--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For myself, the only way I know how to…" description: "\"For myself, the only way I know how to make a book is to construct it like a collage: a bit of dialogue here, a scrap of narrative, an isolated descrip..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/hilary-mantel-440_book_for-myself-the-only-way-i-know-how-to-ma_1637064.jpg" --- # For myself, the only way I know how to make a book is to… ![“For myself, the only way I know how to make a book is to construct it like a collage: a bit of dialogue here, a scrap of narrative, an isolated description of a common object, an elaborate running metaphor which threads between the sequences and holds different narrative lines together.” quote by Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/hilary-mantel-440_book_for-myself-the-only-way-i-know-how-to-ma_1637064.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/hilary-mantel-440_book_for-myself-the-only-way-i-know-how-to-ma_1637064.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/hilary-mantel-440_book_for-myself-the-only-way-i-know-how-to-ma_1637064.jpg) > “For myself, the only way I know how to make a book is to construct it like a collage: a bit of dialogue here, a scrap of narrative, an isolated description of a common object, an elaborate running metaphor which threads between the sequences and holds different narrative lines together.” [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## 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 can be assembled like a collage, mixing dialogue, narrative fragments, and recurring metaphors to create a cohesive whole. **In simple terms:** Mix varied elements to build a unified story. Key Takeaway Use disparate pieces to weave a compelling narrative. Themes creativity structure storytelling Mood analytical inventive Type literary practical When to use this quote - novel drafting - workshop sessions - editing phases Key Concepts collage technique intertextuality Questions to Reflect On - Which metaphor best ties your story’s threads? - How do you balance dialogue with descriptive passages? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on collage may fragment narrative clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Construct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-construct-535092/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Collage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collage/) [Collage Bit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collage-bit-535093/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Constructs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constructs/) [Description](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/description/) [Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Isolated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isolated/) [Like Collage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-collage-535091/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Make Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-book-281605/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Scrap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scrap/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Thread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thread/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“My life is like a collage with no glue”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lyons/my-life-is-like-a-collage-with-no-glue/) [Anna Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lyons/) > [I have titles floating around in my head; I have sculptures floating around in my head. It's like a collage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/i-have-titles-floating-around-in-my-head-i-have-sculptures-floating/) [Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/) > [“Life is like a collage. Its individual pieces are arranged to create harmony. Appreciate the artwork of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-leigh-mercree/life-is-like-a-collage-its-individual-pieces-are-arranged-to-create/) [Amy Leigh Mercree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-leigh-mercree/) > [I do think the challenge, in a way for me, is to write a narrative film and when you finish watching it you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-do-think-the-challenge-in-a-way-for-me-is-to-write-a-narrative-film-2/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [Usually, when we write in The B-52s, it's quite a collaborative process. We really take hours - and sometimes days - jamming, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-pierson/usually-when-we-write-in-the-b-52s-it-s-quite-a-collaborative-process/) [Kate Pierson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-pierson/) > [I was just a big fan of tattoos always growing up, and I wanted something cool that symbolizes what I've been through in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-durant/i-was-just-a-big-fan-of-tattoos-always-growing-up-and-i-wanted/) [Kevin Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-durant/) > [Every filmmaker knows that when you make a book into a movie, the first thing you have to do is kill the book, unfortunately.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-raimi/every-filmmaker-knows-that-when-you-make-a-book-into-a-movie-the/) [Sam Raimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-raimi/) > [There are so many ways to make a book or comic, but most involve doing something online.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/there-are-so-many-ways-to-make-a-book-or-comic-but-most-involve-doing/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [To make a book is as much a trade as to make a clock; something more than intelligence is required to become an author.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/to-make-a-book-is-as-much-a-trade-as-to-make-a-clock-something-more/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [A man will turn over half a library to make one book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-man-will-turn-over-half-a-library-to-make-one-book/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [In a book, even the real bastards can't hurt you. And you can never loose a friend you make in a book. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-a-book-even-the-real-bastards-can-t-hurt-you-and-you-can-never/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I like big books and I cannot lie. You other readers can’t deny That when a kid walks in with The Name of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-c-hines/i-like-big-books-and-i-cannot-lie-you-other-readers-can-t-deny-that/) [Jim C. Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-c-hines/) > [“Hey Revision. You can be a pain but you do make Book better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffy-andrews/hey-revision-you-can-be-a-pain-but-you-do-make-book-better/) [Buffy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffy-andrews/) > [When I make a book, I make it for the child and not for the parent - no jokes in it for the parents!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bruna/when-i-make-a-book-i-make-it-for-the-child-and-not-for-the-parent-no/) [Dick Bruna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bruna/) > [I see how complicated it is to make a film and how many people are involved and I love the fact that I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-see-how-complicated-it-is-to-make-a-film-and-how-many-people-are/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) ## More by Hilary Mantel > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The hunter is among the most innocent of men; living in the moment makes him feel pure. When he returns in the evening, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-hunter-is-among-the-most-innocent-of-men-living-in-the-moment/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“But what would happen … I mean, what would be so awful … if they did meet up?” “Why, it would be like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-what-would-happen-i-mean-what-would-be-so-awful-if-they-did-meet/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [When you have committed enough words to paper, you feel you have a spine stiff enough to stand up in the wind. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/when-you-have-committed-enough-words-to-paper-you-feel-you-have-a/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [At New Year's he had given Anne a present of silver forks with handles of rock crystal. He hopes she will use them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-new-year-s-he-had-given-anne-a-present-of-silver-forks-with/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The story of my own childhood is a complicated sentence that I am always trying to finish, to finish and put behind me. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-story-of-my-own-childhood-is-a-complicated-sentence-that-i-am/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“He wants to say, because Anne is not a carnal being, she is a calculating being, with a cold slick brain at work behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/he-wants-to-say-because-anne-is-not-a-carnal-being-she-is-a/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Come to that, don't pay out good money for horoscopes. If things are going to go badly for you, is that what you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/come-to-that-don-t-pay-out-good-money-for-horoscopes-if-things-are/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“But my sins are my strength, he thinks; the sins I have done, that others have not even found the opportunity of committing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-my-sins-are-my-strength-he-thinks-the-sins-i-have-done-that/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Feminism hasn't failed, it's just never been tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/feminism-hasn-t-failed-it-s-just-never-been-tried/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Mirabeau: “If you have been told to clear us from this hall, you must ask for orders to use force. We shall leave our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/mirabeau-if-you-have-been-told-to-clear-us-from-this-hall-you-must/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Cardinal Campeggio has implored Katherine to bow to the king's will, accept that her marriage is invalid and retire to a convent. Certainly, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/cardinal-campeggio-has-implored-katherine-to-bow-to-the-king-s-will/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Sion calls Anne an eel, he calls her a slippery dipper from the slime, and he remembers what the cardinal had called her: my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/sion-calls-anne-an-eel-he-calls-her-a-slippery-dipper-from-the-slime/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [I spend a great deal of time on research, on finding all the available accounts of a scene or incident, finding out all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-spend-a-great-deal-of-time-on-research-on-finding-all-the-available/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“At the front, people die for their mistakes. Why should politicians be more gently treated? They made the war. They deserve a dozen deaths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-the-front-people-die-for-their-mistakes-why-should-politicians-be/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) [Explore all 559 Hilary Mantel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## 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": "For myself, the only way I know how to make a book is to construct it like a collage: a bit of dialogue here, a scrap of narrative, an isolated description of a common object, an elaborate running metaphor which threads between the sequences and holds different narrative lines together.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary Mantel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/for-myself-the-only-way-i-know-how-to-make-a-book-is-to-construct-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/for-myself-the-only-way-i-know-how-to-make-a-book-is-to-construct-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/hilary-mantel-440_book_for-myself-the-only-way-i-know-how-to-ma_1637064.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/hilary-mantel-440_book_for-myself-the-only-way-i-know-how-to-ma_1637064.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/106/hilary-mantel-440_book_for-myself-the-only-way-i-know-how-to-ma_1637064.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For myself, the only way I know how to make a book is to construct it like a collage: a bit of dialogue…” — Hilary Mantel", "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": "Hilary Mantel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For myself, the only way I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/for-myself-the-only-way-i-know-how-to-make-a-book-is-to-construct-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/for-myself-the-only-way-i-know-how-to-make-a-book-is-to-construct-it/#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 } } ] } ```