--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In general, the main themes emerge early…" description: "\"In general, the main themes emerge early for each book, even before the storyline and characters, as I research the time and place I want to draw upon...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/guy-gavriel-kay-2769_am_in-general-the-main-themes-emerge-early_1052226.png" --- # In general, the main themes emerge early for each book… ![“In general, the main themes emerge early for each book, even before the storyline and characters, as I research the time and place I want to draw upon. Having said that, every single book so far has offered me surprises en route, and these include motifs that come forward as I am writing.” quote by Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/guy-gavriel-kay-2769_am_in-general-the-main-themes-emerge-early_1052226.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/guy-gavriel-kay-2769_am_in-general-the-main-themes-emerge-early_1052226.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/guy-gavriel-kay-2769_am_in-general-the-main-themes-emerge-early_1052226.png) > “In general, the main themes emerge early for each book, even before the storyline and characters, as I research the time and place I want to draw upon. Having said that, every single book so far has offered me surprises en route, and these include motifs that come forward as I am writing.” [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early thematic planning shapes a book’s foundation, yet unexpected motifs still appear during writing. **In simple terms:** Planning sets the base; surprises emerge while writing. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility in your creative process. Themes creativity planning surprise motifs writing process Mood reflective inspired curious Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - novel drafting - world‑building - character development - story revisions Key Concepts Narrative structure thematic development creative discovery Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance pre‑planned themes with emerging ideas? - What strategies help integrate surprise motifs? A Different Perspective Unexpected motifs may clash with initial plans, requiring revisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/am/) [Before](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/before/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Draw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draw/) [Each](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/each/) [Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early/) [Emerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emerge/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Every](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every/) [Far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far/) [Forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forward/) [General](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/general/) [Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having/) [I am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-am/) [Include](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/include/) [Main](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main/) [Main Themes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main-themes-2341081/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Motifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motifs/) [Motifs Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motifs-come-2523033/) [Offered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offered/) [Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Route](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/route/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Single](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single/) [Storyline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storyline/) [Surprises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprises/) [Themes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/themes/) [Themes Emerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/themes-emerge-2523032/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I always set out to tell a good story, to create a character that young people can relate to, place them in a situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/i-always-set-out-to-tell-a-good-story-to-create-a-character-that/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [What do we really want to say to the world? 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As far as the cinematography and the lensing and all that, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wayne-peterson/we-ve-tried-to-use-some-visual-motifs-in-beauty-and-the-beast-as-far/) [Brian Wayne Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wayne-peterson/) > [This symmetrical composition--the same motif at the beginning and at the end--may seem quite "novelistic" to you, and I am willing to agree, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/this-symmetrical-composition-the-same-motif-at-the-beginning-and-at/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [D.H. Lawrence had the impression – that psychoanalysis was shutting sexuality up in a bizarre sort of box painted with bourgeois motifs, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/d-h-lawrence-had-the-impression-that-psychoanalysis-was-shutting/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) > [For me a work of art must be an elevated interpretation of nature. The search for the ideal has been the purpose of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-adolphe-bouguereau/for-me-a-work-of-art-must-be-an-elevated-interpretation-of-nature-the/) [William-Adolphe Bouguereau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-adolphe-bouguereau/) > [motif, n. You don’t love me as much as I love you. You don’t love me as much as I love you. You don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/motif-n-you-don-t-love-me-as-much-as-i-love-you-you-don-t-love-me-as/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [For the machine meant the conquest of horizontal space. It also meant a sense of that space which few people had experienced before –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/for-the-machine-meant-the-conquest-of-horizontal-space-it-also-meant/) [Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/) > [Let me speak frankly: separate but equal is a fraud. It is the language that tried to push Rosa Parks to the back of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/let-me-speak-frankly-separate-but-equal-is-a-fraud-it-is-the-language/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [The possibility seems to be that what we call styles, or what we call motifs, are actually categories in the unconscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-possibility-seems-to-be-that-what-we-call-styles-or-what-we-call/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The motif of death plays an important role the human psyche in connection with archetypal and karmic material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislav-grof/the-motif-of-death-plays-an-important-role-the-human-psyche-in/) [Stanislav Grof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislav-grof/) > [Here on the edge of the river, the motifs are very plentiful, the same subject seen from a different angle gives a subject for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/here-on-the-edge-of-the-river-the-motifs-are-very-plentiful-the-same/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [There is no roles. 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If you were very fortunate, true friendship.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/branching-paths-the-turning-of-days-and-seasons-and-years-life/) [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) > [I never talk about books in progress. I could decide to change it to a series of seafood recipes, after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/i-never-talk-about-books-in-progress-i-could-decide-to-change-it-to-a/) [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) > [“He’d stopped permitting himself to be unhappy about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/he-d-stopped-permitting-himself-to-be-unhappy-about-it/) [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) > [“The privacy of pride.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/the-privacy-of-pride/) [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) > [“It had taken skill, tact, an ability to choose friends well, and a great deal of luck”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/it-had-taken-skill-tact-an-ability-to-choose-friends-well-and-a-great/) [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) > [“The soul must bend to endure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/the-soul-must-bend-to-endure/) [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) > [“He sang one whole verse directly to her, then, in fidelity to the song, he sent his vision inward to where his purest music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/he-sang-one-whole-verse-directly-to-her-then-in-fidelity-to-the-song/) [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) > [“Ambitions and dreams put you at a drinking table with unexpected companions. 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Generally, Asian guys are more quiet - they study and have a good work ethic. Generally, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-lee/i-think-i-am-against-stereotype-generally-asian-guys-are-more-quiet/) [Bobby Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-lee/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Any incarnation of 'Batman' I am delighted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/any-incarnation-of-batman-i-am-delighted-to-do/) [Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? 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