--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started a novel in the back of a…" description: "\"I started a novel in the back of a notebook, and it was great because it looked like I was taking notes. And I just, I kept it up, it was sort of fanta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/jacqueline-carey-1938_back_i-started-a-novel-in-the-back-of-a-noteb_1076553.png" --- # I started a novel in the back of a notebook, and it was… ![“I started a novel in the back of a notebook, and it was great because it looked like I was taking notes. And I just, I kept it up, it was sort of fantasy, it was part soap opera. It was utterly dreadful, but that's how I got hooked.” quote by Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/jacqueline-carey-1938_back_i-started-a-novel-in-the-back-of-a-noteb_1076553.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/jacqueline-carey-1938_back_i-started-a-novel-in-the-back-of-a-noteb_1076553.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/jacqueline-carey-1938_back_i-started-a-novel-in-the-back-of-a-noteb_1076553.png) > “I started a novel in the back of a notebook, and it was great because it looked like I was taking notes. And I just, I kept it up, it was sort of fantasy, it was part soap opera. It was utterly dreadful, but that's how I got hooked.” [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Starting a novel in a notebook felt like note‑taking, leading to a hooked, though terrible, early work. **In simple terms:** A messy start can spark a lasting writing habit. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfect beginnings. Themes creativity writing habit formation Mood inspirational encouraging Type literary motivational When to use this quote - personal writing projects - creative workshops - daily journaling Key Concepts self‑discipline storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What small step can start your creative project? - How do you keep writing after a bad first draft? A Different Perspective Early drafts may be low quality, discouraging some writers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Notebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notebook/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [Soap opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soap-opera/) [Taking Notes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-notes/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I started my first novel when I was 10, and have produced thousands of pages of juvenilia since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-beauman/i-started-my-first-novel-when-i-was-10-and-have-produced-thousands-of/) [Ned Beauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-beauman/) > [I have never started a novel - I mean except the first, when I was starting a novel just to start a novel -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-have-never-started-a-novel-i-mean-except-the-first-when-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Thanks to the comic book publishers. Batman and Captain Marvel were responsible for my learning to read at least a year before I showed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/thanks-to-the-comic-book-publishers-batman-and-captain-marvel-were/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) > [I write lyrics everyday as I go. I'm always taking notes in my phone whenever I am inspired by something. Most of my writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-fuentes/i-write-lyrics-everyday-as-i-go-i-m-always-taking-notes-in-my-phone/) [Vic Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-fuentes/) > [“I had planned to consult with a Black colleague, but when I approached her in the hall she had a crowd of students about,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/i-had-planned-to-consult-with-a-black-colleague-but-when-i-approached/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [The reason I'm fiendishly drawing end-of-game plays when I'm taking notes is what if I screwed up something down the stretch of a game?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-burke/the-reason-i-m-fiendishly-drawing-end-of-game-plays-when-i-m-taking/) [Doris Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-burke/) > [I'd like to think that my mentors, I've had the highest of education and one thing I've always noted, they were always writing stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrell-suggs/i-d-like-to-think-that-my-mentors-i-ve-had-the-highest-of-education/) [Terrell Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrell-suggs/) > [“Imagine you’re a mayfly born on a river in Colorado. You’re around for a day. You mate and you die. Do you believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-miles/imagine-you-re-a-mayfly-born-on-a-river-in-colorado-you-re-around-for/) Kathryn Miles > [“Someone started taking notes, Steve said, 'You don't need to takes notes. If it's important, you'll remember it'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leander-kahney/someone-started-taking-notes-steve-said-you-don-t-need-to-takes-notes/) [Leander Kahney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leander-kahney/) > [You can criticize any news staff in some ways, but the one thing that you couldn't call the Village Voice staff was a staff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-schanberg/you-can-criticize-any-news-staff-in-some-ways-but-the-one-thing-that/) [Sydney Schanberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-schanberg/) > [I'm always reading the next book. Taking notes. Highlighting, researching, studying. It doesn't stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocko-willink/i-m-always-reading-the-next-book-taking-notes-highlighting/) [Jocko Willink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocko-willink/) > [I stopped taking notes on my Palm Pilot and started playing the little chess game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-stopped-taking-notes-on-my-palm-pilot-and-started-playing-the/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“September put her hand on the grip of the Rivet Gun. She’d only just gotten it, and she’d promised to take copious notes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/september-put-her-hand-on-the-grip-of-the-rivet-gun-she-d-only-just/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Pretty much everyone's career starts the same way: with grunt work. Not just the cliched fetching of coffee, but other lowly tasks: taking notes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/pretty-much-everyone-s-career-starts-the-same-way-with-grunt-work-not/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Taking notes while watching Forensic Files and Snapped. I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) ## More by Jacqueline Carey > [“A pretty sight; it would have surprised me, if my capacity for surprise wasn't flattened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/a-pretty-sight-it-would-have-surprised-me-if-my-capacity-for-surprise/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [“Never before had I used my service to escape any woes that troubled me, but I did that day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/never-before-had-i-used-my-service-to-escape-any-woes-that-troubled/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [“Young men," Melisande murmured after they had left, smiling faintly. "Such a sense of honor. Is he a little bit in love with you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/young-men-melisande-murmured-after-they-had-left-smiling-faintly-such/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [For this too I learned, that a storyteller's tale may end, but history goes on always. These events, so distant in legend, play a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/for-this-too-i-learned-that-a-storyteller-s-tale-may-end-but-history/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [“for the keeping of secrets from adults is oft the only power a child may hope to possess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/for-the-keeping-of-secrets-from-adults-is-oft-the-only-power-a-child/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Happiness is the highest form of wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/happiness-is-the-highest-form-of-wisdom/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [“If I have one pride in my calling, it is that I have never judged a patron wrongly - and I have never failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/if-i-have-one-pride-in-my-calling-it-is-that-i-have-never-judged-a/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [A little truth seasons a lie like salt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/a-little-truth-seasons-a-lie-like-salt/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [I had begun to think my ripening body would wither untasted on the vine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/i-had-begun-to-think-my-ripening-body-would-wither-untasted-on-the/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Garner knowledge, by any means possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/garner-knowledge-by-any-means-possible/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Pain obliterates everything else. In pain, there is only the eternal present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/pain-obliterates-everything-else-in-pain-there-is-only-the-eternal/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [I would that I could have stopped time and preserved that day forever. It was a perfect day. There was the shadow of sorrow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/i-would-that-i-could-have-stopped-time-and-preserved-that-day-forever/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [To recongnize that the treachery of one member of a house does not taint all born within it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/to-recongnize-that-the-treachery-of-one-member-of-a-house-does-not/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Grief heals ... unshed tears fester like a canker in the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/grief-heals-unshed-tears-fester-like-a-canker-in-the-soul/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Are you a minor character in my tale, or am I a lesser figure in yours?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/are-you-a-minor-character-in-my-tale-or-am-i-a-lesser-figure-in-yours/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) [Explore all 188 Jacqueline Carey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) ## More Back quotes > [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 honestly would like to get that Frankie fight back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/i-honestly-would-like-to-get-that-frankie-fight-back/) [Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/) > [Drumming's pretty physical. We sit at the back of the stage getting beat up like a workhorse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/drumming-s-pretty-physical-we-sit-at-the-back-of-the-stage-getting/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/) [Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/) > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [It's what the people wanted at the time, but the country could not be half-segregated and half-integrated, just as it could not be half-slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wallace/it-s-what-the-people-wanted-at-the-time-but-the-country-could-not-be/) [George Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wallace/) > [I've always stuck my arms behind my back anyway when trying to block a shot in the penalty area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millie-bright/i-ve-always-stuck-my-arms-behind-my-back-anyway-when-trying-to-block/) [Millie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millie-bright/) > [I'm sure at some point I will get back into coaching, but right now I need to focus completely on my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ewing/i-m-sure-at-some-point-i-will-get-back-into-coaching-but-right-now-i/) [Patrick Ewing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ewing/) > [Any time someone achieves success before they've earned it, it always comes back to haunt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/any-time-someone-achieves-success-before-they-ve-earned-it-it-always/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [We're all painfully aware of how suddenly violence can occur, how crippling it is, and how survivors have to find a way back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/we-re-all-painfully-aware-of-how-suddenly-violence-can-occur-how/) [Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/) > [Ronaldo is just an athlete. He works so hard and back to back; he is always there. But if you work hard, can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-davids/ronaldo-is-just-an-athlete-he-works-so-hard-and-back-to-back-he-is/) [Edgar Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-davids/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. 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