--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was extraordinarily lucky. I wrote a…" description: "\"I was extraordinarily lucky. I wrote a book because I wanted to see if I could write a mystery. Someone nagged me into sending it to a contest, which i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/donna-leon-7276_after_i-was-extraordinarily-lucky-i-wrote-a-bo_2449634.jpg" --- # I was extraordinarily lucky. I wrote a book because I… ![“I was extraordinarily lucky. I wrote a book because I wanted to see if I could write a mystery. Someone nagged me into sending it to a contest, which it won, after which I was offered a two-book contract, thus requiring the writing of a second book.” quote by Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/donna-leon-7276_after_i-was-extraordinarily-lucky-i-wrote-a-bo_2449634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/donna-leon-7276_after_i-was-extraordinarily-lucky-i-wrote-a-bo_2449634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/donna-leon-7276_after_i-was-extraordinarily-lucky-i-wrote-a-bo_2449634.jpg) > “I was extraordinarily lucky. I wrote a book because I wanted to see if I could write a mystery. Someone nagged me into sending it to a contest, which it won, after which I was offered a two-book contract, thus requiring the writing of a second book.” [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She attributes her success to chance, curiosity, and external encouragement, leading to a publishing contract. **In simple terms:** Luck, curiosity, and encouragement sparked her writing career. Key Takeaway Embrace opportunities and seek feedback. Themes luck creativity career encouragement publishing Mood grateful optimistic reflective Type inspirational personal narrative When to use this quote - writing a novel - entering contests - securing contracts - building a career Key Concepts chance motivation external validation Questions to Reflect On - What opportunities have you overlooked? - How can you create supportive networks? A Different Perspective Success may also depend on timing and market trends, not just effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Contest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contest/) [Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucky/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Requiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/requiring/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I put a song out for fun, from 'Lucky Them'... I wrote another one called 'Love Song.' I really liked that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-eggold/i-put-a-song-out-for-fun-from-lucky-them-i-wrote-another-one-called/) [Ryan Eggold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-eggold/) > [At this rate, I'd be lucky if I wrote a page a day. Then I knew what the problem was. I needed experience. How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/at-this-rate-i-d-be-lucky-if-i-wrote-a-page-a-day-then-i-knew-what/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Once upon a time, about 10 years ago, I thought maybe I could write a mystery series about a midwife in Elizabethan England. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/once-upon-a-time-about-10-years-ago-i-thought-maybe-i-could-write-a/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [Maybe I will write a memoir, perhaps I'll do some essays, or maybe I will write a mystery story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/maybe-i-will-write-a-memoir-perhaps-i-ll-do-some-essays-or-maybe-i/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [I often wonder if I had the complete freedom to not have to write, if I would write. That's the one mystery that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/i-often-wonder-if-i-had-the-complete-freedom-to-not-have-to-write-if/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [I would love to write a mystery - a romantic, funny mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/i-would-love-to-write-a-mystery-a-romantic-funny-mystery/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [It's important to write a mystery novel where the takeaway is not a giveaway - where something could be read over and over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel-where-the-takeaway-is-not-a/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [When I was in my early 20s, my dream was to write mystery novels. I wanted to do what my favourite crime writer, Ross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linwood-barclay/when-i-was-in-my-early-20s-my-dream-was-to-write-mystery-novels-i/) [Linwood Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linwood-barclay/) > [When you write your first book, you're writing in a vacuum; it doesn't matter how much time it takes. And then with the second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/when-you-write-your-first-book-you-re-writing-in-a-vacuum-it-doesn-t/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“The author is at one end of the experience of writing and the reader is at the other, and the book is the contract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-humphreys/the-author-is-at-one-end-of-the-experience-of-writing-and-the-reader/) [Helen Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-humphreys/) > [I signed my first book contract without paying much attention to what it said. I didn't know at the time that the book would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/i-signed-my-first-book-contract-without-paying-much-attention-to-what/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) > [I wouldn't write any kind of book without a contract and an advance. You can't invest that amount of time and effort without one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-salisbury/i-wouldn-t-write-any-kind-of-book-without-a-contract-and-an-advance/) [Harrison Salisbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-salisbury/) > [I quit law in 1988 to start writing, and it took me 17 years from that point to get a book contract. I guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/i-quit-law-in-1988-to-start-writing-and-it-took-me-17-years-from-that/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [Publishing is a business. It's about squeezing every last dollar out of every available source, and the most vulnerable source is the author. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hauser/publishing-is-a-business-it-s-about-squeezing-every-last-dollar-out/) [Thomas Hauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hauser/) > [In many ways, it was much, much harder to get the first book contract. The hardest thing probably overall has been learning not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/in-many-ways-it-was-much-much-harder-to-get-the-first-book-contract/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More by Donna Leon > [“Vianello had the knack of getting people to talk. Especially if they were Venetians, the people he interviewed invariably warmed to this large, sweet-tempered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/vianello-had-the-knack-of-getting-people-to-talk-especially-if-they/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [This is a fallen world. People lie, the truth gets distorted, and that's the way it is. What's for dinner ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/this-is-a-fallen-world-people-lie-the-truth-gets-distorted-and-that-s/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [“even the worst men wanted to be perceived as better than they were. How else could hypocrisy have risen to such delirious levels?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/even-the-worst-men-wanted-to-be-perceived-as-better-than-they-were/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [“And will knowing what she reads make you know who she is?” “Can you think of a better way to tell?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/and-will-knowing-what-she-reads-make-you-know-who-she-is-can-you/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [I never wanted to be rich or successful or famous. I just wanted to be happy and have fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/i-never-wanted-to-be-rich-or-successful-or-famous-i-just-wanted-to-be/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [“Her mask gave no sign of how this affected her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/her-mask-gave-no-sign-of-how-this-affected-her/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [“Helmut thought himself above common morality. Or perhaps he thought he’d managed to create his own, different from ours, better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/helmut-thought-himself-above-common-morality-or-perhaps-he-thought-he/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [“That’s probably because they said a lot of other things, as well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/that-s-probably-because-they-said-a-lot-of-other-things-as-well/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [I listen to Handel's vocal music, almost exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/i-listen-to-handel-s-vocal-music-almost-exclusively/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [“Once, walking with him, Paola had stopped and asked him what he was thinking about, and the fact that she was the only person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/once-walking-with-him-paola-had-stopped-and-asked-him-what-he-was/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [“..if you put people on a diet, they start thinking about food. Or if you make someone stop smoking, all they think about is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/if-you-put-people-on-a-diet-they-start-thinking-about-food-or-if-you/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [And off in the far distance, the gold on the wings of the angel atop the bell tower of San Marco flashed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/and-off-in-the-far-distance-the-gold-on-the-wings-of-the-angel-atop/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [I came to Venice for the first time in 1968 and was lucky enough to make the acquaintanceship, and then the friendship, of two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/i-came-to-venice-for-the-first-time-in-1968-and-was-lucky-enough-to/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [“Pucetti’s was the generation that was all in favour of sentiment, sharing other people’s pain, voicing compassion for the downtrodden, yet Brunetti often found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/pucetti-s-was-the-generation-that-was-all-in-favour-of-sentiment/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [I have always had a particular antagonism for the military.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/i-have-always-had-a-particular-antagonism-for-the-military/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) [Explore all 90 Donna Leon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) ## More After quotes > [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. 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But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/when-good-media-takes-a-bounded-form-and-comes-once-in-a-period-of/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [Markets are designed to allow individuals to look after their private needs and to pursue profit. It's really a great invention and I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/markets-are-designed-to-allow-individuals-to-look-after-their-private/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [I have a lot of success and make a good living, but after while, you start going 'Why? Why are you doing all this?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-have-a-lot-of-success-and-make-a-good-living-but-after-while-you/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) > [See to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-freeman-clarke/see-to-do-good-and-you-will-find-that-happiness-will-run-after-you/) [James Freeman Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-freeman-clarke/) > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [Sometimes after a compliment about my characterization skills, I'm asked if I model my characters on real people. Emphatically, no. And sort of, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/sometimes-after-a-compliment-about-my-characterization-skills-i-m/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [After The Wizard Of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren't all that many parts for lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-lahr/after-the-wizard-of-oz-i-was-typecast-as-a-lion-and-there-aren-t-all/) Bert Lahr > [I'm pretty cautious and not very athletic, so I've only had really dumb injuries, like sprained ankles and allergic reactions. I did have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-m-pretty-cautious-and-not-very-athletic-so-i-ve-only-had-really/) [Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/) > [I'd like an omelet named after me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-sewell/i-d-like-an-omelet-named-after-me/) [Rufus Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-sewell/) Browse all 3,411 After quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was extraordinarily lucky. I wrote a book because I wanted to see if I could write a mystery. 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