I think, total involvement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-barker/that-balance-between-involvement-and-detachment-is-what-novelists-do/) [Pat Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-barker/) > [The fact is that in this day and age I don't think any novelist can assume that a book will get attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/the-fact-is-that-in-this-day-and-age-i-don-t-think-any-novelist-can/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [Whether he be an original or a plagiarist, man is the novelist of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/whether-he-be-an-original-or-a-plagiarist-man-is-the-novelist-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [A novelist should make you realize nothing is stable. If you don't believe anything with robustness, you're doing something more radical than anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/a-novelist-should-make-you-realize-nothing-is-stable-if-you-don-t/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [As an historical novelist – there are few jobs more retrospective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/as-an-historical-novelist-there-are-few-jobs-more-retrospective/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [And that singular anomaly, the lady novelist-- I don't think she'd be missed--I'm sure she'd not be missed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-gilbert/and-that-singular-anomaly-the-lady-novelist-i-don-t-think-she-d-be/) [W. S. Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-gilbert/) > [Playing with different genres and perspectives and ways of telling stories is one of the perks of being a novelist, but at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linn-ullmann/playing-with-different-genres-and-perspectives-and-ways-of-telling/) Linn Ullmann > [I am not an academic who happens to have written a novel. I am a novelist who happens to be quite good academically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/i-am-not-an-academic-who-happens-to-have-written-a-novel-i-am-a/) [A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) > [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“She'll be an excellent novelist: a monster of self-absorption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lan-samantha-chang/she-ll-be-an-excellent-novelist-a-monster-of-self-absorption/) [Lan Samantha Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lan-samantha-chang/) ## More by Christopher McQuarrie > [I love traveling around promoting different movies because I'm always looking at different places, and I always walk around to see the city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/i-love-traveling-around-promoting-different-movies-because-i-m-always/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [I used to be a die-hard defender of physical film, which I still am. I love shooting on physical film and I think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/i-used-to-be-a-die-hard-defender-of-physical-film-which-i-still-am-i/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [The challenge in most car chases is you're trying to hide the fact that it's not the actor driving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/the-challenge-in-most-car-chases-is-you-re-trying-to-hide-the-fact/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [Directing has completely changed the way I write and watch films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/directing-has-completely-changed-the-way-i-write-and-watch-films/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [A lot of books, if you take them at face value, they're just not gonna work as films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/a-lot-of-books-if-you-take-them-at-face-value-they-re-just-not-gonna/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [“Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Söze.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/well-i-believe-in-god-and-the-only-thing-that-scares-me-is-keyser-s-ze/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [I always feel like an outsider. I'll always feel like the nerd at the party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/i-always-feel-like-an-outsider-i-ll-always-feel-like-the-nerd-at-the/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [To me, the ultimate crime in an adaptation is the crime of reverence. A novel is one form of media, a screenplay is another,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/to-me-the-ultimate-crime-in-an-adaptation-is-the-crime-of-reverence-a/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [If you're surrounded by good people and you're really honest with yourself, you'll be delivered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/if-you-re-surrounded-by-good-people-and-you-re-really-honest-with/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [Evil is a really tough concept for me. The idea of a villain that is bad for bad's sake seems kind of absurd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/evil-is-a-really-tough-concept-for-me-the-idea-of-a-villain-that-is/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [With 'Rubicon,' Mark Long and Dan Capel have created the perfect environment for an intense action franchise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/with-rubicon-mark-long-and-dan-capel-have-created-the-perfect/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [You know that certain things that you use in the film are going to be shown to audiences five hundred times before they ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/you-know-that-certain-things-that-you-use-in-the-film-are-going-to-be/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [The truth of the matter is movies are a reflection of life and violence is a real part of life. I don't think you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/the-truth-of-the-matter-is-movies-are-a-reflection-of-life-and/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [There is no 'Top Gun 2' in which Maverick is not the starring role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/there-is-no-top-gun-2-in-which-maverick-is-not-the-starring-role/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) > [Knowledge is death in my experience. The more I know about film, the harder it is to create freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/knowledge-is-death-in-my-experience-the-more-i-know-about-film-the/) [Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) [Explore all 47 Christopher McQuarrie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/) ## More Novelist quotes > [“She'll be an excellent novelist: a monster of self-absorption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lan-samantha-chang/she-ll-be-an-excellent-novelist-a-monster-of-self-absorption/) [Lan Samantha Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lan-samantha-chang/) > [“The novelist is like a scout commissioned to go and see what is happening in the depth of the soul. He comes back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-green/the-novelist-is-like-a-scout-commissioned-to-go-and-see-what-is/) [Julien Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-green/) > [“I love you so much. Our love is eternal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santonu-kumar-dhar/i-love-you-so-much-our-love-is-eternal/) [Santonu Kumar Dhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santonu-kumar-dhar/) > [“I have from the first felt sure that the writer, when he sits down to commence his novel, should do so, not because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/i-have-from-the-first-felt-sure-that-the-writer-when-he-sits-down-to/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [A novelist should not be too intelligent either, although... he may be permitted to be an intellectual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/a-novelist-should-not-be-too-intelligent-either-although-he-may-be/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [The novelist's intuition for the sacred differs from the translator's interrogation of the sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/the-novelist-s-intuition-for-the-sacred-differs-from-the-translator-s/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [“Amanda herself couldn't understand why her writing was so different from her own personality. Her pen seemed to take on a life of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/amanda-herself-couldn-t-understand-why-her-writing-was-so-different/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [As an historical novelist - there are few jobs more retrospective. I dumped science at an early age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/as-an-historical-novelist-there-are-few-jobs-more-retrospective-i/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I think of myself now as a writer, although I wouldn't go as far as to say 'novelist' because that sounds like a Victorian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-french/i-think-of-myself-now-as-a-writer-although-i-wouldn-t-go-as-far-as-to/) [Dawn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-french/) > [I am not an academic who happens to have written a novel. I am a novelist who happens to be quite good academically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/i-am-not-an-academic-who-happens-to-have-written-a-novel-i-am-a/) [A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) > [I maintain that if you're a novelist and you go into an art museum, you'll come out a better novelist. And if you paint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hawkes/i-maintain-that-if-you-re-a-novelist-and-you-go-into-an-art-museum/) [John Hawkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hawkes/) > [“A warm sunny evening, the plash and gurgle of the waves in the rock pools, the rush of the cold gin. I thought for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/a-warm-sunny-evening-the-plash-and-gurgle-of-the-waves-in-the-rock/) [William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/) > [“I know you would be watching over me all through this journey called life... whenever I look next to me, I feel like you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santonu-kumar-dhar/i-know-you-would-be-watching-over-me-all-through-this-journey-called/) [Santonu Kumar Dhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santonu-kumar-dhar/) > [Working on an adaptation is not as satisfying, because it's not your original work: you're interpreting. With 'L.A. Confidential,' I loved the book. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/working-on-an-adaptation-is-not-as-satisfying-because-it-s-not-your/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) [Browse all 529 Novelist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was writing from the time I was 12 years old, but I originally wanted to be a novelist.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher McQuarrie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/i-was-writing-from-the-time-i-was-12-years-old-but-i-originally/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Novelist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/i-was-writing-from-the-time-i-was-12-years-old-but-i-originally/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/christopher-mcquarrie-14283_novelist_i-was-writing-from-the-time-i-was-12-yea_2308333.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/christopher-mcquarrie-14283_novelist_i-was-writing-from-the-time-i-was-12-yea_2308333.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/christopher-mcquarrie-14283_novelist_i-was-writing-from-the-time-i-was-12-yea_2308333.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was writing from the time I was 12 years old, but I originally wanted to be a novelist.” — Christopher McQuarrie", "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": "Christopher McQuarrie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was writing from the time...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/i-was-writing-from-the-time-i-was-12-years-old-but-i-originally/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/i-was-writing-from-the-time-i-was-12-years-old-but-i-originally/#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 } } ] } ```