--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can write three novels in the time it…" description: "\"I can write three novels in the time it takes to write one novella. I'm probably not going to go with that form again.\" — Nathan Lowell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/nathan-lowell-27268_books_i-can-write-three-novels-in-the-time-it_1514410.jpg" --- # I can write three novels in the time it takes to write one… ![“I can write three novels in the time it takes to write one novella. I'm probably not going to go with that form again.” quote by Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/nathan-lowell-27268_books_i-can-write-three-novels-in-the-time-it_1514410.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/nathan-lowell-27268_books_i-can-write-three-novels-in-the-time-it_1514410.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/nathan-lowell-27268_books_i-can-write-three-novels-in-the-time-it_1514410.jpg) > “I can write three novels in the time it takes to write one novella. I'm probably not going to go with that form again.” [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He can produce three novels in the time spent on a novella, so he will avoid that format in future work. **In simple terms:** He writes longer works faster than shorter ones, so he’ll skip novellas. Key Takeaway Focus on longer projects. Themes productivity writing genre choice Mood reflective pragmatic Type advice personal anecdote When to use this quote - author planning - publishing schedule - time management Key Concepts efficiency creative process Questions to Reflect On - Will you prioritize length over variety? - How does format affect your creative flow? A Different Perspective Longer works may limit experimentation with shorter forms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [When I was getting ready for the release of 'Deadline,' when it was coming out soon, I decided that the appropriate way to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seanan-mcguire/when-i-was-getting-ready-for-the-release-of-deadline-when-it-was/) [Seanan McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seanan-mcguire/) > [I spend so long writing each of my novels that by the time I'm done with one, I'm ready to discover a totally different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-spend-so-long-writing-each-of-my-novels-that-by-the-time-i-m-done/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [With Ibrahim al-Koni, what I figured out was - and you'll see this in his novels - if your time is limited, make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-colla/with-ibrahim-al-koni-what-i-figured-out-was-and-you-ll-see-this-in/) [Elliott Colla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-colla/) > [The light that radiates from the great novels time can never dim, for human existence is perpetually being forgotten by man and thus the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-light-that-radiates-from-the-great-novels-time-can-never-dim-for/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Books are great for if you want to work on the craft of writing for yourself, or, you know, to write novels or indie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lennon/books-are-great-for-if-you-want-to-work-on-the-craft-of-writing-for/) [Thomas Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lennon/) > [In order to write novels for a living - it's not pathological, but I do think and worry and brood and fidget about stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it-s-not-pathological-but-i-do/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [In a novella, a whole lot of crap can happen, and you can build momentum and suspense and leave room for a surprise or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/in-a-novella-a-whole-lot-of-crap-can-happen-and-you-can-build/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [People without hope not only don't write novels, but what is more to the point, they don't read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/people-without-hope-not-only-don-t-write-novels-but-what-is-more-to/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Every novel is like this, desperation, a frustrated attempt to save something of the past. Except that it still has not been established whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/every-novel-is-like-this-desperation-a-frustrated-attempt-to-save/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“...writers are a savage breed, Mr. Strike. If you want life-long friendship and selfless camaraderie, join the army and learn to kill. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/writers-are-a-savage-breed-mr-strike-if-you-want-life-long-friendship/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [I'm a novelist at heart. How's that? And that's how I make my living, is I write novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-m-a-novelist-at-heart-how-s-that-and-that-s-how-i-make-my-living-is/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [I am trying to write novels for properly clever people, but I also want them to be proper novels that also stick in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/i-am-trying-to-write-novels-for-properly-clever-people-but-i-also/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [People who actually tell stories, meaning people who write novels and make feature films, don't see themselves as storytellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-sagmeister/people-who-actually-tell-stories-meaning-people-who-write-novels-and/) [Stefan Sagmeister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-sagmeister/) > [I'm my own "ideal reader" in the sense that I write novels that I would want to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-erickson/i-m-my-own-ideal-reader-in-the-sense-that-i-write-novels-that-i-would/) [Steve Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-erickson/) ## More by Nathan Lowell > [My books are offered through Podiobooks.com and the iTunes Music Store as free audio downloads. I don't sell them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/my-books-are-offered-through-podiobooks-com-and-the-itunes-music/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [Stop aspiring. Start doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/stop-aspiring-start-doing/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [I credit Podiobooks and the free audio podcasts for helping me develop the audience I needed when I started selling my books in text…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-credit-podiobooks-and-the-free-audio-podcasts-for-helping-me/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [Podiobooks rules. It's still the best way I know to find an audience for longer works in any genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/podiobooks-rules-it-s-still-the-best-way-i-know-to-find-an-audience/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [specialize in small cast/single reader long fiction so I only compete against other podcasts of novels in that form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/specialize-in-small-cast-single-reader-long-fiction-so-i-only-compete/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [More and more of my audio fans are asking for audiobook versions - files without the intro/outro/etc that go into the podcasts. More and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/more-and-more-of-my-audio-fans-are-asking-for-audiobook-versions/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [Ignore the trade-pub narratives about how little success indies enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/ignore-the-trade-pub-narratives-about-how-little-success-indies-enjoy/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [My works are a direct response to the typical space opera. I grew tired of always reading about how the people with power, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/my-works-are-a-direct-response-to-the-typical-space-opera-i-grew/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“the shadow from my body creating a window in the reflection, a hole in the room where an empty man stood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/the-shadow-from-my-body-creating-a-window-in-the-reflection-a-hole-in/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“I really felt like it was coming together and I regretted that feeling with every step. If experience taught me anything, it was that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-really-felt-like-it-was-coming-together-and-i-regretted-that/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [I only read on my phone and the whole "let's see if we can get people to do it" idea seems less "wouldn't it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-only-read-on-my-phone-and-the-whole-let-s-see-if-we-can-get-people/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“I call on the Guardian of the South to bless her with the fire of life, to keep her passion alive even as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-call-on-the-guardian-of-the-south-to-bless-her-with-the-fire-of/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [Coffee takes on an almost ritualistic meaning. I learned that from being on hurricane patrol for a year in the North Atlantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/coffee-takes-on-an-almost-ritualistic-meaning-i-learned-that-from/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“Sometimes you needed to be an outsider to really appreciate how things worked. Otherwise you took it for granted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/sometimes-you-needed-to-be-an-outsider-to-really-appreciate-how/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [I had to decide if I wanted to be known as a writer or a reader. I chose writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-had-to-decide-if-i-wanted-to-be-known-as-a-writer-or-a-reader-i/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) [Explore all 20 Nathan Lowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) ## 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": "I can write three novels in the time it takes to write one novella. 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