--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never read detective novels. I started…" description: "\"I never read detective novels. I started out in graduate school writing a more serious book. Right around that time I read 'The Day of the Jackal' and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/james-patterson-171_book_i-never-read-detective-novels-i-started_687921.png" --- # I never read detective novels. I started out in graduate… ![“I never read detective novels. I started out in graduate school writing a more serious book. Right around that time I read 'The Day of the Jackal' and 'The Exorcist'. I hadn't read a lot of commercial fiction, and I liked them.” quote by James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/james-patterson-171_book_i-never-read-detective-novels-i-started_687921.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/james-patterson-171_book_i-never-read-detective-novels-i-started_687921.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/james-patterson-171_book_i-never-read-detective-novels-i-started_687921.png) > “I never read detective novels. I started out in graduate school writing a more serious book. Right around that time I read 'The Day of the Jackal' and 'The Exorcist'. I hadn't read a lot of commercial fiction, and I liked them.” [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He began with serious writing, then embraced genre fiction after discovering compelling thrillers, showing openness to diverse storytelling. **In simple terms:** Started serious, then loved thrillers; stay open to new genres. Key Takeaway Explore varied genres to enrich your craft. Themes creativity genre‑exploration flexibility growth Mood inspirational curious Type advice motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - reading diverse books - career pivots - creative brainstorming Key Concepts Narrative adaptation cross‑genre influence creative risk Questions to Reflect On - How can you blend serious themes with genre thrills? - What genre could expand your voice? A Different Perspective Sticking to one style may limit audience reach and creative growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Detective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/) [Detectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detectives/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Graduate school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduate-school/) [Graduates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduates/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I have heard of novels started in the middle, at the end, written in patches to be joined together later, but I have never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/i-have-heard-of-novels-started-in-the-middle-at-the-end-written-in/) [C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/) > [“From what I've read of detective stories, inspectors always do want to drag the pond first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne-2/from-what-i-ve-read-of-detective-stories-inspectors-always-do-want-to/) [A.A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne-2/) > [I read a lot of detective stories because they always deliver. They give you a beginning, a middle, and an end - a resolution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/i-read-a-lot-of-detective-stories-because-they-always-deliver-they/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [Yeah, I'd say there's probably about a couple of hundred people I admire - but that has nothing to do with what a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/yeah-i-d-say-there-s-probably-about-a-couple-of-hundred-people-i/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [“Now that we can buy anything we want we seem to read detective stories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-savage/now-that-we-can-buy-anything-we-want-we-seem-to-read-detective-stories/) [Elizabeth Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-savage/) > [When I'm working on a serious and solid book ... I read about a detective novel a day. 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