--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wrote my first novel-length story when…" description: "\"I wrote my first novel-length story when I was 14 but had no idea what to do with it. Brisbane was a long way from the publishing industry then. Nowher..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/nick-earls-28772_books_i-wrote-my-first-novel-length-story-when_2852216.png" --- # I wrote my first novel-length story when I was 14 but had… ![“I wrote my first novel-length story when I was 14 but had no idea what to do with it. Brisbane was a long way from the publishing industry then. Nowhere's a long way from the publishing industry now.” quote by Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/nick-earls-28772_books_i-wrote-my-first-novel-length-story-when_2852216.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/nick-earls-28772_books_i-wrote-my-first-novel-length-story-when_2852216.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/nick-earls-28772_books_i-wrote-my-first-novel-length-story-when_2852216.png) > “I wrote my first novel-length story when I was 14 but had no idea what to do with it. Brisbane was a long way from the publishing industry then. Nowhere's a long way from the publishing industry now.” [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early writing attempts often lack industry access; persistence bridges distance. **In simple terms:** Early writing, distance. Key Takeaway Persist despite geographic barriers. Themes determination writing career geography Mood hopeful pragmatic Type advice motivational When to use this quote - self‑publishing - online platforms - networking events Key Concepts publishing industry y development regional challenges Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to connect with publishers? - How can local communities support emerging writers? A Different Perspective Market saturation can be discouraging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [“She will prolong her life by the length of her story, even though time will wear on inexorably as she tells it, thus depriving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elfriede-jelinek/she-will-prolong-her-life-by-the-length-of-her-story-even-though-time/) [Elfriede Jelinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elfriede-jelinek/) > [I wrote my first story in second grade, and was trying novel-length by sixth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-hodge/i-wrote-my-first-story-in-second-grade-and-was-trying-novel-length-by/) [Brian Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-hodge/) > [If you wrote a novel in South Africa which didn't concern the central issues, it wouldn't be worth publishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/if-you-wrote-a-novel-in-south-africa-which-didn-t-concern-the-central/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) > [E-books present the greatest opportunity readers have ever had to find each other. It's a chance for stories written for paper to find new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/e-books-present-the-greatest-opportunity-readers-have-ever-had-to/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [I've always wanted to write an early reader. When I wrote my first novel, my goal was to make it an early reader, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lin/i-ve-always-wanted-to-write-an-early-reader-when-i-wrote-my-first/) [Grace Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lin/) > [“Someone once wrote that a novel should deliver a series of small astonishments. I get the same thing spending an hour with you. Also,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/someone-once-wrote-that-a-novel-should-deliver-a-series-of-small/) [E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/) > [Madly, futilely, I wrote novel after novel, eight in all, that failed to find a publisher. I persisted because for me the novel was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-nicholson/madly-futilely-i-wrote-novel-after-novel-eight-in-all-that-failed-to/) [William Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-nicholson/) > [I wrote my first novel and my second novel in Chicago. It was the place where I became a writer. It's my favorite city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-wrote-my-first-novel-and-my-second-novel-in-chicago-it-was-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Back in high school, I wrote a novel about a character named Bart Simpson. I thought it was a very unusual name for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/back-in-high-school-i-wrote-a-novel-about-a-character-named-bart/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [I had an American journalist say to me, "Is it true you wrote the whole of the first novel on napkins?" I was tempted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-had-an-american-journalist-say-to-me-is-it-true-you-wrote-the-whole/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [You know what I did after I wrote my first novel? I shut up and wrote twenty-three more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/you-know-what-i-did-after-i-wrote-my-first-novel-i-shut-up-and-wrote/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [I wrote my first novel in the same conditions as most first novelists - I had a full-time job, I shared an apartment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-wrote-my-first-novel-in-the-same-conditions-as-most-first-novelists/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [I guess I've always been an aspiring novelist. I went to Princeton and wrote a novel for my thesis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gordon/i-guess-i-ve-always-been-an-aspiring-novelist-i-went-to-princeton-and/) [Howard Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gordon/) > [I'd never written a novel before, and I wrote a novel, and that turned out OK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-d-never-written-a-novel-before-and-i-wrote-a-novel-and-that-turned/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [Each time I write a new piece, whether a novel, a picture book, a speech or anything, really, it has so much to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-maclachlan/each-time-i-write-a-new-piece-whether-a-novel-a-picture-book-a-speech/) [Patricia MacLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-maclachlan/) ## More by Nick Earls > [I grew up in a family full of strong women. A great aunt on my mother's side had been a matron on a hospital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/i-grew-up-in-a-family-full-of-strong-women-a-great-aunt-on-my-mother/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [I think one of the things the writers' festival does that is very good is that it brings writers from around the world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/i-think-one-of-the-things-the-writers-festival-does-that-is-very-good/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [My maternal grandmother was the longest-lived of my grandparents. She migrated to Australia in her 80s and lived into her 90s. It was great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/my-maternal-grandmother-was-the-longest-lived-of-my-grandparents-she/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [I want my fiction to feel real most of the time, so it makes sense to pay attention to life and to how people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/i-want-my-fiction-to-feel-real-most-of-the-time-so-it-makes-sense-to/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [The writing can be its own reward, as you discover more things that you can do. It counts a lot, though, when a story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/the-writing-can-be-its-own-reward-as-you-discover-more-things-that/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen has been the Queensland premier the whole time we've been in Australia, and the state is a national joke for having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/sir-joh-bjelke-petersen-has-been-the-queensland-premier-the-whole/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [One of the things that makes characters real is details. Life offers a lot of details. You just have to choose and use them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/one-of-the-things-that-makes-characters-real-is-details-life-offers-a/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [Don't write poems to make girls like you, because it will not make them like you but it will give them something to quote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/don-t-write-poems-to-make-girls-like-you-because-it-will-not-make/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [One of the most interesting female characters I've written about was Meg Riddoch, the lead character in 'The Thompson Gunner'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/one-of-the-most-interesting-female-characters-i-ve-written-about-was/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [“It’s your crap that’s endearing. It’s the basis of any relationship, way beyond even the choice of who wins on to whom. It’s crap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/it-s-your-crap-that-s-endearing-it-s-the-basis-of-any-relationship/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [I actually find it pretty tedious when magazines ask me to write articles based on my real life, because I've already lived it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/i-actually-find-it-pretty-tedious-when-magazines-ask-me-to-write/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [E-books present the greatest opportunity readers have ever had to find each other. It's a chance for stories written for paper to find new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/e-books-present-the-greatest-opportunity-readers-have-ever-had-to/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [I'm a plotter. A thinker, a note-maker, a mapper and a flow-charter. I'm up for using any device that will teach me more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/i-m-a-plotter-a-thinker-a-note-maker-a-mapper-and-a-flow-charter-i-m/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [Are You Seeing Me? is written powerfully with both the heart and the head, and neither gives an inch. It's funny, moving and hugely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/are-you-seeing-me-is-written-powerfully-with-both-the-heart-and-the/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [When I was about eight, I realised the person whose name was on the book got money for it, and it seemed almost too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/when-i-was-about-eight-i-realised-the-person-whose-name-was-on-the/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) [Explore all 19 Nick Earls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) ## 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 wrote my first novel-length story when I was 14 but had no idea what to do with it. Brisbane was a long way from the publishing industry then. Nowhere's a long way from the publishing industry now.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nick Earls" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/i-wrote-my-first-novel-length-story-when-i-was-14-but-had-no-idea/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/i-wrote-my-first-novel-length-story-when-i-was-14-but-had-no-idea/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/nick-earls-28772_books_i-wrote-my-first-novel-length-story-when_2852216.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/nick-earls-28772_books_i-wrote-my-first-novel-length-story-when_2852216.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/nick-earls-28772_books_i-wrote-my-first-novel-length-story-when_2852216.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wrote my first novel-length story when I was 14 but had no idea what to do with it. Brisbane was a long…” — Nick Earls", "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": "Nick Earls", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I wrote my first novel-length story...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/i-wrote-my-first-novel-length-story-when-i-was-14-but-had-no-idea/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/i-wrote-my-first-novel-length-story-when-i-was-14-but-had-no-idea/#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 } } ] } ```