---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whenever I get lost in a novel I just…"
description: "\"Whenever I get lost in a novel I just throw a poem in. What it does is flare up, and it's so illuminated that I'm able to see where to go. I write betw..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/kate-braverman-15823_able_whenever-i-get-lost-in-a-novel-i-just-th_3215597.jpg"
---

#  Whenever I get lost in a novel I just throw a poem in…

![“Whenever I get lost in a novel I just throw a poem in. What it does is flare up, and it's so illuminated that I'm able to see where to go. I write between these illuminations.” quote by Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/kate-braverman-15823_able_whenever-i-get-lost-in-a-novel-i-just-th_3215597.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/kate-braverman-15823_able_whenever-i-get-lost-in-a-novel-i-just-th_3215597.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/kate-braverman-15823_able_whenever-i-get-lost-in-a-novel-i-just-th_3215597.jpg)

> “Whenever I get lost in a novel I just throw a poem in. What it does is flare up, and it's so illuminated that I'm able to see where to go. I write between these illuminations.”

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Using poetry as a guide to navigate the complexities of a novel, illuminating direction.

**In simple terms:** Poetry lights the way in reading.

Key Takeaway

Let poetry guide your reading journey.

Themes

creativity guidance literature illumination

Mood

reflective curious

Type

inspirational analytical

When to use this quote

- reading difficult novels
- creative writing workshops
- literary analysis

Key Concepts

narrative structure poetic interludes mental mapping

Questions to Reflect On

- What does poetry reveal that prose hides?
- How can illumination aid comprehension?

A Different Perspective

Poetry may distract from the novel’s own voice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Flare up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flare-up/) [Illumination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illumination/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [For example, it was this pack of wolves that sparked off the Rodney King affair a few years ago in Los Angeles. Let us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/for-example-it-was-this-pack-of-wolves-that-sparked-off-the-rodney/)

[Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/)

> [At the root of fear is low self-esteem. This explains why angry people have low self-esteem, are argumentative, stubborn, and quick to flare up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-j-lieberman/at-the-root-of-fear-is-low-self-esteem-this-explains-why-angry-people/)

[David J. Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-j-lieberman/)

> [Over time you learn to know a bit more about yourself - you develop a certain amount of self-insight and self-awareness, and you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/over-time-you-learn-to-know-a-bit-more-about-yourself-you-develop-a/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [Big fires flare up in a wind, but little ones are blown out unless they are carried in under cover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-francis-de-sales/big-fires-flare-up-in-a-wind-but-little-ones-are-blown-out-unless/)

[Saint Francis de Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-francis-de-sales/)

> [The best fire doesna flare up the soonest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/the-best-fire-doesna-flare-up-the-soonest/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [Nothing is forever in the Theatre. Whatever it is, it's here, it flares up, burns hot and then its gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-holm/nothing-is-forever-in-the-theatre-whatever-it-is-it-s-here-it-flares/)

[Celeste Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-holm/)

> [We are quick to flare up, we races of men on the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/we-are-quick-to-flare-up-we-races-of-men-on-the-earth/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [You want everyone to be a full character. No one is just evil, or very few people are, hopefully. They're characters, so you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenji-kohan/you-want-everyone-to-be-a-full-character-no-one-is-just-evil-or-very/)

[Jenji Kohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenji-kohan/)

> [When some of the gangs got involved with the drug trade, particularlythe crack cocaine trade, and the lethal violence started to flare up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meda-chesney-lind/when-some-of-the-gangs-got-involved-with-the-drug-trade/)

[Meda Chesney-Lind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meda-chesney-lind/)

> [Whoever doesn't flare up at someone who's angry wins a battle hard to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/whoever-doesn-t-flare-up-at-someone-who-s-angry-wins-a-battle-hard-to/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [ What occurred to me on \[‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’\], and also with the passing of her mother, is that there's going to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/what-occurred-to-me-on-the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-and-also/)

[Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/)

> [Over time you get to understand the nature of man and the environments you are dealing with, and you can't always allow emotions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/over-time-you-get-to-understand-the-nature-of-man-and-the/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [With Climate Change as a Security Risk, WBGU has compiled a flagship report on an issue that quite rightly is rising rapidly up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/achim-steiner/with-climate-change-as-a-security-risk-wbgu-has-compiled-a-flagship/)

[Achim Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/achim-steiner/)

> [Just keep going - no feeling is final.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/just-keep-going-no-feeling-is-final/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [I don't think one can accurately measure the historical effectiveness of a poem; but one does know, of course, that books influence individuals; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-levertov/i-don-t-think-one-can-accurately-measure-the-historical-effectiveness/)

[Denise Levertov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-levertov/)

## More by Kate Braverman

> [“There is no darkness. It is all inhabited. It is dense with what has been cast off and barely survived, the events that also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/there-is-no-darkness-it-is-all-inhabited-it-is-dense-with-what-has/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [I have a great ability to improvise verbally and I am very funny on a dime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/i-have-a-great-ability-to-improvise-verbally-and-i-am-very-funny-on-a/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [There's a bizarre prejudice that exists in the New York publishing establishment that any work outside the tri-state area is being done by trained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/there-s-a-bizarre-prejudice-that-exists-in-the-new-york-publishing/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [I knew a book of mine was finished when I was in intensive care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/i-knew-a-book-of-mine-was-finished-when-i-was-in-intensive-care/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [“It's not platinum, which suggests constellations and redemption. It's another yellow entirely. Asthma yellow. It comes from rotting petals and camera flashes that permanently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/it-s-not-platinum-which-suggests-constellations-and-redemption-it-s/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [I've written books as acts of discovery: things I need to know and that I need to touch. And it's very dangerous work to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/i-ve-written-books-as-acts-of-discovery-things-i-need-to-know-and/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [Women have waited millions of years, growing separate as another species, with visions and priorities no man-words, no man-measurements can comprehend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/women-have-waited-millions-of-years-growing-separate-as-another/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [Male critics and men in the publishing industry want from their women writers what they want from their wives. I'm interested in presenting characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/male-critics-and-men-in-the-publishing-industry-want-from-their-women/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [All my friends are artists, so I am used to collective agony as a mode.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/all-my-friends-are-artists-so-i-am-used-to-collective-agony-as-a-mode/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [I believed in immaculate conception and spontaneous combustion. I believed in aliens from outer space and vampires, prophecy, and the resurrection of the dead.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/i-believed-in-immaculate-conception-and-spontaneous-combustion-i/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [“The place between actual seasons is filled with tiny roses in transition. There are murders and amputations in the garden. There are choirs on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/the-place-between-actual-seasons-is-filled-with-tiny-roses-in/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [The Peruvian flute music is . . . cool. In this music, they have not yet invented the industrial revolution that leads to excessive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/the-peruvian-flute-music-is-cool-in-this-music-they-have-not-yet/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [I know California isn't a real destination. You can't get there from New Jersey, not simply by following a line drawn on a map.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/i-know-california-isn-t-a-real-destination-you-can-t-get-there-from/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [“I feel you're far away,” the man might say. He is observing you, calculating, forming equations he may take to a representative of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/i-feel-you-re-far-away-the-man-might-say-he-is-observing-you/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

> [“walking on boulevards and beaches, examining postcards, studying angles of light and shadow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/walking-on-boulevards-and-beaches-examining-postcards-studying-angles/)

[Kate Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

[Explore all 41 Kate Braverman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Whenever I get lost in a novel I just throw a poem in. What it does is flare up, and it's so illuminated that I'm able to see where to go. I write between these illuminations.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kate Braverman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/whenever-i-get-lost-in-a-novel-i-just-throw-a-poem-in-what-it-does-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/whenever-i-get-lost-in-a-novel-i-just-throw-a-poem-in-what-it-does-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/kate-braverman-15823_able_whenever-i-get-lost-in-a-novel-i-just-th_3215597.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/kate-braverman-15823_able_whenever-i-get-lost-in-a-novel-i-just-th_3215597.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/kate-braverman-15823_able_whenever-i-get-lost-in-a-novel-i-just-th_3215597.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Whenever I get lost in a novel I just throw a poem in. What it does is flare up, and it's so illuminated…” — Kate Braverman",
                "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": "Kate Braverman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-braverman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Whenever I get lost in a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/whenever-i-get-lost-in-a-novel-i-just-throw-a-poem-in-what-it-does-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-braverman/whenever-i-get-lost-in-a-novel-i-just-throw-a-poem-in-what-it-does-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
