--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I researched fiction writing for months…" description: "\"I researched fiction writing for months before I taught my first class, much of it looking for strong techniques from bestselling authors.\" — James Thayer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/james-thayer-43378_books_i-researched-fiction-writing-for-months_930885.png" --- # I researched fiction writing for months before I taught my… ![“I researched fiction writing for months before I taught my first class, much of it looking for strong techniques from bestselling authors.” quote by James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/james-thayer-43378_books_i-researched-fiction-writing-for-months_930885.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/james-thayer-43378_books_i-researched-fiction-writing-for-months_930885.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/james-thayer-43378_books_i-researched-fiction-writing-for-months_930885.png) > “I researched fiction writing for months before I taught my first class, much of it looking for strong techniques from bestselling authors.” [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Studying successful writers reveals techniques that can be taught to aspiring authors, bridging practice and theory. **In simple terms:** Learn from bestsellers to improve your teaching. Key Takeaway Incorporate proven methods. Themes education writing learning Mood thoughtful practical Type instructional motivational When to use this quote - creative writing workshops - author mentorship - curriculum development - null Key Concepts technique pedagogy literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - What techniques resonate most with your students? - How can you adapt methods for diverse learners? A Different Perspective Techniques may not suit every student's style. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writing/) [First class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-class/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“The window on the right featured contemporary bestselling authors like Brad Meltzer, James Patterson, David Baldacci, Nelson DeMille, and others who make more money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/the-window-on-the-right-featured-contemporary-bestselling-authors/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [When I was hired by the University of Washington extension school to teach the one-year fiction writing course - 96 classroom hours - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/when-i-was-hired-by-the-university-of-washington-extension-school-to/) [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) > [My students - all adults - bring a lot of writing skill to the first class, and they and I get better as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/my-students-all-adults-bring-a-lot-of-writing-skill-to-the-first/) [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) > [“She smiled sinisterly. Light mist started to slowly swirl around us. All I could see was her, the tall rocks and the white wall.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-sehyun-song/she-smiled-sinisterly-light-mist-started-to-slowly-swirl-around-us/) [Erica Sehyun Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-sehyun-song/) > [“Reading is fuel for the brain. Writing is fuel for the spirit...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-s-johnston/reading-is-fuel-for-the-brain-writing-is-fuel-for-the-spirit/) Megan S. Johnston > [“He was always crazy about her. If he was a king then she was his crest– the emblem of his kingdom. Without her, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atri-cruizer/he-was-always-crazy-about-her-if-he-was-a-king-then-she-was-his-crest/) Atri Cruizer > [Science fiction writers, I am sorry to say, really do not know anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/science-fiction-writers-i-am-sorry-to-say-really-do-not-know-anything/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [The advice would be the same for any kind of fiction. Keep writing, and keep sending things out, not to friends and relatives, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-saberhagen/the-advice-would-be-the-same-for-any-kind-of-fiction-keep-writing-and/) [Fred Saberhagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-saberhagen/) > [Rejection slips, or form letters, however tactfully phrased, are lacerations of the soul, if not quite inventions of the devil-but there is no way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/rejection-slips-or-form-letters-however-tactfully-phrased-are/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Grayson: Fiction is just a lie anyway. Brianna: But it's not - it's a different kind of truth - it would be your truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/grayson-fiction-is-just-a-lie-anyway-brianna-but-it-s-not-it-s-a/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [And then I met Jerry and he's such a creative fiction writer, and I don't know if there's ever been a team put together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/and-then-i-met-jerry-and-he-s-such-a-creative-fiction-writer-and-i/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [“I told you; I am Arianna, the Siren, your Guardian, and how is a Guardian supposed to do her job if she is clueless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-sehyun-song/i-told-you-i-am-arianna-the-siren-your-guardian-and-how-is-a-guardian/) [Erica Sehyun Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-sehyun-song/) > [“That was enough dialogue for a few pages - he had to get into some fast, red-hot action. There weren't any more hitches now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/that-was-enough-dialogue-for-a-few-pages-he-had-to-get-into-some-fast/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [Once you're imagining being the main character, and you're having the conversations and actually being there, the magic in fiction writing takes over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hobbs/once-you-re-imagining-being-the-main-character-and-you-re-having-the/) [Will Hobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hobbs/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) ## More by James Thayer > [My experience is that an original and compelling idea for a novel is a rare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/my-experience-is-that-an-original-and-compelling-idea-for-a-novel-is/) [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) > [I've never discovered the idea for my next novel while I was still working on the current novel. Other writers don't suffer this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/i-ve-never-discovered-the-idea-for-my-next-novel-while-i-was-still/) [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) > [I can only write one novel at a time. The author of the Perry Mason novels, Erle Stanley Gardner, often worked on four novels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/i-can-only-write-one-novel-at-a-time-the-author-of-the-perry-mason/) [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) > [On opening sentences: "If in the first chapter a hurricane is going to blow down an oak tree which falls through the kitchen roof,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/on-opening-sentences-if-in-the-first-chapter-a-hurricane-is-going-to/) [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) > [None of great sages of China preached the precept of love as a guideline for human behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/none-of-great-sages-of-china-preached-the-precept-of-love-as-a/) [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) > [My students - all adults - bring a lot of writing skill to the first class, and they and I get better as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/my-students-all-adults-bring-a-lot-of-writing-skill-to-the-first/) [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) > [When I was hired by the University of Washington extension school to teach the one-year fiction writing course - 96 classroom hours - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/when-i-was-hired-by-the-university-of-washington-extension-school-to/) [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) > [I need time to develop the idea into a plot before I talk about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/i-need-time-to-develop-the-idea-into-a-plot-before-i-talk-about-it/) [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) [Explore all 9 James Thayer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I researched fiction writing for months before I taught my first class, much of it looking for strong techniques from bestselling authors.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Thayer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/i-researched-fiction-writing-for-months-before-i-taught-my-first/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/i-researched-fiction-writing-for-months-before-i-taught-my-first/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/james-thayer-43378_books_i-researched-fiction-writing-for-months_930885.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/james-thayer-43378_books_i-researched-fiction-writing-for-months_930885.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/james-thayer-43378_books_i-researched-fiction-writing-for-months_930885.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I researched fiction writing for months before I taught my first class, much of it looking for strong…” — James Thayer", "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": "James Thayer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I researched fiction writing for months...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/i-researched-fiction-writing-for-months-before-i-taught-my-first/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/i-researched-fiction-writing-for-months-before-i-taught-my-first/#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 } } ] } ```