--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My novel, which I had started with such…" description: "\"My novel, which I had started with such hope shortly after publishing my first book of stories, wouldn't budge past the 75-page mark. Nothing I wrote p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/junot-diaz-531_book_my-novel-which-i-had-started-with-such-h_1446944.jpg" --- # My novel, which I had started with such hope shortly after… ![“My novel, which I had started with such hope shortly after publishing my first book of stories, wouldn't budge past the 75-page mark. Nothing I wrote past page 75 made any kind of sense. Nothing. Which would have been fine if the first 75 pages hadn't been pretty damn cool.” quote by Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/junot-diaz-531_book_my-novel-which-i-had-started-with-such-h_1446944.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/junot-diaz-531_book_my-novel-which-i-had-started-with-such-h_1446944.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/junot-diaz-531_book_my-novel-which-i-had-started-with-such-h_1446944.jpg) > “My novel, which I had started with such hope shortly after publishing my first book of stories, wouldn't budge past the 75-page mark. Nothing I wrote past page 75 made any kind of sense. Nothing. Which would have been fine if the first 75 pages hadn't been pretty damn cool.” [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author struggled to continue a novel after an inspiring start, feeling stuck despite early success. **In simple terms:** Creative block after a strong beginning. Key Takeaway Accept the block, seek new direction. Themes creative block writing self‑doubt Mood frustrated reflective Type personal process. When to use this quote - novel drafting - story outlining - writing workshops - seeking feedback Key Concepts narrative momentum inspiration authorial voice Questions to Reflect On - What can you change to revive momentum? - How might you reframe the early success? A Different Perspective The block may stem from fear of not living up to early quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [75 Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/75-page-5192824/) [75 Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/75-pages-5192823/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Damn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damn/) [Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-started-1004801/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Pages Hadn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages-hadn-5192822/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Wrote Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-past-2587123/) ## Related quotes > [It's weird for me talking about my own song that I wrote from my past experience in a way that sounds like it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lola-young/it-s-weird-for-me-talking-about-my-own-song-that-i-wrote-from-my-past/) [Lola Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lola-young/) > [“If we wrote all our past sins on one piece of paper, not a single person would end up with a blank sheet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosella-tran/if-we-wrote-all-our-past-sins-on-one-piece-of-paper-not-a-single/) [Rosella Tran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosella-tran/) > [The Apple Pie Hubbub was a significant novel for me, because that's when I first started using verbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/the-apple-pie-hubbub-was-a-significant-novel-for-me-because-that-s/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I was heavily influenced by my first attempt at a novel. 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That's enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-ask-me-i-don-t-think-there-are-any-such-things-as-curses-i/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The only difference between a published and unpublished writer is a tolerance for imperfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-only-difference-between-a-published-and-unpublished-writer-is-a/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) [Explore all 486 Junot Diaz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## 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! 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