--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My novels aren't really generated by a…" description: "\"My novels aren't really generated by a single conceptual spark; it's more a process of many different elements that come together unexpectedly over a l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ef/donna-tartt-391_books_my-novels-aren-t-really-generated-by-a-s_2563342.jpg" --- # My novels aren't really generated by a single conceptual… ![“My novels aren't really generated by a single conceptual spark; it's more a process of many different elements that come together unexpectedly over a long period of time.” quote by Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ef/donna-tartt-391_books_my-novels-aren-t-really-generated-by-a-s_2563342.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ef/donna-tartt-391_books_my-novels-aren-t-really-generated-by-a-s_2563342.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ef/donna-tartt-391_books_my-novels-aren-t-really-generated-by-a-s_2563342.jpg) > “My novels aren't really generated by a single conceptual spark; it's more a process of many different elements that come together unexpectedly over a long period of time.” [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work emerges from many small ideas over time, not a single flash of insight. **In simple terms:** Writing builds from many parts. Key Takeaway Embrace gradual, collaborative creation. Themes creativity process collaboration Mood reflective inspirational Type literary process When to use this quote - novel writing - long‑term projects - artistic brainstorming - creative workshops Key Concepts incremental development emergent structure Questions to Reflect On - How do you nurture small ideas? - What habits sustain long‑term creativity? A Different Perspective A single spark can still ignite; initial ideas matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Movies have to handle time very efficiently. They're about stringing scenes together in the present. Novels aren't necessarily about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/movies-have-to-handle-time-very-efficiently-they-re-about-stringing/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [“Like the roller coaster of life...novels aren't fun without ups and downs and even an occasional loop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-desousa/like-the-roller-coaster-of-life-novels-aren-t-fun-without-ups-and/) [Carmen DeSousa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-desousa/) > [Novels aren't pedagogical instruments, or instructions in law or physics or any other discipline. A novel has to be an emotional experience, a trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/novels-aren-t-pedagogical-instruments-or-instructions-in-law-or/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [You can't write a novel all at once, any more than you can swallow a whale in one gulp. You do have to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-can-t-write-a-novel-all-at-once-any-more-than-you-can-swallow-a/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Novels aren’t just happy escapes; they are slivers of people’s souls, nailed to the pages, dripping ink from veins of wood pulp. Reading the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/novels-aren-t-just-happy-escapes-they-are-slivers-of-people-s-souls/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [I was pretty dead set against ever writing an academic novel. It's always been my view that there are already more than enough academic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/i-was-pretty-dead-set-against-ever-writing-an-academic-novel-it-s/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [“Ikigai can be described as an intersection between 4 different elements: what you're passionate about, where your skills lie, how you can earn a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blinkist/ikigai-can-be-described-as-an-intersection-between-4-different/) Blinkist > [It's a combination of melody and lyrics, not one without the other. It's a confluence of these different elements that makes something powerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/it-s-a-combination-of-melody-and-lyrics-not-one-without-the-other-it/) [Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/) > [We all have so many different elements inside of us and we're not all one thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-piven/we-all-have-so-many-different-elements-inside-of-us-and-we-re-not-all/) [Jeremy Piven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-piven/) > [If you're trying to be realistic and bring real life to the screen, you are going to have different elements. That's what I'm trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takashi-miike/if-you-re-trying-to-be-realistic-and-bring-real-life-to-the-screen/) [Takashi Miike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takashi-miike/) > [I like to incorporate all different elements into my music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-barthel/i-like-to-incorporate-all-different-elements-into-my-music/) [Sarah Barthel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-barthel/) > [Throughout hip-hop people have been putting different elements with different types of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-talk/throughout-hip-hop-people-have-been-putting-different-elements-with/) [Girl Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-talk/) > [HIP-HOP HAS DIFFERENT ELEMENTS DEALING WITH MUSIC, RAP, GRAFFITI ART, B-BOYS (WHAT YOU CALL BREAK BOYS)... AND ALSO DEALING WITH CULTURE, AND A WHOLE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/afrika-bambaataa/hip-hop-has-different-elements-dealing-with-music-rap-graffiti-art-b/) [Afrika Bambaataa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/afrika-bambaataa/) > [Its a combination of melody and lyrics, not one without the other. Its a confluence of these different elements that makes something powerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/its-a-combination-of-melody-and-lyrics-not-one-without-the-other-its/) [Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/) > [It's so many different elements to a film. Just learning the ins and outs and how the machine works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/it-s-so-many-different-elements-to-a-film-just-learning-the-ins-and/) T.I ## More by Donna Tartt > [I hope we're all ready to leave the phenomenal world, and enter into the sublime?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/i-hope-we-re-all-ready-to-leave-the-phenomenal-world-and-enter-into/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [And I add my own love to the history of people who have loved beautiful things, and looked out for them, and pulled them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-i-add-my-own-love-to-the-history-of-people-who-have-loved/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“The world won't come to me...so I must go to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-world-won-t-come-to-me-so-i-must-go-to-it/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [There's an expectation these days that novels - like any other consumer product - should be made on a production line, with one dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/there-s-an-expectation-these-days-that-novels-like-any-other-consumer/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“A month or two before, I would have been appalled at the idea of any murder at all. But that Sunday afternoon, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/a-month-or-two-before-i-would-have-been-appalled-at-the-idea-of-any/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Well, I think storytellers have always found murder a fascinating device.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/well-i-think-storytellers-have-always-found-murder-a-fascinating/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Always remember, the person we’re really working for is the person who’s restoring the piece a hundred years from now. He’s the one we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/always-remember-the-person-we-re-really-working-for-is-the-person-who/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“The silence between us was happy and strange, connected by the cord and the icy voices thinly echoing. “You don’t have to talk,” she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-silence-between-us-was-happy-and-strange-connected-by-the-cord/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“It is a terrible thing to learn as a child that one is a being separate from all the world, that no one and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-is-a-terrible-thing-to-learn-as-a-child-that-one-is-a-being/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“You didn’t meet many people who moved freely through the world with such a vigorous contempt for it and at the same time such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/you-didn-t-meet-many-people-who-moved-freely-through-the-world-with/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“maybe that’s what’s waiting for us at the end of the journey, a majesty unimaginable until the very moment we find ourselves walking through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/maybe-that-s-what-s-waiting-for-us-at-the-end-of-the-journey-a/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“lights and moods and seasons was to see it a thousand different ways and to keep it shut in the dark—a thing made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/lights-and-moods-and-seasons-was-to-see-it-a-thousand-different-ways/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts. We can’t make ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/a-great-sorrow-and-one-that-i-am-only-beginning-to-understand-we-don/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“Upon meeting Julian Morrow, one has the impression that he is a man of extraordinary sympathy and warmth. But what you call his 'Asiatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/upon-meeting-julian-morrow-one-has-the-impression-that-he-is-a-man-of/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) [Explore all 590 Donna Tartt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My novels aren't really generated by a single conceptual spark; it's more a process of many different elements that come together unexpectedly over a long period of time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donna Tartt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/my-novels-aren-t-really-generated-by-a-single-conceptual-spark-it-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/my-novels-aren-t-really-generated-by-a-single-conceptual-spark-it-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ef/donna-tartt-391_books_my-novels-aren-t-really-generated-by-a-s_2563342.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ef/donna-tartt-391_books_my-novels-aren-t-really-generated-by-a-s_2563342.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ef/donna-tartt-391_books_my-novels-aren-t-really-generated-by-a-s_2563342.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My novels aren't really generated by a single conceptual spark; it's more a process of many different…” — Donna Tartt", "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": "Donna Tartt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My novels aren't really generated by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/my-novels-aren-t-really-generated-by-a-single-conceptual-spark-it-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/my-novels-aren-t-really-generated-by-a-single-conceptual-spark-it-s/#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 } } ] } ```