--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It takes a long time to write a novel…" description: "\"It takes a long time to write a novel when you have to keep interrupting your work to earn money.\" — Dana Spiotta" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/dana-spiotta-11381_books_it-takes-a-long-time-to-write-a-novel-wh_2629580.jpg" --- # It takes a long time to write a novel when you have to… ![“It takes a long time to write a novel when you have to keep interrupting your work to earn money.” quote by Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/dana-spiotta-11381_books_it-takes-a-long-time-to-write-a-novel-wh_2629580.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/dana-spiotta-11381_books_it-takes-a-long-time-to-write-a-novel-wh_2629580.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/dana-spiotta-11381_books_it-takes-a-long-time-to-write-a-novel-wh_2629580.jpg) > “It takes a long time to write a novel when you have to keep interrupting your work to earn money.” [Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/) ## 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 delayed by the need to earn a living, forcing interruptions that hinder creative flow. **In simple terms:** Financial pressures interrupt creative work. Key Takeaway Find sustainable income to protect writing time. Themes creativity economics writing time balance Mood pragmatic thoughtful Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - Freelance writers - novelists - artists - students Key Concepts Sociology economics artistic process Questions to Reflect On - What strategies can writers use to balance income and creation? - How does financial stress affect creativity? A Different Perspective Financial constraints can limit artistic output. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Earn Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earn-money/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“On the Place she met Lestivoudois on his way back, for, in order not to shorten his day's labour, he preferred interrupting his work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/on-the-place-she-met-lestivoudois-on-his-way-back-for-in-order-not-to/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [The fact that I am interrupting serious work to answer these questions proves that I am so stupid that I should be penalized severely.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-fact-that-i-am-interrupting-serious-work-to-answer-these/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I seem always to have two or three novels going at once. It takes me a long time to finish one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-helm/i-seem-always-to-have-two-or-three-novels-going-at-once-it-takes-me-a/) [Michael Helm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-helm/) > [Having the urge to write a novel, especially if you've yet to be published, is like having a medical condition impossible to mention in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/having-the-urge-to-write-a-novel-especially-if-you-ve-yet-to-be/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [One of the things that's good for me is that I can go from one art form to another. Because I think if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-miller/one-of-the-things-that-s-good-for-me-is-that-i-can-go-from-one-art/) [Rebecca Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-miller/) > [A publisher many years ago asked if I'd like to write a novel for £50. And I said, 'Absolutely.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/a-publisher-many-years-ago-asked-if-i-d-like-to-write-a-novel-for-50/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [It takes me two to three years to write a novel. A screenplay is 100 pages and takes five years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/it-takes-me-two-to-three-years-to-write-a-novel-a-screenplay-is-100/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I've heard Stephen King say that when you write a novel you end up revealing everything about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/i-ve-heard-stephen-king-say-that-when-you-write-a-novel-you-end-up/) [Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/) > [I'm pretty hardcore. I stick exactly to what I'm doing. 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It's only when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-ve-never-been-that-person-who-thought-that-because-i-ve-written-one/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## More by Dana Spiotta > [My husband is a musician. He cooks and he's a chef but he also, he makes basement recordings. So many people in my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/my-husband-is-a-musician-he-cooks-and-he-s-a-chef-but-he-also-he/) [Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/) > [People think it's suspect and self-indulgent to make art, and I don't think that's true. Some people think you should be busy making something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/people-think-it-s-suspect-and-self-indulgent-to-make-art-and-i-don-t/) [Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/) > [Memory is not particularly linear - it is associative, repetitive, subjective and porous. 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