--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In my younger days, I was trying to write…" description: "\"In my younger days, I was trying to write sophisticated prose and fantastic stories.\" — Haruki Murakami" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cde/haruki-murakami-21_fantastic_in-my-younger-days-i-was-trying-to-write_544422.jpg" --- # In my younger days, I was trying to write sophisticated… ![“In my younger days, I was trying to write sophisticated prose and fantastic stories.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cde/haruki-murakami-21_fantastic_in-my-younger-days-i-was-trying-to-write_544422.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cde/haruki-murakami-21_fantastic_in-my-younger-days-i-was-trying-to-write_544422.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cde/haruki-murakami-21_fantastic_in-my-younger-days-i-was-trying-to-write_544422.jpg) > “In my younger days, I was trying to write sophisticated prose and fantastic stories.” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflects on early artistic ambition to craft refined, imaginative literature, acknowledging the evolution of his writing journey. **In simple terms:** Early desire to write sophisticated, fantastical prose. Key Takeaway Embrace growth and let your style evolve. Themes creative ambition literary craft self‑reflection Mood reflective introspective Type literary motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - first drafts - literary criticism - personal journals Key Concepts narrative imagination artistic development Questions to Reflect On - How has your creative process changed? - What lessons did you learn from early attempts? A Different Perspective Early goals may feel idealized compared to later achievements. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fantastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantastic/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Younger days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/younger-days/) ## Related quotes > [“I would like to write one of those sophisticated stories in which even though nothing much happens there's lots to write about. That can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-would-like-to-write-one-of-those-sophisticated-stories-in-which/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“NOTHING I would like to write one of those sophisticated stories in which even though nothing much happens there’s lots to write about. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/nothing-i-would-like-to-write-one-of-those-sophisticated-stories-in/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“N O T H I N G I would like to write one of those sophisticated stories in which even though nothing much happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/n-o-t-h-i-n-g-i-would-like-to-write-one-of-those-sophisticated/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“I would like to write one of those sophisticated stories in which even though nothing much happens there’s lots to write about. That can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-would-like-to-write-one-of-those-sophisticated-stories-in-which-2/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [There are a few really fantastic stories left, and that kind of gives you some inspiration to find even new ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malik-bendjelloul/there-are-a-few-really-fantastic-stories-left-and-that-kind-of-gives/) [Malik Bendjelloul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malik-bendjelloul/) > [There are so many fantastic stories and I want to bring Thor and Odin and the other gods into the modern world, just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/there-are-so-many-fantastic-stories-and-i-want-to-bring-thor-and-odin/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [What I find about Olympic games is there's so many fantastic stories, and the celebration of sport, and to be involved in that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-moir/what-i-find-about-olympic-games-is-there-s-so-many-fantastic-stories/) [Scott Moir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-moir/) > [Shakespeare's stories are still very strong. 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Take them with you as you grow up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/our-worries-fears-and-dreams-make-fantastic-stories-take-them-with/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Scarcity is a captivating book, overflowing with new ideas, fantastic stories, and simple suggestions that just might change the way you live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levitt/scarcity-is-a-captivating-book-overflowing-with-new-ideas-fantastic/) [Steven Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levitt/) > [There are fantastic stories yet to be told featuring Marvel's characters, old and new, and I'm thrilled to be part of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-soule/there-are-fantastic-stories-yet-to-be-told-featuring-marvel-s/) [Charles Soule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-soule/) > [Of course all children's literature is not fantastic, so all fantastic books need not be children's books. It is still possible, even in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/of-course-all-children-s-literature-is-not-fantastic-so-all-fantastic/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [We didn't have any books at home. Not even children's books or fairy tales. The only 'fantastic' stories came from religion class. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/we-didn-t-have-any-books-at-home-not-even-children-s-books-or-fairy/) [Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More Fantastic quotes > [... Arthur Gride, whose bleared eyes gloated only over the outward beauties, and were blind to the spirit which reigned within, evinced - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/arthur-gride-whose-bleared-eyes-gloated-only-over-the-outward/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I always loved as a kid reading 'Spider-Man,' and the 'Fantastic Four' would show up... it was all about that larger universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-reed/i-always-loved-as-a-kid-reading-spider-man-and-the-fantastic-four/) [Peyton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-reed/) > [What Sri Chinmoy does is God-given! He has a tremendous, a fantastic creative urge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shankar/what-sri-chinmoy-does-is-god-given-he-has-a-tremendous-a-fantastic/) [Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shankar/) > [Many people, including myself, thought of Jobs as an inventor, an Edison-like figure, but he wasn't. I did a documentary on James Brown recently;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/many-people-including-myself-thought-of-jobs-as-an-inventor-an-edison/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) > [I'm attracted to the garden, without a doubt, but I always try and image the wolf that's there, too. And that wolf would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-light/i-m-attracted-to-the-garden-without-a-doubt-but-i-always-try-and/) [Michael Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-light/) > [I have a Twitter account; I have a fantastic Facebook page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/i-have-a-twitter-account-i-have-a-fantastic-facebook-page/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [Making the unbelievable believable is different on a set with 'Fantastic Four,' where it's like, 'Wind machines! Because the airship is coming in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-washington/making-the-unbelievable-believable-is-different-on-a-set-with/) [Kerry Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-washington/) > [ There's a fantastic, thousand-page book by David Thomson about \[David O. Selznick\]. Again, it's not the best argument or the best advertisement for his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-longworth/there-s-a-fantastic-thousand-page-book-by-david-thomson-about-david-o/) [Karina Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-longworth/) > [Women's Aid is a fantastic charity which has my full support. I am proud to call myself a Real Man, a man who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-fox/women-s-aid-is-a-fantastic-charity-which-has-my-full-support-i-am/) Neil Fox > [Fantastic truths perish slower... Sappho's moon will survive the moon of Armstrong. Different computations are necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odysseas-elytis/fantastic-truths-perish-slower-sappho-s-moon-will-survive-the-moon-of/) [Odysseas Elytis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odysseas-elytis/) > [I dreamt a limitless book, A book unbound, Its leaves scattered in fantastic abundance On every line there was a new horizon drawn, New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-dreamt-a-limitless-book-a-book-unbound-its-leaves-scattered-in/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [Competition is always a fantastic thing, and the computer industry is intensely competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/competition-is-always-a-fantastic-thing-and-the-computer-industry-is/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Films are a fantastic medium and the huge impact they have cannot be denied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suhasini-maniratnam/films-are-a-fantastic-medium-and-the-huge-impact-they-have-cannot-be/) [Suhasini Maniratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suhasini-maniratnam/) > [The idea of building a Near Eastern house in Honolulu must seem fantastic to many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-duke/the-idea-of-building-a-near-eastern-house-in-honolulu-must-seem/) [Doris Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-duke/) > [Its always fantastic to be on the podium, and, of course, the top step is always our target.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/its-always-fantastic-to-be-on-the-podium-and-of-course-the-top-step/) [Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/) [Browse all 1,974 Fantastic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantastic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In my younger days, I was trying to write sophisticated prose and fantastic stories.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Haruki Murakami" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/in-my-younger-days-i-was-trying-to-write-sophisticated-prose-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fantastic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/in-my-younger-days-i-was-trying-to-write-sophisticated-prose-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cde/haruki-murakami-21_fantastic_in-my-younger-days-i-was-trying-to-write_544422.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cde/haruki-murakami-21_fantastic_in-my-younger-days-i-was-trying-to-write_544422.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cde/haruki-murakami-21_fantastic_in-my-younger-days-i-was-trying-to-write_544422.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In my younger days, I was trying to write sophisticated prose and fantastic stories.” — Haruki Murakami", "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": "Haruki Murakami", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In my younger days, I was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/in-my-younger-days-i-was-trying-to-write-sophisticated-prose-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/in-my-younger-days-i-was-trying-to-write-sophisticated-prose-and/#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 } } ] } ```