---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The novel is about, for me, sustained and…"
description: "\"The novel is about, for me, sustained and organized looking. I do think that people have a hunger for a sustained engagement, that concentration that t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d8/dana-spiotta-11381_book_the-novel-is-about-for-me-sustained-and_3047406.jpg"
---

#  The novel is about, for me, sustained and organized…

![“The novel is about, for me, sustained and organized looking. I do think that people have a hunger for a sustained engagement, that concentration that the book can offer.” quote by Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d8/dana-spiotta-11381_book_the-novel-is-about-for-me-sustained-and_3047406.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d8/dana-spiotta-11381_book_the-novel-is-about-for-me-sustained-and_3047406.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d8/dana-spiotta-11381_book_the-novel-is-about-for-me-sustained-and_3047406.jpg)

> “The novel is about, for me, sustained and organized looking. I do think that people have a hunger for a sustained engagement, that concentration that the book can offer.”

[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.

The novel demands sustained, organized attention, satisfying readers' desire for deep concentration.

**In simple terms:** Deep focus needed for novels.

Key Takeaway

Practice attentive reading.

Themes

focus concentration literary engagement

Mood

contemplative inquisitive

Type

literary educational

When to use this quote

- education
- personal development
- literary analysis

Key Concepts

cognitive immersion reading habits

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you improve reading concentration?
- What benefits come from deep literary focus?

A Different Perspective

Modern distractions hinder sustained focus.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Engagement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engagement/) [Engagement Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engagement-concentration-5052698/) [Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Sustained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-sustained-5052696/) [Offers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offers/) [Organized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organized/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sustained Engagement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sustained-engagement-2610644/) [Sustained Organized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sustained-organized-5052697/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [A sustained engagement with the world, a sense of how it was and how it ought to be, and what has been lost, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/a-sustained-engagement-with-the-world-a-sense-of-how-it-was-and-how/)

[Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/)

> [I think we're going to start to see a new model of civic advocacy where people get together once in a while to protest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-steffen/i-think-we-re-going-to-start-to-see-a-new-model-of-civic-advocacy/)

[Alex Steffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-steffen/)

> [The antidote to white fragility is ongoing and lifelong and includes sustained engagement, humility, and education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/the-antidote-to-white-fragility-is-ongoing-and-lifelong-and-includes/)

[Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/)

> [You're trying to make the language work, and your subconscious is being allowed to make the deeper, more profound connections. It's much better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/you-re-trying-to-make-the-language-work-and-your-subconscious-is/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [I think there should be a reworking of the value structure of art. The value is when the artist makes a first engagement with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-weiner/i-think-there-should-be-a-reworking-of-the-value-structure-of-art-the/)

[Lawrence Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-weiner/)

> [Politics is about the participation and engagement of the wider citizenry - to miss that point would doom us to irrelevance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blunkett/politics-is-about-the-participation-and-engagement-of-the-wider/)

[David Blunkett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blunkett/)

> [“Employee Engagement “Employee Engagement” has become a very hot topic in recent years. The escalating statistics for disengagement are alarming. In 2015, the Gallup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/employee-engagement-employee-engagement-has-become-a-very-hot-topic/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-great-mistake-is-to-anticipate-the-outcome-of-the-engagement-you/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [I regret that there aren't more short stories in other magazines. But in a certain way, I think the disappearance of the short-story template…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/i-regret-that-there-aren-t-more-short-stories-in-other-magazines-but/)

[Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/)

> [I'm of the philosophy that you wage a campaign of full engagement and you use every tool in the toolbox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/i-m-of-the-philosophy-that-you-wage-a-campaign-of-full-engagement-and/)

[Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/)

> [“This is one of the harshest after effects of the pandemic that I am witnessing some and experiencing some, a diminished ability to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shellen-lubin/this-is-one-of-the-harshest-after-effects-of-the-pandemic-that-i-am/)

[Shellen Lubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shellen-lubin/)

> [Marriage is a three ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring and suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/marriage-is-a-three-ring-circus-engagement-ring-wedding-ring-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I've been in real estate for a long time and I always try to stay on the edge. I'm really excited about the partnership…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-hammer/i-ve-been-in-real-estate-for-a-long-time-and-i-always-try-to-stay-on/)

[MC Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-hammer/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

## 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. But the writer needs to convey disorder and dysfunction without making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/memory-is-not-particularly-linear-it-is-associative-repetitive/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [I locate a great deal of the power of Occupy Wall Street in the name itself, 'Occupy Wall Street,' or '#OccupyWallStreet.' It works because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/i-locate-a-great-deal-of-the-power-of-occupy-wall-street-in-the-name/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [Although a great restaurant experience must include great food, a bad restaurant experience can be achieved through bad service alone. Ideally, service is invisible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/although-a-great-restaurant-experience-must-include-great-food-a-bad/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [The writer has to take risks and go somewhere full of mystery and possibility for the novel to deepen over the years it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/the-writer-has-to-take-risks-and-go-somewhere-full-of-mystery-and/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [I am a great procrastinator. When the writing is going really well, the laundry piles up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/i-am-a-great-procrastinator-when-the-writing-is-going-really-well-the/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [I like to buy books for the kids in my family. I guess that's why they call me the 'mean' aunt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/i-like-to-buy-books-for-the-kids-in-my-family-i-guess-that-s-why-they/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [If you directly try to write about an idea, it will never be what you imagined. But if you're imagining through the building of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/if-you-directly-try-to-write-about-an-idea-it-will-never-be-what-you/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [I like to mix the real and the imaginary. Sometimes it is characters inspired by real people I know or know of. Sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/i-like-to-mix-the-real-and-the-imaginary-sometimes-it-is-characters/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [The idea that you can live off the grid and just do your own thing is a very American idea - that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/the-idea-that-you-can-live-off-the-grid-and-just-do-your-own-thing-is/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [I think there's a false division people sometimes make in describing literary novels, where there are people who write systems novels, or novels of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/i-think-there-s-a-false-division-people-sometimes-make-in-describing/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [Usually there is a paradox in what a character wants. A conflict is built deeply within them. And then you put them in motion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/usually-there-is-a-paradox-in-what-a-character-wants-a-conflict-is/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [You're trying to make the language work, and your subconscious is being allowed to make the deeper, more profound connections. It's much better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/you-re-trying-to-make-the-language-work-and-your-subconscious-is/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [“Incidentally, if you have never stalked someone close to you, I highly recommend it. Check out how it tranforms them. How other they become,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/incidentally-if-you-have-never-stalked-someone-close-to-you-i-highly/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

[Explore all 60 Dana Spiotta quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

## More Book 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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The novel is about, for me, sustained and organized looking. I do think that people have a hunger for a sustained engagement, that concentration that the book can offer.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dana Spiotta"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/the-novel-is-about-for-me-sustained-and-organized-looking-i-do-think/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/the-novel-is-about-for-me-sustained-and-organized-looking-i-do-think/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d8/dana-spiotta-11381_book_the-novel-is-about-for-me-sustained-and_3047406.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d8/dana-spiotta-11381_book_the-novel-is-about-for-me-sustained-and_3047406.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d8/dana-spiotta-11381_book_the-novel-is-about-for-me-sustained-and_3047406.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The novel is about, for me, sustained and organized looking. I do think that people have a hunger for a…” — Dana Spiotta",
                "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": "Dana Spiotta",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The novel is about, for me,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/the-novel-is-about-for-me-sustained-and-organized-looking-i-do-think/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/the-novel-is-about-for-me-sustained-and-organized-looking-i-do-think/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
