--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a young writer comes up to me with…" description: "\"When a young writer comes up to me with an ambitious idea for a 20-book series, I usually tell him to maybe try something smaller to start off with.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/jim-butcher-151_ambitious_when-a-young-writer-comes-up-to-me-with_871858.png" --- # When a young writer comes up to me with an ambitious idea… ![“When a young writer comes up to me with an ambitious idea for a 20-book series, I usually tell him to maybe try something smaller to start off with.” quote by Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/jim-butcher-151_ambitious_when-a-young-writer-comes-up-to-me-with_871858.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/jim-butcher-151_ambitious_when-a-young-writer-comes-up-to-me-with_871858.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/jim-butcher-151_ambitious_when-a-young-writer-comes-up-to-me-with_871858.png) > “When a young writer comes up to me with an ambitious idea for a 20-book series, I usually tell him to maybe try something smaller to start off with.” [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encouraging writers to start with smaller projects helps develop skill before tackling massive series. **In simple terms:** Start small to build skill before big projects. Key Takeaway Begin with manageable goals. Themes writing career growth Mood encouraging practical Type advice motivational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - self‑publishing Key Concepts project scaling skill development creative process Questions to Reflect On - What small step can you take today? - How does scaling affect creativity? A Different Perspective Jumping straight to large projects can lead to burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Young writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-writers/) ## Related quotes > [I think the path for a young writer might be one that says, "I have to accept myself, this is what I am. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-think-the-path-for-a-young-writer-might-be-one-that-says-i-have-to/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I am not and will never again be a young writer, a young homeowner, a young teacher. I was never a young wife. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-daum/i-am-not-and-will-never-again-be-a-young-writer-a-young-homeowner-a/) [Meghan Daum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-daum/) > [When a young writer deliberately tries to create an effect, the result is often a little self-conscious and overdone. 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And to begin with, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordecai-richler/well-when-i-was-a-young-writer-the-people-we-read-were-hemingway/) [Mordecai Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordecai-richler/) > [And so, when I was a young writer I always worked hard on imagery, and I knew that the roots of imagery were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/and-so-when-i-was-a-young-writer-i-always-worked-hard-on-imagery-and/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) ## More by Jim Butcher > [“I stared at MacFinn for a long moment. I believed that he was telling me the truth. That he didn’t have much control, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-stared-at-macfinn-for-a-long-moment-i-believed-that-he-was-telling/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“So you really could die. Your godmother is right, you know. You are mad as a hatter. 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I'm gone for a few months and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-swear-this-stupid-town-why-does-every-hideous-supernatural-thing/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [Well. We’ll just have to hope that this wasn’t a loup-garou, I guess.” “If it was a louper, you’d know,” Bob said wisely. “In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/well-we-ll-just-have-to-hope-that-this-wasn-t-a-loup-garou-i-guess-if/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“I'm going to use them to track him down and thwart him." "Thwart?" Sarissa asked. "Thwart." I said. "To prevent someone from accomplishing something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-m-going-to-use-them-to-track-him-down-and-thwart-him-thwart-sarissa/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“But you can't go around changing your definition of right and wrong (or smart and stupid) just because doing the wrong thing happens to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/but-you-can-t-go-around-changing-your-definition-of-right-and-wrong/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“Not everyone can be equally right, Harry.” “But believe you me, everyone can be equally wrong,” I said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/not-everyone-can-be-equally-right-harry-but-believe-you-me-everyone/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [You are a drug dealer. To tiny faeries. Shame." Sanya to Dresden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/you-are-a-drug-dealer-to-tiny-faeries-shame-sanya-to-dresden/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“He fell into step beside me and we both got into the Blue Beetle — he got in the red door. I got in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/he-fell-into-step-beside-me-and-we-both-got-into-the-blue-beetle-he/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [Something like this will test you like nothing else," Mac said. "You're going to find out who you are, Harry. You're going to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/something-like-this-will-test-you-like-nothing-else-mac-said-you-re/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“Mort looked at the cat and sighed. “Oh, sure. 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I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [“Getting rich is easy, staying rich is impressive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-trip/getting-rich-is-easy-staying-rich-is-impressive/) [Don Trip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-trip/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Business is always a struggle. There are always obstacles and competitors. There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kirubi/business-is-always-a-struggle-there-are-always-obstacles-and/) Chris Kirubi > [I am ambitious to do more than what has been offered me. I want to be the best in whatever career I choose and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-chopra/i-am-ambitious-to-do-more-than-what-has-been-offered-me-i-want-to-be/) [Uday Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-chopra/) > [There are four varieties in society — the lovers, the ambitious, observers, and fools. The fools are the happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippolyte-taine/there-are-four-varieties-in-society-the-lovers-the-ambitious/) [Hippolyte Taine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippolyte-taine/) > [People who are ambitious - politicians who crave power - think that they're in control of it, but at some point, the movement that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/people-who-are-ambitious-politicians-who-crave-power-think-that-they/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [I'm not ambitious. Not a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-m-not-ambitious-not-a-bit/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I understood early on that I was not the best-looking girl in the room. But I knew my advantage was a hard work ethic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-connor/i-understood-early-on-that-i-was-not-the-best-looking-girl-in-the/) [Erin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-connor/) > [It is ordained that to the ambitious, who derive no satisfaction from the gifts of life and the beauty of the world, life shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/it-is-ordained-that-to-the-ambitious-who-derive-no-satisfaction-from/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [If Reagan and John Paul II were linked by anything, it was a grand, ambitious, and generous idea of Western political civilization, one in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/if-reagan-and-john-paul-ii-were-linked-by-anything-it-was-a-grand/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [To talk only about national security, national defense, means to be selfish, ambitious. It is discrimination, isolation. "It is just me. What do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/to-talk-only-about-national-security-national-defense-means-to-be/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) [Browse all 1,269 Ambitious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When a young writer comes up to me with an ambitious idea for a 20-book series, I usually tell him to maybe try something smaller to start off with.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jim Butcher" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/when-a-young-writer-comes-up-to-me-with-an-ambitious-idea-for-a-20/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambitious" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/when-a-young-writer-comes-up-to-me-with-an-ambitious-idea-for-a-20/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/jim-butcher-151_ambitious_when-a-young-writer-comes-up-to-me-with_871858.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/jim-butcher-151_ambitious_when-a-young-writer-comes-up-to-me-with_871858.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/jim-butcher-151_ambitious_when-a-young-writer-comes-up-to-me-with_871858.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When a young writer comes up to me with an ambitious idea for a 20-book series, I usually tell him to maybe…” — Jim Butcher", "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": "Jim Butcher", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When a young writer comes up...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/when-a-young-writer-comes-up-to-me-with-an-ambitious-idea-for-a-20/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/when-a-young-writer-comes-up-to-me-with-an-ambitious-idea-for-a-20/#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 } } ] } ```