---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whenever I write a novel, most of the…"
description: "\"Whenever I write a novel, most of the time it starts with barest slip of an idea.\" — Elizabeth Berg"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/elizabeth-berg-853_books_whenever-i-write-a-novel-most-of-the-tim_1090756.jpg"
---

#  Whenever I write a novel, most of the time it starts with…

![“Whenever I write a novel, most of the time it starts with barest slip of an idea.” quote by Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/elizabeth-berg-853_books_whenever-i-write-a-novel-most-of-the-tim_1090756.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/elizabeth-berg-853_books_whenever-i-write-a-novel-most-of-the-tim_1090756.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/elizabeth-berg-853_books_whenever-i-write-a-novel-most-of-the-tim_1090756.jpg)

> “Whenever I write a novel, most of the time it starts with barest slip of an idea.”

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

## About This Quote

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

Novel ideas often begin as faint, barely formed thoughts that later develop into full stories.

**In simple terms:** Ideas start as tiny sparks.

Key Takeaway

Nurture early ideas into full narratives.

Themes

creativity writing inspiration process development

Mood

inspired thoughtful

Type

creative process

When to use this quote

- brainstorming sessions
- journaling
- drafting
- workshops

Key Concepts

idea incubation creative flow storytelling

Questions to Reflect On

- What small idea could become your next project?
- How do you capture fleeting thoughts?

A Different Perspective

Ideas may remain vague without discipline.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [If you wait until you got time to write a novel, or time to write a story, or time to read the hundred thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-crews/if-you-wait-until-you-got-time-to-write-a-novel-or-time-to-write-a/)

[Harry Crews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-crews/)

> [If you haven't written a novel by the time you're forty you never will!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/if-you-haven-t-written-a-novel-by-the-time-you-re-forty-you-never-will/)

[Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/)

> [There is no denying that we are suffering from a collective neurosis and the novel which does not face this is not a novel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/there-is-no-denying-that-we-are-suffering-from-a-collective-neurosis/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [ The hardest thing in a novel is time. You've got \[a line like\] "two weeks later, he woke up with a headache," and you've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/the-hardest-thing-in-a-novel-is-time-you-ve-got-a-line-like-two-weeks/)

[T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/)

> [And the nice thing about writing a novel is you take your time, you sit with the character sometimes nine years, you look very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/and-the-nice-thing-about-writing-a-novel-is-you-take-your-time-you/)

[Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/)

> [“I can resist anything except temptation." Ren, main character in Sherrilyn Kenyon's novel Time Untime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-can-resist-anything-except-temptation-ren-main-character-in/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [Whenever I write a novel, I have a strong sense that I am doing something I was unable to do before. With each new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/whenever-i-write-a-novel-i-have-a-strong-sense-that-i-am-doing/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [I've got no idea when I am going to retire. Whenever they pick me up and take me to the funeral home, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colonel-sanders/i-ve-got-no-idea-when-i-am-going-to-retire-whenever-they-pick-me-up/)

[Colonel Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colonel-sanders/)

> [If you get trapped in your head and out of your body during the writing process, it's very easy to make wrong turns. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soman-chainani/if-you-get-trapped-in-your-head-and-out-of-your-body-during-the/)

[Soman Chainani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soman-chainani/)

> [When people write a novel, they want to have that reach and that impact. To get it with a first novel, you can either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/when-people-write-a-novel-they-want-to-have-that-reach-and-that/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [I don't assume, because I can write screenplays, that I know how to write a novel. It's a very different world. There's a craft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-rosenberg/i-don-t-assume-because-i-can-write-screenplays-that-i-know-how-to/)

[Melissa Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-rosenberg/)

> [“I'm going to write a novel and get it published. I'm going to do it because writing a novel is worthwhile and because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-ingermanson/i-m-going-to-write-a-novel-and-get-it-published-i-m-going-to-do-it/)

[Randy Ingermanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-ingermanson/)

> [When I need to take a side, I write a newspaper article and I tell my government, "You should not do that, you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/when-i-need-to-take-a-side-i-write-a-newspaper-article-and-i-tell-my/)

[Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/)

> [I've never been that person who thought that because I've written one novel, I should write another and another. It's only when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-ve-never-been-that-person-who-thought-that-because-i-ve-written-one/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [“I can't understand why a person will take a year or two to write a novel when he can easily buy one for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/i-can-t-understand-why-a-person-will-take-a-year-or-two-to-write-a/)

[Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/)

## More by Elizabeth Berg

> [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [If there were a category in the Olympics for laundry, my mother would have been a gold-medal winner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics-for-laundry-my-mother-would/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [“If you say something over and over again, it begins to lose it's meaning... Say anything enough times and it becomes gibberish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-you-say-something-over-and-over-again-it-begins-to-lose-it-s/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [“You know, sometimes marriage is iron. Sometimes it’s tissue paper. And I think the times it’s tissue paper are when you need to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/you-know-sometimes-marriage-is-iron-sometimes-it-s-tissue-paper-and-i/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [“It's not that he doesn't smile; it's that if his smile were something you drew, you'd erase it, thinking, Wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/it-s-not-that-he-doesn-t-smile-it-s-that-if-his-smile-were-something/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [People say you should give until it hurts. I say you should give until it stops hurting. Know what I mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/people-say-you-should-give-until-it-hurts-i-say-you-should-give-until/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [“I should have said “powder room.” That would evoke the image of me sitting before a beautiful gold mirror, a vase of fresh flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-should-have-said-powder-room-that-would-evoke-the-image-of-me/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [Sometimes the best reading comes just by accident. Someone talks about a book, or you're just wandering the stacks in the library, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/sometimes-the-best-reading-comes-just-by-accident-someone-talks-about/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [“I don’t think Martha’s so bad. I think I want her for a friend instead of you. When I look at her magazine, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-don-t-think-martha-s-so-bad-i-think-i-want-her-for-a-friend-instead/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [\*We give so little when it's in us always to give so much more. It's bothering to listen with an open heart to someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/we-give-so-little-when-it-s-in-us-always-to-give-so-much-more-it-s/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [We're not just writers; we're readers probably more than anything else. That's how you learn how to write and how you learn to appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/we-re-not-just-writers-we-re-readers-probably-more-than-anything-else/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [I thought of the priest who'd told me that many religions hold that it is easier to be closely connected to people we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-thought-of-the-priest-who-d-told-me-that-many-religions-hold-that/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [“How is it that we dare to honk at others in traffic, when we know nothing about where they have just come from or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/how-is-it-that-we-dare-to-honk-at-others-in-traffic-when-we-know/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [The truth is, we usually only show our unhappiness to another woman. I suppose this is one of our problems. And yet it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/the-truth-is-we-usually-only-show-our-unhappiness-to-another-woman-i/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

[Explore all 350 Elizabeth Berg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

## 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": "Whenever I write a novel, most of the time it starts with barest slip of an idea.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Berg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/whenever-i-write-a-novel-most-of-the-time-it-starts-with-barest-slip/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/whenever-i-write-a-novel-most-of-the-time-it-starts-with-barest-slip/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/elizabeth-berg-853_books_whenever-i-write-a-novel-most-of-the-tim_1090756.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/elizabeth-berg-853_books_whenever-i-write-a-novel-most-of-the-tim_1090756.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/elizabeth-berg-853_books_whenever-i-write-a-novel-most-of-the-tim_1090756.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Whenever I write a novel, most of the time it starts with barest slip of an idea.” — Elizabeth Berg",
                "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": "Elizabeth Berg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Whenever I write a novel, most...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/whenever-i-write-a-novel-most-of-the-time-it-starts-with-barest-slip/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/whenever-i-write-a-novel-most-of-the-time-it-starts-with-barest-slip/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
