--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The whole process of writing a novel is…" description: "\"The whole process of writing a novel is having this great, beautiful idea and then spoiling it.\" — Diane Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/diane-johnson-29077_beautiful_the-whole-process-of-writing-a-novel-is_2153561.png" --- # The whole process of writing a novel is having this great… ![“The whole process of writing a novel is having this great, beautiful idea and then spoiling it.” quote by Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/diane-johnson-29077_beautiful_the-whole-process-of-writing-a-novel-is_2153561.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/diane-johnson-29077_beautiful_the-whole-process-of-writing-a-novel-is_2153561.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/diane-johnson-29077_beautiful_the-whole-process-of-writing-a-novel-is_2153561.png) > “The whole process of writing a novel is having this great, beautiful idea and then spoiling it.” [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating a novel often starts with an inspiring concept that later becomes compromised by practical constraints, leading to creative disappointment. **In simple terms:** Great ideas can be spoiled by reality. Key Takeaway Protect the core vision during execution. Themes creativity disappointment process artistic integrity Mood thoughtful determined Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshop - first draft - editing - publishing industry Key Concepts creative process idea erosion novel writing Questions to Reflect On - How do you preserve initial excitement? - What steps can guard against idea dilution? A Different Perspective The creative process can diminish original inspiration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Beautiful Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-idea-437836/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Idea Spoiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-spoiling-4537836/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-having-369891/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Spoiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spoiling-330762/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-novel/) ## Related quotes > [The monotony of staying in one place is the best thing for writing a novel. 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He'll have some special tricks up his sleeve. I'm just saying I hope it involves sleeping-in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-hannigan/my-husband-s-so-good-at-spoiling-me-he-ll-have-some-special-tricks-up/) [Alyson Hannigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-hannigan/) > [Spoiling yourself is what you call being selfish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/spoiling-yourself-is-what-you-call-being-selfish/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Annabelle gave him a chiding smile. “If you’re implying that I’m spoiled, I assure you that I am not.” “You should be.” His warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/annabelle-gave-him-a-chiding-smile-if-you-re-implying-that-i-m/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [In Britain, the press want to kill a show by revealing what's coming up and spoiling the pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-bonneville/in-britain-the-press-want-to-kill-a-show-by-revealing-what-s-coming/) [Hugh Bonneville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-bonneville/) ## More by Diane Johnson > [Statuettes of drunken sailors, velvet pictures of island maidens, plastic seashell lamps made in Taiwan. What contempt the people who think up souvenirs have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/statuettes-of-drunken-sailors-velvet-pictures-of-island-maidens/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [A novel's whole pattern is rarely apparent at the outset of writing, or even at the end; that is when the writer finds out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/a-novel-s-whole-pattern-is-rarely-apparent-at-the-outset-of-writing/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [In what we think of as bad dialogue, the characters talk directly to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/in-what-we-think-of-as-bad-dialogue-the-characters-talk-directly-to/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [Not having to own a car has made me realize what a waste of time the automobile is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/not-having-to-own-a-car-has-made-me-realize-what-a-waste-of-time-the/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [Glenda Adams has written a wicked and witty novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/glenda-adams-has-written-a-wicked-and-witty-novel/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [The Novelist, afraid his ideas may be foolish, slyly puts them in the mouth of some other fool and reserves the right to disavow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/the-novelist-afraid-his-ideas-may-be-foolish-slyly-puts-them-in-the/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [...is this not in fact the purpose of young Americans going abroad? To make them think of things they never thought of?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/is-this-not-in-fact-the-purpose-of-young-americans-going-abroad-to/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [“Men are generally more law-abiding than women. Women have the feeling that since they didn't make the rules, the rules have nothing to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/men-are-generally-more-law-abiding-than-women-women-have-the-feeling/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [“Well, their piety is more evolved,” said Mrs. Pace. “In America we have only two forms, as Matthew Arnold said: the bitter and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/well-their-piety-is-more-evolved-said-mrs-pace-in-america-we-have/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [Any essayist setting out on a frail apparatus of notings and jottings is a brave person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/any-essayist-setting-out-on-a-frail-apparatus-of-notings-and-jottings/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [“Yet—some Frenchman had written—“absence diminishes commonplace passions and enhances great ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/yet-some-frenchman-had-written-absence-diminishes-commonplace/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [“It didn't seem fair that you could not prevent being the object of other people's emotions, you were not safe from their hate--or from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/it-didn-t-seem-fair-that-you-could-not-prevent-being-the-object-of/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [Women have the feeling that since they didn't make the rules, the rules have nothing to do with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/women-have-the-feeling-that-since-they-didn-t-make-the-rules-the/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [Laughter is the jam on the toast of life. 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Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) [Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/) > [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. 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