--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With crime fiction, you have to write a…" description: "\"With crime fiction, you have to write a half-dozen before they catch on.\" — John Banville" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-banville-2532_before_with-crime-fiction-you-have-to-write-a-h_967962.png" --- # With crime fiction, you have to write a half-dozen before… ![“With crime fiction, you have to write a half-dozen before they catch on.” quote by John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-banville-2532_before_with-crime-fiction-you-have-to-write-a-h_967962.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-banville-2532_before_with-crime-fiction-you-have-to-write-a-h_967962.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-banville-2532_before_with-crime-fiction-you-have-to-write-a-h_967962.png) > “With crime fiction, you have to write a half-dozen before they catch on.” [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing many crime stories builds skill before readers notice. **In simple terms:** Write several drafts before success. Key Takeaway Write multiple stories to hone craft. Themes writing crime genre skill development Mood analytical pragmatic Type educational practical When to use this quote - author workshops - self‑publishing - editor feedback Key Concepts creative process learning curve Questions to Reflect On - How many drafts are enough? - When does repetition hinder creativity? A Different Perspective Risk of burnout without variety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Crime fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-fiction/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [There are always a half-dozen things that make 80%of the difference. Only SIX things!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/there-are-always-a-half-dozen-things-that-make-80-of-the-difference/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [I was the sort of person who wouldn't just bring one friend home after school, I'd bring half a dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annastacia-palaszczuk/i-was-the-sort-of-person-who-wouldn-t-just-bring-one-friend-home/) [Annastacia Palaszczuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annastacia-palaszczuk/) > [I don't think there's more than half-a-dozen cartoons that I've been really truly happy with in all the time I've been doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-oliphant/i-don-t-think-there-s-more-than-half-a-dozen-cartoons-that-i-ve-been/) [Pat Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-oliphant/) > [“Six, one half dozen or the other...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dweck/six-one-half-dozen-or-the-other/) David Dweck > [“Books which are books are all that you want, and there are but half a dozen in any thousand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/books-which-are-books-are-all-that-you-want-and-there-are-but-half-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Thanks to you, Gabs, we just figured out a half dozen ways not to rob the Henley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/thanks-to-you-gabs-we-just-figured-out-a-half-dozen-ways-not-to-rob/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [Half a dozen: because saying '6' is way too long...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/half-a-dozen-because-saying-6-is-way-too-long/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think there's space in the market for a half-dozen kind of polling analysts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/i-think-there-s-space-in-the-market-for-a-half-dozen-kind-of-polling/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [“I've got six in one hand and a half of dozen in the other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-stallworth/i-ve-got-six-in-one-hand-and-a-half-of-dozen-in-the-other/) Mildred Stallworth > [Books that are books are all that you want, and there are but a half dozen in any thousand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/books-that-are-books-are-all-that-you-want-and-there-are-but-a-half/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I don't race a lot, half a dozen (races) a year maybe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-trickle/i-don-t-race-a-lot-half-a-dozen-races-a-year-maybe/) [Dick Trickle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-trickle/) > [It seems the only way to write a half decent book is to worry oneself sick on an hourly basis that one is producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/it-seems-the-only-way-to-write-a-half-decent-book-is-to-worry-oneself/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [I write best in the morning, and I can only write for about half a day, that's about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/i-write-best-in-the-morning-and-i-can-only-write-for-about-half-a-day/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [I did not write half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-did-not-write-half-of-what-i-saw-for-i-knew-i-would-not-be-believed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't work on my Sabbath. I write five-and-a-half or six days a week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/i-don-t-work-on-my-sabbath-i-write-five-and-a-half-or-six-days-a-week/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) ## More by John Banville > [I've always been fascinated by physics and cosmology. It gets more and more scary the older you get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-physics-and-cosmology-it-gets-more-and/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“What did I brood on, sitting there in the classic pose with my elbows on my knees and my chin on my hands? We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/what-did-i-brood-on-sitting-there-in-the-classic-pose-with-my-elbows/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“Her own mother had died when Anna was twelve and since then father and daughter had faced the world like a pair of nineteenth-century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/her-own-mother-had-died-when-anna-was-twelve-and-since-then-father/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [The effect of prizes on one's career - if that is what to call it - is considerable, since they give one more clout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/the-effect-of-prizes-on-one-s-career-if-that-is-what-to-call-it-is/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“Of all the things we fashioned for them that they might be comforted, dawn is the one that works. When darkness sifts from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/of-all-the-things-we-fashioned-for-them-that-they-might-be-comforted/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [I am the worst judge of my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/i-am-the-worst-judge-of-my-books/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“Yet even without saying, each knew what the other was thinking, and, more acutely, what the other was feeling -- this is a further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/yet-even-without-saying-each-knew-what-the-other-was-thinking-and/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“I have ever had the conviction, resistant to all rational considerations, that at some unspecified future moment the continuous rehearsal which is my life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/i-have-ever-had-the-conviction-resistant-to-all-rational/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“The novel is a kind of elephant. But I like to make that elephant dance on a quarter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/the-novel-is-a-kind-of-elephant-but-i-like-to-make-that-elephant/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“Whom now would I love, and who would love me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/whom-now-would-i-love-and-who-would-love-me/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [Art is amoral, whether we accept this or not; it does not take sides. The finest fictions are cold at heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/art-is-amoral-whether-we-accept-this-or-not-it-does-not-take-sides/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“At thee seaside all is narrow horizontals, the world reduced to a few long straight lines pressed between earth and sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/at-thee-seaside-all-is-narrow-horizontals-the-world-reduced-to-a-few/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“It seems to me a work of art is the evidence offered by a fantastically observant witness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/it-seems-to-me-a-work-of-art-is-the-evidence-offered-by-a/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [Everything we do is tinged with the knowledge that this may be the last time that we will do this, and that makes what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/everything-we-do-is-tinged-with-the-knowledge-that-this-may-be-the/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [I like ideas. I find them more exciting than human behavior for the most part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/i-like-ideas-i-find-them-more-exciting-than-human-behavior-for-the/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) [Explore all 158 John Banville quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) ## More Before quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [There aren't traditions of freedom in a place like Iraq. They're going to have to come to grips with a concept that they hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-wallop/there-aren-t-traditions-of-freedom-in-a-place-like-iraq-they-re-going/) [Malcolm Wallop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-wallop/) > [I don't like just traveling in for a short time. I've done that before, because sometimes you work for magazines and they have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sacco/i-don-t-like-just-traveling-in-for-a-short-time-i-ve-done-that-before/) [Joe Sacco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sacco/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [My first company, Pure Software, was exciting and innovative in the first few years and bureaucratic and painful in the last few before it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/my-first-company-pure-software-was-exciting-and-innovative-in-the/) [Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/) > [For the Russian masses, the proletarians, knew for certain, and already saw during the war, and in part before their very eyes, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-gorter/for-the-russian-masses-the-proletarians-knew-for-certain-and-already/) [Herman Gorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-gorter/) > [The Constitution is very clear on the - on the declaration of war or reacting to international crimes - crimes against nations. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pitts/the-constitution-is-very-clear-on-the-on-the-declaration-of-war-or/) Joe Pitts > [I've been told before, and I tend to believe it, I'm not like most actresses out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moira-kelly/i-ve-been-told-before-and-i-tend-to-believe-it-i-m-not-like-most/) [Moira Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moira-kelly/) > [Before I got addicted to comedy, I was seriously thinking about playing tennis full time. I joined the tennis team and played with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrot-top/before-i-got-addicted-to-comedy-i-was-seriously-thinking-about/) [Carrot Top](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrot-top/) > [But even before I was in the military, I was extremely jumpy when asleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/but-even-before-i-was-in-the-military-i-was-extremely-jumpy-when/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [When I'm making stuff, the thing that excites me most is not the result, but the process and trying to do something I've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/when-i-m-making-stuff-the-thing-that-excites-me-most-is-not-the/) [Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/) > [I've pulled ticks off of me before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-ve-pulled-ticks-off-of-me-before/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [You know, before I would think, my cab driver hates me. Now I think my limo driver hates me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/you-know-before-i-would-think-my-cab-driver-hates-me-now-i-think-my/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) Browse all 4,123 Before quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "With crime fiction, you have to write a half-dozen before they catch on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Banville" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/with-crime-fiction-you-have-to-write-a-half-dozen-before-they-catch-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Before" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/with-crime-fiction-you-have-to-write-a-half-dozen-before-they-catch-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-banville-2532_before_with-crime-fiction-you-have-to-write-a-h_967962.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-banville-2532_before_with-crime-fiction-you-have-to-write-a-h_967962.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-banville-2532_before_with-crime-fiction-you-have-to-write-a-h_967962.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“With crime fiction, you have to write a half-dozen before they catch on.” — John Banville", "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": "John Banville", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "With crime fiction, you have to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/with-crime-fiction-you-have-to-write-a-half-dozen-before-they-catch-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/with-crime-fiction-you-have-to-write-a-half-dozen-before-they-catch-on/#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 } } ] } ```