--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always wanted to write novels, even…" description: "\"I always wanted to write novels, even before I had read a lot of novels or had a very good idea of what they were.\" — Elif Batuman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/elif-batuman-2172_always_i-always-wanted-to-write-novels-even-bef_1930122.png" --- # I always wanted to write novels, even before I had read a… ![“I always wanted to write novels, even before I had read a lot of novels or had a very good idea of what they were.” quote by Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/elif-batuman-2172_always_i-always-wanted-to-write-novels-even-bef_1930122.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/elif-batuman-2172_always_i-always-wanted-to-write-novels-even-bef_1930122.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/elif-batuman-2172_always_i-always-wanted-to-write-novels-even-bef_1930122.png) > “I always wanted to write novels, even before I had read a lot of novels or had a very good idea of what they were.” [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author desired to write novels before fully understanding them, indicating a drive to create driven by curiosity rather than expertise. **In simple terms:** Wanted to write before fully knowing novels. Key Takeaway Start creating early. Themes creativity learning ambition curiosity Mood inspirational reflective Type creative educational When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal projects - reading circles - creative retreats Key Concepts literary studies self‑directed learning Questions to Reflect On - How does curiosity fuel your work? - What steps help you learn while creating? A Different Perspective Lack of knowledge may lead to frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-idea/) [Lot Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lot-novels-1300907/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Novels Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels-good-1064056/) [Novels Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels-read-367349/) [Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read/) [Write Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-novels/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [There're no novels that I like to read so I write my own novels, and then I read them again, and it's the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willow-smith/there-re-no-novels-that-i-like-to-read-so-i-write-my-own-novels-and/) [Willow Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willow-smith/) > [When I am writing novels I don't read a lot of novels so I try to catch up in-between.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/when-i-am-writing-novels-i-don-t-read-a-lot-of-novels-so-i-try-to/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I love novels, and I read them more than anything, but stories cut in sharp and hard and are able to reveal things in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-love-novels-and-i-read-them-more-than-anything-but-stories-cut-in/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [Often I think the novels I read won't make very good movies - I better not say which I'm looking at for potential films!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hampton/often-i-think-the-novels-i-read-won-t-make-very-good-movies-i-better/) [Christopher Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hampton/) > [“The novels we read allow us to encounter possible persons, visions of ourselves that we would never see, never permit ourselves to become, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/the-novels-we-read-allow-us-to-encounter-possible-persons-visions-of/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [I would like my novels to be read the way I read the novels I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-would-like-my-novels-to-be-read-the-way-i-read-the-novels-i-love/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“The novels we read allow us to encounter possible persons, versions of ourselves hat we would never see, never permit ourselves to see, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-c-foster/the-novels-we-read-allow-us-to-encounter-possible-persons-versions-of/) [Thomas C. Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-c-foster/) > [Publishers send me a lot of first novels because my first novel was the defining novel of my career, and I guess a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/publishers-send-me-a-lot-of-first-novels-because-my-first-novel-was/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [A lot of first novels are written long before they're actually put down on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/a-lot-of-first-novels-are-written-long-before-they-re-actually-put/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Sometimes people write novels and they just be so wordy and so self-absorbed. I am not a fan of books ... I like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/sometimes-people-write-novels-and-they-just-be-so-wordy-and-so-self/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [I write novels and other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-l-chalker/i-write-novels-and-other-things/) [Jack L. Chalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-l-chalker/) > [I'm a novelist at heart. How's that? And that's how I make my living, is I write novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-m-a-novelist-at-heart-how-s-that-and-that-s-how-i-make-my-living-is/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [People who actually tell stories, meaning people who write novels and make feature films, don't see themselves as storytellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-sagmeister/people-who-actually-tell-stories-meaning-people-who-write-novels-and/) [Stefan Sagmeister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-sagmeister/) > [People without hope not only don't write novels, but what is more to the point, they don't read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/people-without-hope-not-only-don-t-write-novels-but-what-is-more-to/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [I am trying to write novels for properly clever people, but I also want them to be proper novels that also stick in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/i-am-trying-to-write-novels-for-properly-clever-people-but-i-also/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) ## More by Elif Batuman > [My parents were born into a secular country. They met in Turkey's top medical school, moved to America in the nineteen-seventies, and became researchers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/my-parents-were-born-into-a-secular-country-they-met-in-turkey-s-top/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“I leafed through the phrase book. If a Martian read it, the Martian would probably decide to avoid Hungary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-leafed-through-the-phrase-book-if-a-martian-read-it-the-martian/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [You can't invent something you have no epistemological access to. In a way, it's all recombination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/you-can-t-invent-something-you-have-no-epistemological-access-to-in-a/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [Poetry is another space, like love, where we extend that extra credit to the writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/poetry-is-another-space-like-love-where-we-extend-that-extra-credit/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“Svetlana said that she identified with that Madonna more than with any other woman in any other painting. She kept asking me what painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/svetlana-said-that-she-identified-with-that-madonna-more-than-with/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [One of the most painful parts of a breakup is having the feeling that your life is a story, and then the other person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/one-of-the-most-painful-parts-of-a-breakup-is-having-the-feeling-that/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“Dracula visited the Wolf Department at the Zoological Gardens. "These wolves seem upset at something," he observed. The next morning the cage was all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/dracula-visited-the-wolf-department-at-the-zoological-gardens-these/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [I like to think that I know a lot of words, but I definitely don't know all of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-like-to-think-that-i-know-a-lot-of-words-but-i-definitely-don-t/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“I don't know if I ended up siding with the academics just because I happened to end up in graduate school, or if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-don-t-know-if-i-ended-up-siding-with-the-academics-just-because-i/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [People don't become writers because they love having spontaneous, real-world interactions with living people as bodies with clothes in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/people-don-t-become-writers-because-they-love-having-spontaneous-real/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“Each work of criticism is supposed to build on the body of work, to increase the total sum of human understanding. It's not like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/each-work-of-criticism-is-supposed-to-build-on-the-body-of-work-to/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [Humor is really important to me. All my favorite writers are writers I consider to be funny, including Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, even though that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/humor-is-really-important-to-me-all-my-favorite-writers-are-writers-i/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [Every time a meteor comes close to the earth, we all think about the end of the world - but our internal soundtrack doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-earth-we-all-think-about-the/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [I felt grateful to Ataturk that my parents were so well educated, that they weren't held back by superstition or religion, that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-felt-grateful-to-ataturk-that-my-parents-were-so-well-educated-that/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“For a moment it felt like we weren’t in the Danube at all but in the river of time, and everyone was at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/for-a-moment-it-felt-like-we-weren-t-in-the-danube-at-all-but-in-the/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) [Explore all 182 Elif Batuman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) [Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always wanted to write novels, even before I had read a lot of novels or had a very good idea of what they were.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elif Batuman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-always-wanted-to-write-novels-even-before-i-had-read-a-lot-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-always-wanted-to-write-novels-even-before-i-had-read-a-lot-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/elif-batuman-2172_always_i-always-wanted-to-write-novels-even-bef_1930122.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/elif-batuman-2172_always_i-always-wanted-to-write-novels-even-bef_1930122.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/elif-batuman-2172_always_i-always-wanted-to-write-novels-even-bef_1930122.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always wanted to write novels, even before I had read a lot of novels or had a very good idea of what they…” — Elif Batuman", "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": "Elif Batuman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always wanted to write novels,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-always-wanted-to-write-novels-even-before-i-had-read-a-lot-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-always-wanted-to-write-novels-even-before-i-had-read-a-lot-of/#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 } } ] } ```