--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's important to write a mystery novel…" description: "\"It's important to write a mystery novel where the takeaway is not a giveaway - where something could be read over and over.\" — Jimenez Lai" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/jimenez-lai-17092_books_it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel_1796129.jpg" --- # It's important to write a mystery novel where the takeaway… ![“It's important to write a mystery novel where the takeaway is not a giveaway - where something could be read over and over.” quote by Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/jimenez-lai-17092_books_it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel_1796129.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/jimenez-lai-17092_books_it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel_1796129.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/jimenez-lai-17092_books_it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel_1796129.jpg) > “It's important to write a mystery novel where the takeaway is not a giveaway - where something could be read over and over.” [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mystery should reward repeated reading without revealing its core too early. **In simple terms:** Mysteries need subtle clues. Key Takeaway Layer clues carefully. Themes mystery replayability craftsmanship Mood intriguing analytical Type literary instructional When to use this quote - novel writing - game design - interactive storytelling - educational workshops Key Concepts plot design reader engagement narrative tension Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance hint and reveal? - What makes a clue satisfying? A Different Perspective Overly hidden clues can frustrate readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Mystery Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-novel-1990812/) [Mystery novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-novels/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Takeaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-takeaway-1990811/) [Takeaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/takeaway/) [Takeaways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/takeaways/) [Write Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-mystery-437895/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [When I was in my early 20s, my dream was to write mystery novels. I wanted to do what my favourite crime writer, Ross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linwood-barclay/when-i-was-in-my-early-20s-my-dream-was-to-write-mystery-novels-i/) [Linwood Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linwood-barclay/) > [I always want readers to lose themselves completely in a story and feel something, whatever the book invites them to feel. That experience is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-berry/i-always-want-readers-to-lose-themselves-completely-in-a-story-and/) [Julie Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-berry/) > [“Many obese people spend a significant amount of their energy on suppressing the urge to tell some of the people who are staring at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/many-obese-people-spend-a-significant-amount-of-their-energy-on/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“We, in the interest of the so-called progress, have been persuaded to leave the production and at times the cooking of our food to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/we-in-the-interest-of-the-so-called-progress-have-been-persuaded-to/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“The solution, once revealed, must seem to have been inevitable. At least half of all the mystery novels published violate this law." ( Casual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-solution-once-revealed-must-seem-to-have-been-inevitable-at-least/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [I had thought for years, probably 30 or 40 years, that it would be a lot of fun to try my hand at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/i-had-thought-for-years-probably-30-or-40-years-that-it-would-be-a/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [I don't believe that murders can be "solved." I think that this is the big lie of the mystery novel, that you should close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-don-t-believe-that-murders-can-be-solved-i-think-that-this-is-the/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [Has all the trappings of a mystery novel, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/has-all-the-trappings-of-a-mystery-novel-doesn-t-it/) [Patricia Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell/) > [A mystery novel localizes the awesome force of the real death outside the book, winds it tightly in a plot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/a-mystery-novel-localizes-the-awesome-force-of-the-real-death-outside/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [I was extraordinarily lucky. I wrote a book because I wanted to see if I could write a mystery. Someone nagged me into sending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/i-was-extraordinarily-lucky-i-wrote-a-book-because-i-wanted-to-see-if/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [Once upon a time, about 10 years ago, I thought maybe I could write a mystery series about a midwife in Elizabethan England. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/once-upon-a-time-about-10-years-ago-i-thought-maybe-i-could-write-a/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [I would love to write a mystery - a romantic, funny mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/i-would-love-to-write-a-mystery-a-romantic-funny-mystery/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [I often wonder if I had the complete freedom to not have to write, if I would write. That's the one mystery that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/i-often-wonder-if-i-had-the-complete-freedom-to-not-have-to-write-if/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [Maybe I will write a memoir, perhaps I'll do some essays, or maybe I will write a mystery story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/maybe-i-will-write-a-memoir-perhaps-i-ll-do-some-essays-or-maybe-i/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [“Great mystery novel for the beach. Just when you think you know where the plot is going, it goes somewhere else. Big surprise ending!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-a-milman/great-mystery-novel-for-the-beach-just-when-you-think-you-know-where/) [Harry A. Milman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-a-milman/) ## More by Jimenez Lai > [The moment you put something down on paper it forces you to organize and arrange these thoughts a little better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/the-moment-you-put-something-down-on-paper-it-forces-you-to-organize/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [The world is meaningless and therefore it's funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/the-world-is-meaningless-and-therefore-it-s-funny/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [I recently wrote a piece on comics in architecture - I was talking about the three kinds of comics I pay attention to: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/i-recently-wrote-a-piece-on-comics-in-architecture-i-was-talking/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [Architectural drawing is a language with conventions where the rules can be deliberately misused; a well-composed architectural drawing can both contain correct and incorrect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/architectural-drawing-is-a-language-with-conventions-where-the-rules/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [One of the reasons why architects are often attracted to philosophers, partially, has to do with making sense of the world around us as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/one-of-the-reasons-why-architects-are-often-attracted-to-philosophers/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [I think of architecture as language, and I look within the intra-communication between architects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/i-think-of-architecture-as-language-and-i-look-within-the-intra/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [Architecture, in itself, at the end of the day, is a rational profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/architecture-in-itself-at-the-end-of-the-day-is-a-rational-profession/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [Setting up absurd worlds with rules to violate - it's one of the things I hope to achieve with my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/setting-up-absurd-worlds-with-rules-to-violate-it-s-one-of-the-things/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [Unlike sciences, literature as art relies on societal acceptance of a certain vocabulary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/unlike-sciences-literature-as-art-relies-on-societal-acceptance-of-a/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [Every time I traveled to a new city, I would learn about local heroes I did not know about, and I would learn about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/every-time-i-traveled-to-a-new-city-i-would-learn-about-local-heroes/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [It is possible to construct small realities that contain political or philosophical responses, not necessarily just practical or economical responses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/it-is-possible-to-construct-small-realities-that-contain-political-or/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [I see architecture as a form of communication over time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/i-see-architecture-as-a-form-of-communication-over-time/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [The role of architecture, in terms of communication, is not going to drastically change either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/the-role-of-architecture-in-terms-of-communication-is-not-going-to/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [As a visual discourse, architecture requires trained individuals to work on the refined philosophical debates. School gave me the necessary training, and I've built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/as-a-visual-discourse-architecture-requires-trained-individuals-to/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) > [If I were to arrive at a foreign country like Czech Republic, I don't have to speak Czech to understand the feeling of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/if-i-were-to-arrive-at-a-foreign-country-like-czech-republic-i-don-t/) [Jimenez Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) [Explore all 38 Jimenez Lai quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "It's important to write a mystery novel where the takeaway is not a giveaway - where something could be read over and over.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jimenez Lai" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel-where-the-takeaway-is-not-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel-where-the-takeaway-is-not-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/jimenez-lai-17092_books_it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel_1796129.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/jimenez-lai-17092_books_it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel_1796129.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/jimenez-lai-17092_books_it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel_1796129.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's important to write a mystery novel where the takeaway is not a giveaway - where something could be read…” — Jimenez Lai", "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": "Jimenez Lai", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimenez-lai/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's important to write a mystery...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel-where-the-takeaway-is-not-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimenez-lai/it-s-important-to-write-a-mystery-novel-where-the-takeaway-is-not-a/#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 } } ] } ```