--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For some it is harder to write a novel…" description: "\"For some it is harder to write a novel than to row a bathtub across the North Atlantic.\" — James N. Frey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/james-n-frey-31646_atlantic_for-some-it-is-harder-to-write-a-novel-t_601459.jpg" --- # For some it is harder to write a novel than to row a… ![“For some it is harder to write a novel than to row a bathtub across the North Atlantic.” quote by James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/james-n-frey-31646_atlantic_for-some-it-is-harder-to-write-a-novel-t_601459.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/james-n-frey-31646_atlantic_for-some-it-is-harder-to-write-a-novel-t_601459.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/james-n-frey-31646_atlantic_for-some-it-is-harder-to-write-a-novel-t_601459.jpg) > “For some it is harder to write a novel than to row a bathtub across the North Atlantic.” [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing a novel can be more daunting than an impossible physical feat, highlighting the mental and creative challenges of storytelling. **In simple terms:** Writing a novel is harder than rowing a bathtub across the Atlantic. Key Takeaway Embrace the difficulty of creative work. Themes creativity challenge perseverance Mood determined inspired Type motivational practical When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal projects - goal setting - overcoming writer’s block Key Concepts creative process mental endurance Questions to Reflect On - What creative challenge scares you most? - How can you break down a big project into manageable steps? A Different Perspective Not everyone finds writing equally difficult; some may find other tasks harder. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Tired of trying to sort them out, you relax for a second, then your head drops and you sit up with a jerk, Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-johnson/tired-of-trying-to-sort-them-out-you-relax-for-a-second-then-your/) [Amy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-johnson/) > [Too often, when Europeans talked of trans-Atlantic ties, we focused on the North Atlantic only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federica-mogherini/too-often-when-europeans-talked-of-trans-atlantic-ties-we-focused-on/) [Federica Mogherini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federica-mogherini/) > [The Atlantic conference in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland is a dramatic moment in World War II history because for the first time, Roosevelt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/the-atlantic-conference-in-the-north-atlantic-off-newfoundland-is-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [What appealed to me was that the focus of 'North Atlantic' was more about performance rather than emoting, because I was at a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maura-tierney/what-appealed-to-me-was-that-the-focus-of-north-atlantic-was-more/) [Maura Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maura-tierney/) > [The battle of the North Atlantic is a grim business, and it isn't going to be won by charm and personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-h-north/the-battle-of-the-north-atlantic-is-a-grim-business-and-it-isn-t/) [Edmund H. North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-h-north/) > [It's harder to write two people happy and in love than two people fighting and driving each other crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-long/it-s-harder-to-write-two-people-happy-and-in-love-than-two-people/) [Shelley Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-long/) > [A lot of people who don't write for kids think it's easy, because they think kids aren't as smart as they are, or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-selznick/a-lot-of-people-who-don-t-write-for-kids-think-it-s-easy-because-they/) [Brian Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-selznick/) > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [ One night I was on my \[Navy\] ship... on my first cruise crossing the North Atlantic in a horrible storm, chained to the rails… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/one-night-i-was-on-my-navy-ship-on-my-first-cruise-crossing-the-north/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [We may be sinking in the North Atlantic in the most famous ship disaster of all time, but God can still use us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/we-may-be-sinking-in-the-north-atlantic-in-the-most-famous-ship/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [The events in Prague, together with the Berlin blockade, convinced the European recipients of American economic assistance that they needed military protection as well:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-events-in-prague-together-with-the-berlin-blockade-convinced-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [On June 14, 1998, I pushed off under quiet gray skies from Nags Head, N.C, in the American Pearl, a 23 foot long boat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-murden/on-june-14-1998-i-pushed-off-under-quiet-gray-skies-from-nags-head-n/) Tori Murden > [Men might as well project a voyage to the Moon as attempt to employ steam navigation against the stormy North Atlantic Ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dionysius-lardner/men-might-as-well-project-a-voyage-to-the-moon-as-attempt-to-employ/) Dionysius Lardner > [“When the North Atlantic Squadron steamed into New York harbor on September 29, 1899—its progress upriver marked by a Journal balloon that released showers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/when-the-north-atlantic-squadron-steamed-into-new-york-harbor-on/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [In an odd way I thought I was lowering the bar for myself, in saying, well, I'll make a pop album. But in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-pierce/in-an-odd-way-i-thought-i-was-lowering-the-bar-for-myself-in-saying/) [Jason Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-pierce/) ## More by James N. Frey > [All good plots come from well-orchestrated characters pitted against one another in a conflict of wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/all-good-plots-come-from-well-orchestrated-characters-pitted-against/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [“You can kill the spell of identification just as easily as you can create it—if you lose the readers' sympathy for the character. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/you-can-kill-the-spell-of-identification-just-as-easily-as-you-can/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [You will never work through writer's block if you walk away from your typewriter. That will only make it easier to walk away the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/you-will-never-work-through-writer-s-block-if-you-walk-away-from-your/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [“So far, we’ve discussed how you start with a germinal idea and what makes a good one; then we discussed the villain profile and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/so-far-we-ve-discussed-how-you-start-with-a-germinal-idea-and-what/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [When characters have different goals and are intent on achieving them, conflict results. If the stakes are high and both sides are unyielding, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/when-characters-have-different-goals-and-are-intent-on-achieving-them/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [It has been said that Ernest Hemingway would rewrite scenes until they pleased him, often thirty or forty times. Hemingway, critics claimed, was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/it-has-been-said-that-ernest-hemingway-would-rewrite-scenes-until/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [It is possible to combine a story line and plot line in the same work. Usually the storylines comes first, serving as a background…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/it-is-possible-to-combine-a-story-line-and-plot-line-in-the-same-work/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [Novel writing is like heroin addiction; it takes everything you've got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/novel-writing-is-like-heroin-addiction-it-takes-everything-you-ve-got/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [“Before you go ahead with a flashback, ask yourself if you can make the same impact on your reader through conflict in the now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/before-you-go-ahead-with-a-flashback-ask-yourself-if-you-can-make-the/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [To set a forest on fire, you light a match. To set a character on fire, you put him in conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/to-set-a-forest-on-fire-you-light-a-match-to-set-a-character-on-fire/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [Writer's block is real. It happens. Some days you sit down at the old typewriter, put your fingers on the keys, and nothing pops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/writer-s-block-is-real-it-happens-some-days-you-sit-down-at-the-old/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [Fiction writers come up with some interesting metaphors when speaking of plot. Some say the plot is the highway and the characters are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/fiction-writers-come-up-with-some-interesting-metaphors-when-speaking/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [“Fiction can be more real to the reader than reality itself because fiction is the essence of life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/fiction-can-be-more-real-to-the-reader-than-reality-itself-because/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [The opposing missions of the various characters create the plot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/the-opposing-missions-of-the-various-characters-create-the-plot/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [“Readers find most flashbacks intolerable. Yet a lot of neophyte writers flash back like mad. Why? No one but the Creator of the Universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/readers-find-most-flashbacks-intolerable-yet-a-lot-of-neophyte/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) [Explore all 16 James N. Frey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) ## More Atlantic quotes > [Biarritz is one of the most popular holiday destinations in France and it tops the list for coastal resorts along the French Atlantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-drinkwater/biarritz-is-one-of-the-most-popular-holiday-destinations-in-france/) [Carol Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-drinkwater/) > [As late as the summer of 1941, the Atlantic Monthly, then a still respected magazine for literates and edited by White men, published a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/revilo-p-oliver/as-late-as-the-summer-of-1941-the-atlantic-monthly-then-a-still/) [Revilo P. Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/revilo-p-oliver/) > [The Atlantic Ocean was something then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/the-atlantic-ocean-was-something-then/) [John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/) > [There are people who could watch a hurricane like Sandy blow out of the Atlantic every other day and blame it on anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/there-are-people-who-could-watch-a-hurricane-like-sandy-blow-out-of/) [Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/) > [I loved going to the Knicks because we won the Atlantic Division championship. We went from winning 21 games or 19 games to winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-pitino/i-loved-going-to-the-knicks-because-we-won-the-atlantic-division/) [Rick Pitino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-pitino/) > [Grounding airplanes to cover your butt would never have let Orville or Wilbur change the world. We would still be spending weeks to cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-bethune/grounding-airplanes-to-cover-your-butt-would-never-have-let-orville/) [Gordon Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-bethune/) > [The Atlantic conference in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland is a dramatic moment in World War II history because for the first time, Roosevelt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/the-atlantic-conference-in-the-north-atlantic-off-newfoundland-is-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [I like work, I like song writing, and I like the history of Atlantic Records. They've sat in the studio with so many artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gourley/i-like-work-i-like-song-writing-and-i-like-the-history-of-atlantic/) [John Gourley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gourley/) > [Even as global warming increases the frequency of El Nino and the Atlantic event, their effects are being amplified by the annual loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/even-as-global-warming-increases-the-frequency-of-el-nino-and-the/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [Show Holmes a drop of water and he would deduce the existence of the Atlantic. Show it to me and I would look for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/show-holmes-a-drop-of-water-and-he-would-deduce-the-existence-of-the/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > ['Atlantic City' is very good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/atlantic-city-is-very-good/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [That's the best way to cross the Atlantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-whitten-brown/that-s-the-best-way-to-cross-the-atlantic/) Arthur Whitten Brown > [I didn't graduate from college, so I might as well be on Atlantic Records, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sturgill-simpson/i-didn-t-graduate-from-college-so-i-might-as-well-be-on-atlantic/) [Sturgill Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sturgill-simpson/) > [“The gap between most people’s capacity to conjure beauty from scratch and to merely recognize it when they see it is the width of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-gap-between-most-people-s-capacity-to-conjure-beauty-from-scratch/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [I was very much disappointed in the Atlantic Ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-was-very-much-disappointed-in-the-atlantic-ocean/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) Browse all 94 Atlantic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For some it is harder to write a novel than to row a bathtub across the North Atlantic.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James N. 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