---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A book begins as a private excitement of…"
description: "\"A book begins as a private excitement of the mind.\" — E. L. Doctorow"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da3/e-l-doctorow-4627_book_a-book-begins-as-a-private-excitement-of_329077.png"
---

#  A book begins as a private excitement of the mind.

![“A book begins as a private excitement of the mind.” quote by E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da3/e-l-doctorow-4627_book_a-book-begins-as-a-private-excitement-of_329077.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da3/e-l-doctorow-4627_book_a-book-begins-as-a-private-excitement-of_329077.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da3/e-l-doctorow-4627_book_a-book-begins-as-a-private-excitement-of_329077.png)

> “A book begins as a private excitement of the mind.”

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A novel starts as an intimate, private spark of imagination before becoming a shared story.

**In simple terms:** Writing begins with a personal mental excitement.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate that inner spark into your work.

Themes

creativity imagination writing

Mood

inspired reflective

Type

literary creative

When to use this quote

- authoring a novel
- journaling
- brainstorming ideas
- drafting a story

Key Concepts

literary genesis personal inspiration

Questions to Reflect On

- What personal excitement can you turn into a project?
- How do you protect your creative spark?

A Different Perspective

The private excitement may never translate into a finished work without discipline.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Begins Private](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begins-private-3083869/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Begins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-begins-502529/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Excitement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excitement/) [Excitement Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excitement-mind-3083868/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Private Excitement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private-excitement-3083867/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [I would rather think of life as a good book. The further you get into it,the more it begins to come together and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabbi-harold-kushner/i-would-rather-think-of-life-as-a-good-book-the-further-you-get-into/)

[Rabbi Harold Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabbi-harold-kushner/)

> [“A bad book begins and ends with the words on the pages. A good book gives you the feeling that it began long before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-lee-smith-quoting-her-mother/a-bad-book-begins-and-ends-with-the-words-on-the-pages-a-good-book/)

[R. Lee Smith quoting her mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-lee-smith-quoting-her-mother/)

> [“Book Two AND SO IT BEGINS”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/book-two-and-so-it-begins/)

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

> [Moby Dick - that book is so amazing. I just realized that it starts with two characters meeting in bed; that's how my book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/moby-dick-that-book-is-so-amazing-i-just-realized-that-it-starts-with/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [A great book begins with an idea; a great life, with a determination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/a-great-book-begins-with-an-idea-a-great-life-with-a-determination/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [“If you take a book with you on a journey,’ Mo had said when he put the first one in her box, ‘an odd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/if-you-take-a-book-with-you-on-a-journey-mo-had-said-when-he-put-the-2/)

[Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/)

> [“Drench yourself in words unspoken, live your life with arms wide open, today is where your book begins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-bedingfield/drench-yourself-in-words-unspoken-live-your-life-with-arms-wide-open/)

[Natasha Bedingfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-bedingfield/)

> [A book begins with an image or character or situation that I care about deeply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/a-book-begins-with-an-image-or-character-or-situation-that-i-care/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [“Staring at the blank page before you open up the dirty window let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find. Today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-bedingfield/staring-at-the-blank-page-before-you-open-up-the-dirty-window-let-the-2/)

[Natasha Bedingfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-bedingfield/)

> [Each book first begins with a little idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bruna/each-book-first-begins-with-a-little-idea/)

[Dick Bruna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bruna/)

> [Live your life with arms wide open. Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-bedingfield/live-your-life-with-arms-wide-open-today-is-where-your-book-begins/)

[Natasha Bedingfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-bedingfield/)

> [“an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your memories. And forever after you have only to open that book to be back where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/an-odd-thing-happens-the-book-begins-collecting-your-memories-and/)

[Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/)

> [It's difficult to tell the truth about how a book begins. The truth, as far as it can be presented to other people, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/it-s-difficult-to-tell-the-truth-about-how-a-book-begins-the-truth-as/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-of-life-as-a-good-book-the-further-you-get-into-it-the-more-2/)

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

> [“Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-bedignfield/today-is-where-your-book-begins-the-rest-is-still-unwritten/)

[Natasha Bedignfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-bedignfield/)

## More by E. L. Doctorow

> [Things that appear on the front page of the newspaper as 'fact' are far more dangerous than the games played by a novelist, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/things-that-appear-on-the-front-page-of-the-newspaper-as-fact-are-far/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [There are moments when I cannot bear this unremitting consciousness. It knows only itself. Awake, I am in a continuum with my dreams. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/there-are-moments-when-i-cannot-bear-this-unremitting-consciousness/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [Most people are quiet in the world, and live in it tentatively, as if it were not their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/most-people-are-quiet-in-the-world-and-live-in-it-tentatively-as-if/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [It is the immigrant hordes who keep this country alive, the waves of them arriving year after year… Who believes in America more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/it-is-the-immigrant-hordes-who-keep-this-country-alive-the-waves-of/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [I started on computers with 'Billy Bathgate,' a little orange screen with black letters. I thought it was really cool, but it actually slowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/i-started-on-computers-with-billy-bathgate-a-little-orange-screen/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [When I'm writing, I like to seal everything off and face the wall, not to look outside the window. The only way out is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/when-i-m-writing-i-like-to-seal-everything-off-and-face-the-wall-not/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [Facts are the images of history, just as images are the facts of fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/facts-are-the-images-of-history-just-as-images-are-the-facts-of/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [The nature of good fiction is that it dwells in ambiguity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/the-nature-of-good-fiction-is-that-it-dwells-in-ambiguity/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [Uncharged with invisible meaning, the visible is nothing, mere clay; and without visible circumstance, a territory, to connect to, our spirit is shapeless, nameless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/uncharged-with-invisible-meaning-the-visible-is-nothing-mere-clay-and/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [“Writing a novel is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/writing-a-novel-is-like-driving-at-night-in-the-fog-you-can-only-see/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [I did have a feeling then that the culture of factuality was so dominating that storytelling had lost all its authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/i-did-have-a-feeling-then-that-the-culture-of-factuality-was-so/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [I got married very early, and in no time at all, we had three children. And it seemed to me I had an obligation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/i-got-married-very-early-and-in-no-time-at-all-we-had-three-children/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [When you're writing a book, you don't really think about it critically. You don't want to know too well what you're doing. First, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/when-you-re-writing-a-book-you-don-t-really-think-about-it-critically/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [A writer's life is so hazardous that anything he does is bad for him. Anything that happens to him is bad: failure's bad, success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/a-writer-s-life-is-so-hazardous-that-anything-he-does-is-bad-for-him/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [It's like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/it-s-like-driving-a-car-at-night-you-never-see-further-than-your/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

[Explore all 108 E. L. Doctorow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

## 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": "A book begins as a private excitement of the mind.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "E. L. Doctorow"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/a-book-begins-as-a-private-excitement-of-the-mind/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/a-book-begins-as-a-private-excitement-of-the-mind/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da3/e-l-doctorow-4627_book_a-book-begins-as-a-private-excitement-of_329077.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da3/e-l-doctorow-4627_book_a-book-begins-as-a-private-excitement-of_329077.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da3/e-l-doctorow-4627_book_a-book-begins-as-a-private-excitement-of_329077.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A book begins as a private excitement of the mind.” — E. L. Doctorow",
                "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": "E. L. Doctorow",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A book begins as a private...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/a-book-begins-as-a-private-excitement-of-the-mind/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/a-book-begins-as-a-private-excitement-of-the-mind/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
