--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My novels are never truly finished, even…" description: "\"My novels are never truly finished, even if they're published and sitting on the shelf. While I may no longer be interested in spending time with that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/jillian-medoff-29313_book_my-novels-are-never-truly-finished-even_1053352.png" --- # My novels are never truly finished, even if they're… ![“My novels are never truly finished, even if they're published and sitting on the shelf. While I may no longer be interested in spending time with that particular set of characters, I can't help but think about all the ways the book could be different, the small, insignificant tweaks that no one…” quote by Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/jillian-medoff-29313_book_my-novels-are-never-truly-finished-even_1053352.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/jillian-medoff-29313_book_my-novels-are-never-truly-finished-even_1053352.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/jillian-medoff-29313_book_my-novels-are-never-truly-finished-even_1053352.png) > “My novels are never truly finished, even if they're published and sitting on the shelf. While I may no longer be interested in spending time with that particular set of characters, I can't help but think about all the ways the book could be different, the small, insignificant tweaks that no one but me would ever notice.” [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories remain alive in the author's mind, prompting endless revisions. **In simple terms:** Authors keep revisiting their work. Key Takeaway Accept ongoing creative evolution. Themes creativity writing perfectionism revision Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - editing drafts - writing workshops - self‑reflection Key Concepts narrative theory authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - Do you fear releasing imperfect work? - How can you balance revision with completion? A Different Perspective Perfectionism may stall publishing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Spending time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spending-time/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [ We \[people\] spend so much time feeling so small and less than and insignificant and diminished because we see ourselves through our own lens. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-nordeman/we-people-spend-so-much-time-feeling-so-small-and-less-than-and/) [Nichole Nordeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-nordeman/) > [I will receive no damage to my body that will be long-lasting for a small, insignificant amount of cash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-sapp/i-will-receive-no-damage-to-my-body-that-will-be-long-lasting-for-a/) [Bob Sapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-sapp/) > [Don't confuse small with insignificant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/don-t-confuse-small-with-insignificant/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [You can feel small, insignificant and insubstantial, but knowing the universe is in your tiny body should be enough to make you happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agapi-stassinopoulos/you-can-feel-small-insignificant-and-insubstantial-but-knowing-the/) [Agapi Stassinopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agapi-stassinopoulos/) > [“Not everything that's small is insignificant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adra/not-everything-that-s-small-is-insignificant/) Adra > [“On the horizon Key West seemed small and insignificant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leslie/on-the-horizon-key-west-seemed-small-and-insignificant/) John Leslie > [I calmed myself by walking into my nearby bookstore and marveling at all the books other people had written. So many people had finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-julavits/i-calmed-myself-by-walking-into-my-nearby-bookstore-and-marveling-at/) [Heidi Julavits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-julavits/) > [If the book is finished—published and on the shelf—I do not think of revising it. But if I'm not finished psychologically with characters, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonya-nelson/if-the-book-is-finished-published-and-on-the-shelf-i-do-not-think-of/) [Antonya Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonya-nelson/) > [Beautiful things may be small and insignificant, Look closely at everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nghi-lam/beautiful-things-may-be-small-and-insignificant-look-closely-at/) [Nghi Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nghi-lam/) > [An event may be small and insignificant in its origin , and yet, when drawn close to one’s eye, it may open in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-schulz/an-event-may-be-small-and-insignificant-in-its-origin-and-yet-when/) [Bruno Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-schulz/) > [“If we try to complicate our lives, developing clever plans and ambitions, we lose sight of the way in which small, insignificant things actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yi-ping-ong/if-we-try-to-complicate-our-lives-developing-clever-plans-and/) Yi-Ping Ong > [“One day, I might perhaps become something so small and insignificant to you that you only think of me as often as you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/x-q/one-day-i-might-perhaps-become-something-so-small-and-insignificant/) x q > [“We are small and insignificant but our souls are large because we have set out on a journey to know the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-taylor/we-are-small-and-insignificant-but-our-souls-are-large-because-we/) [Tony Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-taylor/) > [“Oh, how small we were, in the grand scheme of it all. Our planet was but a speck in the midst of the milky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wildbow/oh-how-small-we-were-in-the-grand-scheme-of-it-all-our-planet-was-but/) wildbow > [It kills me when you speak hurtful words behind my back, make me seem so small and insignificant...at the end of the day its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-kills-me-when-you-speak-hurtful-words-behind-my-back-make-me-seem/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Jillian Medoff > [If a book has a predictable storyline or familiar situations, there's little satisfaction for me in writing it. A woman deciding which man she'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/if-a-book-has-a-predictable-storyline-or-familiar-situations-there-s/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [“And the truth is, sometimes my sisters and I do get jealous, and sometimes we do say things to-and about-one another that are thoughtless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/and-the-truth-is-sometimes-my-sisters-and-i-do-get-jealous-and/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [“When it comes to religion, no one knows anything, especially those who claim to know best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/when-it-comes-to-religion-no-one-knows-anything-especially-those-who/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [To be perfectly frank: I don't write women's fiction. I write intimate, gritty, realistic, character-driven fiction that happens to be thrown into the women's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/to-be-perfectly-frank-i-don-t-write-women-s-fiction-i-write-intimate/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [What I like to do and what I have to do are two separate things. I like to read, swim, watch TV, spend time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/what-i-like-to-do-and-what-i-have-to-do-are-two-separate-things-i/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [My only relief is to sleep. When I'm sleeping, I'm not sad, I'm not angry, I'm not lonely, I'm nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/my-only-relief-is-to-sleep-when-i-m-sleeping-i-m-not-sad-i-m-not-2/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [There's constant drama, and I'm busy, busy, but at the center of the madness is the desire to write, the need to write. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/there-s-constant-drama-and-i-m-busy-busy-but-at-the-center-of-the/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [My entire life has been centered around my writing, and by that I mean finding the time to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/my-entire-life-has-been-centered-around-my-writing-and-by-that-i-mean/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [I hope I'll keep people up at night, unable to stop turning pages. That's my goal: exhausted, emotionally drained readers who can't stop crying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/i-hope-i-ll-keep-people-up-at-night-unable-to-stop-turning-pages-that/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [I've always been a writer who tackles complex themes and risky subjects - I write about the things that people think but never say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/i-ve-always-been-a-writer-who-tackles-complex-themes-and-risky/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [To be honest, I want readers to be wrung out. As a novelist, I don't have a political agenda or specific philosophy; I'm trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/to-be-honest-i-want-readers-to-be-wrung-out-as-a-novelist-i-don-t/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [“It's my brain," she says softly. "It's eating me alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/it-s-my-brain-she-says-softly-it-s-eating-me-alive/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [As a writer who happens to be a woman, I am constantly devalued - even by other writers who happen to be women -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/as-a-writer-who-happens-to-be-a-woman-i-am-constantly-devalued-even/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [Part of what compels me to write day after day, chapter after chapter, is the discovery process, seeing the characters evolve as I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/part-of-what-compels-me-to-write-day-after-day-chapter-after-chapter/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) > [Sometimes you have to say, 'Today's just not my day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-medoff/sometimes-you-have-to-say-today-s-just-not-my-day/) [Jillian Medoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) [Explore all 18 Jillian Medoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-medoff/) ## 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": "My novels are never truly finished, even if they're published and sitting on the shelf. 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