--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I finished my first novel - it was around…" description: "\"I finished my first novel - it was around 300 pages long - when I was 16. Wrote one more before I got out of high school, then wrote the first Lincoln ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/michael-koryta-19725_around_i-finished-my-first-novel-it-was-around_711924.jpg" --- # I finished my first novel - it was around 300 pages long… ![“I finished my first novel - it was around 300 pages long - when I was 16. Wrote one more before I got out of high school, then wrote the first Lincoln Perry novel when I was 19. It didn't sell, but I liked the character and I knew the world so I tried what was, in my mind, a sequel. Wrote that…” quote by Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/michael-koryta-19725_around_i-finished-my-first-novel-it-was-around_711924.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/michael-koryta-19725_around_i-finished-my-first-novel-it-was-around_711924.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/michael-koryta-19725_around_i-finished-my-first-novel-it-was-around_711924.jpg) > “I finished my first novel - it was around 300 pages long - when I was 16. Wrote one more before I got out of high school, then wrote the first Lincoln Perry novel when I was 19. It didn't sell, but I liked the character and I knew the world so I tried what was, in my mind, a sequel. Wrote that when I was 20, and that one made it.” [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early prolific writing shows persistence and growth, leading to eventual success despite early setbacks. **In simple terms:** Writing early builds skill and leads to later success. Key Takeaway Keep writing, learn from each work. Themes creativity perseverance growth Mood motivational reflective Type inspirational career When to use this quote - high school writing - first novel - publishing attempts - career milestones Key Concepts authorial development career trajectory Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to keep creating? - How do setbacks shape your voice? A Different Perspective Early success may create pressure to repeat achievements. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around/) [Before](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/before/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Finished Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished-novel-912948/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got/) [High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [I tried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-tried/) [Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew/) [Liked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liked/) [Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lincoln/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel 300](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-300-5614244/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perry/) [Perry Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perry-novel-5614243/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Sell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sell/) [Sequel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sequel/) [Sequel Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sequel-wrote-5614245/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [Tried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tried/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote/) [Wrote Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-lincoln-5614242/) ## Related quotes > [There's never any humongous next draft. I know a writer who every time he finished a novel - you would know his name very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/there-s-never-any-humongous-next-draft-i-know-a-writer-who-every-time/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I just finished a novel, and I'm back kind of noodling on the screenplays. Screenplays are tough. I am making music, I'm just not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nesmith/i-just-finished-a-novel-and-i-m-back-kind-of-noodling-on-the/) [Michael Nesmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nesmith/) > [“After finishing a good book, it was sometimes days before she could shake off that other reality; the one she'd dipped into, leaving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-sutherland/after-finishing-a-good-book-it-was-sometimes-days-before-she-could/) [Ann Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-sutherland/) > [Yeah, I just finished a novel. Man those things take forever to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mull/yeah-i-just-finished-a-novel-man-those-things-take-forever-to-read/) [Martin Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mull/) > [Yes, it has made me happier. Finishing them has made me happier. Before I wrote the Potter books, I'd never finished a novel. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/yes-it-has-made-me-happier-finishing-them-has-made-me-happier-before/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I was in love with a whirlwind, so when the girl threw me over, I went home and finished my novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-was-in-love-with-a-whirlwind-so-when-the-girl-threw-me-over-i-went/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [If you're working on a novel, whatever you do, don't say, 'I am almost finished with my novel.' It's worse than chanting Bloody Mary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/if-you-re-working-on-a-novel-whatever-you-do-don-t-say-i-am-almost/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [When someone comes forward and is an individual, such as a Lady Gaga or a Katy Perry, people respond to them because there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-goreski/when-someone-comes-forward-and-is-an-individual-such-as-a-lady-gaga/) [Brad Goreski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-goreski/) > [Linda Perry, she's just cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lainey-wilson/linda-perry-she-s-just-cool/) [Lainey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lainey-wilson/) > [“His eyes were heavy with desire, but she saw something else. A gleam that made her suspicious. "What?" she asked. His hand slid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-rossi/his-eyes-were-heavy-with-desire-but-she-saw-something-else-a-gleam/) [Veronica Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-rossi/) > [“I guess I talk a lot of shit about Perry, but it's not like I'm such a shiny happy person either, you know? I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/i-guess-i-talk-a-lot-of-shit-about-perry-but-it-s-not-like-i-m-such-a/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [“You don't hate it, then?" he asked after a while. "Knowing you're half... Savage?" "How could I hate what's kept me alive?" He had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-rossi/you-don-t-hate-it-then-he-asked-after-a-while-knowing-you-re-half/) [Veronica Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-rossi/) > [“It ruffles me a bit, not being able to tell apart my best friend from my girlfriend from this distance. But then one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-rossi/it-ruffles-me-a-bit-not-being-able-to-tell-apart-my-best-friend-from/) [Veronica Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-rossi/) > [I'm very familiar with Tyler Perry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/i-m-very-familiar-with-tyler-perry/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [I met Tyler Perry and we did 'House of Payne' and a movie. We've done a couple other films since then, but it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-gross/i-met-tyler-perry-and-we-did-house-of-payne-and-a-movie-we-ve-done-a/) [Lance Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-gross/) ## More by Michael Koryta > [I would say of characters I've created, the one I've felt the most connected to emotionally was Adam Austin from 'The Prophet.' I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/i-would-say-of-characters-i-ve-created-the-one-i-ve-felt-the-most/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [You should be writing for the love of the story, and when it comes time to return to the manuscript, everything else belongs behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/you-should-be-writing-for-the-love-of-the-story-and-when-it-comes/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [“...what still blew them all away was time itself, the days and months and the years, oh yes, the years. They went faster than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/what-still-blew-them-all-away-was-time-itself-the-days-and-months-and/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [In 'The Prophet' I really fell in love with those characters, there was an emotional connection there that I don't think I've had in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/in-the-prophet-i-really-fell-in-love-with-those-characters-there-was/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [Stephen King, by far, is the standard-bearer. I think anyone who writes suspense fiction and says that King isn't an influence is either lying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/stephen-king-by-far-is-the-standard-bearer-i-think-anyone-who-writes/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [I think pressure can be an incentive toward improvement, and while I'm not denying that I feel some, I will also stress that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/i-think-pressure-can-be-an-incentive-toward-improvement-and-while-i-m/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [I've always listened to music while I write, but none of my work has been so directly impacted by a song as my new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/i-ve-always-listened-to-music-while-i-write-but-none-of-my-work-has/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [For 'So Cold the River,' I'm actually working on adapting the book with Scott Silver, who was just nominated for an Oscar for 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/for-so-cold-the-river-i-m-actually-working-on-adapting-the-book-with/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [Adam Nevill a spine-chiller in the classic tradition, a writer who draws you in from the world of the familiar, eases you into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/adam-nevill-a-spine-chiller-in-the-classic-tradition-a-writer-who/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [Horror and supernatural novels give you a lot of what you look for in a crime novel, just with a twist that was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/horror-and-supernatural-novels-give-you-a-lot-of-what-you-look-for-in/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > ['Envy the Night' was my first stand alone, the first book I'd written in the third person and I loved the feel of that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/envy-the-night-was-my-first-stand-alone-the-first-book-i-d-written-in/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [I think if you looked at the kind of ebb and flow of supernatural fiction and horror fiction, it does seem to be more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/i-think-if-you-looked-at-the-kind-of-ebb-and-flow-of-supernatural/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [I started writing as soon as I started reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/i-started-writing-as-soon-as-i-started-reading/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [In terms of characters I wish I had created - just because I haven't dealt with anything like them - I'm really impressed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/in-terms-of-characters-i-wish-i-had-created-just-because-i-haven-t/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) > [“An honorable quality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/an-honorable-quality/) [Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) [Explore all 31 Michael Koryta quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/) ## More Around quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-ve-been-to-manchester-enough-to-know-it-s-a-real-place-it-s-not/) [James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/) > [I guess I'm attracted to things that are fun. I guess what is fun about this role in 'Suburgatory' is that there's a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-tudyk/i-guess-i-m-attracted-to-things-that-are-fun-i-guess-what-is-fun/) [Alan Tudyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-tudyk/) > [When I was a teen, I would draw a really, really long line around my eyes with eyeliner, like Lola Flores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalia/when-i-was-a-teen-i-would-draw-a-really-really-long-line-around-my/) [Rosalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalia/) > [I think the issues around diversity of all kinds are really a huge problem in the startup world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lyons/i-think-the-issues-around-diversity-of-all-kinds-are-really-a-huge/) [Daniel Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lyons/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Not having drops and not taking plays off, if I do that it will make everyone around me better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demaryius-thomas/not-having-drops-and-not-taking-plays-off-if-i-do-that-it-will-make/) [Demaryius Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demaryius-thomas/) > [I can look around a room and tell you if there are hidden cameras or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ash/i-can-look-around-a-room-and-tell-you-if-there-are-hidden-cameras-or/) [Lauren Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ash/) > [You couldn't get me to go travel around and sit in a hotel room again. I have no interest in doing that. So everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-everly/you-couldn-t-get-me-to-go-travel-around-and-sit-in-a-hotel-room-again/) [Phil Everly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-everly/) > [I drink maple syrup. Then I'm hyper so I just run around like crazy and work it all off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/i-drink-maple-syrup-then-i-m-hyper-so-i-just-run-around-like-crazy/) [Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/) > [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/) > [I have to say, I grew up with fashion because my mother was a seamstress, and she had an atelier. 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