---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing a novel is like pottery. Your…"
description: "\"“Writing a novel is like pottery. Your initial draft of your story is like a lump of clay. Editing is like shaping that piece of clay into something in..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/monika-pardon-264225_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-pottery-your-ini_1453189.jpg"
---

#  Writing a novel is like pottery. Your initial draft of…

![“Writing a novel is like pottery. Your initial draft of your story is like a lump of clay. Editing is like shaping that piece of clay into something interesting and beautiful.” quote by Monika Pardon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/monika-pardon-264225_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-pottery-your-ini_1453189.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/monika-pardon-264225_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-pottery-your-ini_1453189.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/monika-pardon-264225_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-pottery-your-ini_1453189.jpg)

> ““Writing a novel is like pottery. Your initial draft of your story is like a lump of clay. Editing is like shaping that piece of clay into something interesting and beautiful.””

Monika Pardon

## About This Quote

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

Writing a novel resembles pottery: the first draft is raw material, and editing shapes it into a refined work.

**In simple terms:** Drafts are raw; editing refines.

Key Takeaway

Edit to shape your story.

Themes

creative process writing craft revision

Mood

thoughtful encouraging

Type

instructional inspirational

When to use this quote

- author workshops
- self‑editing
- publishing process

Key Concepts

pottery metaphor drafting editing techniques

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you approach editing without fear?
- What part of your draft feels like raw clay?

A Different Perspective

Editing may be daunting for beginners.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“Editing is like pruning the rose bush you thought was so perfect and beautiful until it overgrew the garden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-enright/editing-is-like-pruning-the-rose-bush-you-thought-was-so-perfect-and/)

Larry Enright

> [“Editing is like walking across a room strewn with rose petals and thorns. When you can walk across mostly unbloodied, you're finished.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-due/editing-is-like-walking-across-a-room-strewn-with-rose-petals-and/)

[Richard Due](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-due/)

> [“Writing is like making love, editing is like giving your great grandfather a sponge bath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midnight-taylor/writing-is-like-making-love-editing-is-like-giving-your-great/)

Midnight Taylor

> [My goal is to strip things down so that you need just the right amount of words or shape to convey what you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/my-goal-is-to-strip-things-down-so-that-you-need-just-the-right/)

[Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/)

> [“... The Book is more important than your plans for it. You have to go with what works for The Book ~ if your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-book-is-more-important-than-your-plans-for-it-you-have-to-go-with/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Style and voice are different. Style is standard conventions of writing; voice is the distinct way an individual puts words together. All good writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveed-saleh/style-and-voice-are-different-style-is-standard-conventions-of/)

Naveed Saleh

> [Writing one's first novel, getting it sold, and shepherding it through the labyrinths of editing, production, marketing, journalism, and social media is an arduous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-di-filippo/writing-one-s-first-novel-getting-it-sold-and-shepherding-it-through/)

[Paul Di Filippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-di-filippo/)

> [“I used to be afraid about what people might say or think after reading what I had written. I am not afraid anymore, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/i-used-to-be-afraid-about-what-people-might-say-or-think-after/)

[Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/)

> [“It's not a job but a condition. (Alan Garner on writing)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-garner/it-s-not-a-job-but-a-condition-alan-garner-on-writing/)

[Alan Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-garner/)

> [“I prefer to be on the side of losers, the misunderstood or lonely people rather than writing about the strong and powerful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-ria-a/i-prefer-to-be-on-the-side-of-losers-the-misunderstood-or-lonely/)

Núria Añó

> [“The Calling means so much to me. It's this idea of perception and how the mythology of the universe and Earth have played out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-clifford/the-calling-means-so-much-to-me-it-s-this-idea-of-perception-and-how/)

S. Clifford

> [“Perhaps the hardest thing in all literature— at least I have found it so: by no voluntary effort can I accomplish it: I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/perhaps-the-hardest-thing-in-all-literature-at-least-i-have-found-it/)

[Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/)

> [“Something is wrong with a sentence when you can delete words and not sense the loss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvan-barnet/something-is-wrong-with-a-sentence-when-you-can-delete-words-and-not/)

[Sylvan Barnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvan-barnet/)

> [“The best way to mess with the head of your reader is to strategize the delivery of bad news.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/the-best-way-to-mess-with-the-head-of-your-reader-is-to-strategize/)

[Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/)

> [“Write it. Just write it. Write it on receipts in the car while you wait for your kid to finish their piano lessons, scribble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melodie-ramone/write-it-just-write-it-write-it-on-receipts-in-the-car-while-you-wait/)

[Melodie Ramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melodie-ramone/)

## More Books 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/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

Markus Herz

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Writing a novel is like pottery. Your initial draft of your story is like a lump of clay. Editing is like shaping that piece of clay into something interesting and beautiful.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Monika Pardon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monika-pardon/writing-a-novel-is-like-pottery-your-initial-draft-of-your-story-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monika-pardon/writing-a-novel-is-like-pottery-your-initial-draft-of-your-story-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/monika-pardon-264225_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-pottery-your-ini_1453189.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/monika-pardon-264225_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-pottery-your-ini_1453189.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/monika-pardon-264225_books_writing-a-novel-is-like-pottery-your-ini_1453189.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Writing a novel is like pottery. Your initial draft of your story is like a lump of clay. Editing is like…” — Monika Pardon",
                "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": "Monika Pardon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monika-pardon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Writing a novel is like pottery....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monika-pardon/writing-a-novel-is-like-pottery-your-initial-draft-of-your-story-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monika-pardon/writing-a-novel-is-like-pottery-your-initial-draft-of-your-story-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
