--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe a novel should be as…" description: "\"I believe a novel should be as complicated and involved as you're capable of making it.\" — John Irving" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/john-irving-337_believe_i-believe-a-novel-should-be-as-complicat_2128790.png" --- # I believe a novel should be as complicated and involved as… ![“I believe a novel should be as complicated and involved as you're capable of making it.” quote by John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/john-irving-337_believe_i-believe-a-novel-should-be-as-complicat_2128790.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/john-irving-337_believe_i-believe-a-novel-should-be-as-complicat_2128790.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/john-irving-337_believe_i-believe-a-novel-should-be-as-complicat_2128790.png) > “I believe a novel should be as complicated and involved as you're capable of making it.” [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A novel should match the complexity the author can handle, pushing narrative depth. **In simple terms:** Write as complex as you can. Key Takeaway Embrace narrative ambition. Themes creativity complexity authorial skill Mood reflective introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - draft revisions - author brainstorming Key Concepts literary ambition narrative depth Questions to Reflect On - How do you gauge reader capacity? - When does complexity become excess? A Different Perspective Complexity can alienate readers if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I believe in plot, in development of character, in the effect of the passage of time, in a good story - better than something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-believe-in-plot-in-development-of-character-in-the-effect-of-the/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“A novel is always more complicated than it seems at the beginning. Indeed a novel should be more complicated than it seems at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/a-novel-is-always-more-complicated-than-it-seems-at-the-beginning/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I believe that, in any novel of mine, the principal objective is the construction of the whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-believe-that-in-any-novel-of-mine-the-principal-objective-is-the/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I believe a novel must first of all be a good story. My hope is that the spiritual message is woven in so well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-klassen/i-believe-a-novel-must-first-of-all-be-a-good-story-my-hope-is-that/) [Julie Klassen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-klassen/) > [Writing a novel is always complicated, it's not like you snap your fingers and go, 'Ah, I know what I'll write'. For me, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/writing-a-novel-is-always-complicated-it-s-not-like-you-snap-your/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [A Complicated Kindness is just that: funny and strange, spellbinding and heartbreaking, this novel is a complicated kindness from a terrifically talented writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-anderson-dargatz/a-complicated-kindness-is-just-that-funny-and-strange-spellbinding/) [Gail Anderson-Dargatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-anderson-dargatz/) > [Browse Amazon reviews, and you'll see a surprising number of readers who believe one novel can summarize a country, its culture, and its people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/browse-amazon-reviews-and-you-ll-see-a-surprising-number-of-readers/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [People are complicated creatures. On the one hand, capable of great acts of charity, and on the other, capable of the most underhanded forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice/people-are-complicated-creatures-on-the-one-hand-capable-of-great/) [Mary Alice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice/) > [Beauty is more important in computing than anywhere else in technology because software is so complicated. Beauty is the ultimate defense against complexity. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gelernter/beauty-is-more-important-in-computing-than-anywhere-else-in-2/) [David Gelernter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gelernter/) > [I see how complicated it is to make a film and how many people are involved and I love the fact that I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-see-how-complicated-it-is-to-make-a-film-and-how-many-people-are/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“Why the hell did he have to be so complicated? One minute he was charming, the next he withdrew behind his internal walls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-davis/why-the-hell-did-he-have-to-be-so-complicated-one-minute-he-was/) [Lia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-davis/) > [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/) Marlin ## More by John Irving > [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. 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The desire to see your face asleep on the pillow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-desire-to-never-leave-your-side-the-desire-to-never-see-you-again/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I had been a student in Vienna, and one of the neat little things I had found out was about that zoo. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-had-been-a-student-in-vienna-and-one-of-the-neat-little-things-i/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“God, I think I just hit a high E-flat - and I really held it!" Esmeralda said, after one of her more prolonged orgasms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/god-i-think-i-just-hit-a-high-e-flat-and-i-really-held-it-esmeralda/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Nostalgia!" Miss Frost cried. "You´re nostalgic!" She repeated. "Just how old are you, William?" She asked. "Seventeen, " I told her. "Seventeen!" 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His eyes will tell me: You might look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/only-the-chicken-lover-will-understand-me-he-will-give-me-a-kindly/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [You're nice,' Cushie told him, squeezing his hand. 'And you're my oldest friend.' But they both must have known that you can know someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-re-nice-cushie-told-him-squeezing-his-hand-and-you-re-my-oldest/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Because of A Prayer for Owen Meany, many of my readers assume I am “religious.” I go to church only occasionally—like a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/because-of-a-prayer-for-owen-meany-many-of-my-readers-assume-i-am/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Did anyone who was in love and was unsatisfied with how he was loved in return ever feel saved?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/did-anyone-who-was-in-love-and-was-unsatisfied-with-how-he-was-loved/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“I TRUST THAT GOD WILL HELP ME, BECAUSE WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO DO LOOKS VERY HARD.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-trust-that-god-will-help-me-because-what-i-m-supposed-to-do-looks/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Explore all 641 John Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. 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And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. 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It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe a novel should be as complicated and involved as you're capable of making it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Irving" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-believe-a-novel-should-be-as-complicated-and-involved-as-you-re/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-believe-a-novel-should-be-as-complicated-and-involved-as-you-re/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/john-irving-337_believe_i-believe-a-novel-should-be-as-complicat_2128790.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/john-irving-337_believe_i-believe-a-novel-should-be-as-complicat_2128790.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/587/john-irving-337_believe_i-believe-a-novel-should-be-as-complicat_2128790.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe a novel should be as complicated and involved as you're capable of making it.” — John Irving", "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 Irving", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I believe a novel should be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-believe-a-novel-should-be-as-complicated-and-involved-as-you-re/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-believe-a-novel-should-be-as-complicated-and-involved-as-you-re/#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 } } ] } ```