--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the first published thing I did was a…" description: "\"But the first published thing I did was a detective story, detective novel, and I did that on my own.\" — Peter Shaffer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/peter-shaffer-8949_books_but-the-first-published-thing-i-did-was_1124881.jpg" --- # But the first published thing I did was a detective story… ![“But the first published thing I did was a detective story, detective novel, and I did that on my own.” quote by Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/peter-shaffer-8949_books_but-the-first-published-thing-i-did-was_1124881.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/peter-shaffer-8949_books_but-the-first-published-thing-i-did-was_1124881.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/peter-shaffer-8949_books_but-the-first-published-thing-i-did-was_1124881.jpg) > “But the first published thing I did was a detective story, detective novel, and I did that on my own.” [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early work was a self-published detective novel, showcasing independence and initiative. **In simple terms:** Self-started writing career. Key Takeaway Embrace self-reliance. Themes creativity independence literature Mood reflective inspirational Type memoir career creative When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - career launch - creative projects Key Concepts writing publishing self‑motivation Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to create independently? - How do you balance autonomy with collaboration? A Different Perspective Self‑publishing can limit exposure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Detective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [When I'm working on a serious and solid book ... I read about a detective novel a day. It's the best legal dope in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lee-settle/when-i-m-working-on-a-serious-and-solid-book-i-read-about-a-detective/) [Mary Lee Settle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lee-settle/) > [A detective novel should contain no long descriptive passages, no literary dallying with side-issues, no subtly worked-out character analyses, no 'atmospheric' preoccupations. Such matters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/a-detective-novel-should-contain-no-long-descriptive-passages-no/) [S. S. Van Dine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-s-van-dine/) > [What I try to do is write a story about a detective rather than a detective story. Keeping the reader fooled until the last,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/what-i-try-to-do-is-write-a-story-about-a-detective-rather-than-a/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [There certainly does seem a possibility that the detective story will come to an end, simply because the public will have learnt all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/there-certainly-does-seem-a-possibility-that-the-detective-story-will/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Of course the modern detective story puts off its best tricks till the last, but Doyle always put his best tricks first and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/of-course-the-modern-detective-story-puts-off-its-best-tricks-till/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [The detective story is the normal recreation of noble minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-guedalla/the-detective-story-is-the-normal-recreation-of-noble-minds/) [Philip Guedalla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-guedalla/) > [I went to get a detective story. You have to kill time. But time will kill me too - and there´s the true, preestablished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/i-went-to-get-a-detective-story-you-have-to-kill-time-but-time-will/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [I believe there's a landscape that exists underneath everything that we can see in present-day stuff. And I think that makes life kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hopkins/i-believe-there-s-a-landscape-that-exists-underneath-everything-that/) [Stephen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hopkins/) > [make no mistake about it, the detective-story is part of the literature of escape, and not of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/make-no-mistake-about-it-the-detective-story-is-part-of-the/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Where there's a will there's a detective story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-wells/where-there-s-a-will-there-s-a-detective-story/) [Carolyn Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-wells/) > [“I'd like to give these detective story writers a course of routine work. They'd soon learn how most things are untraceable and nobody ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-d-like-to-give-these-detective-story-writers-a-course-of-routine/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [You find when you're writing a detective story that you're actually not trying to solve anything. You're trying to stop the reader from solving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/you-find-when-you-re-writing-a-detective-story-that-you-re-actually/) [Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/) > [If I'm home with no chore at hand, and a package of books has come, the television set and the chess board and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/if-i-m-home-with-no-chore-at-hand-and-a-package-of-books-has-come-the/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [What the detective story is about is not murder but the restoration of order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james/what-the-detective-story-is-about-is-not-murder-but-the-restoration/) [P. D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james/) > [It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. 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They were oblivious to the astonishing achievements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/the-conquistadors-and-their-followers-were-very-rough-people-and-they/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [We... our war began September the 3rd 1939, with the invasion of Poland by Germany, and thereafter the great state of danger in England…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/we-our-war-began-september-the-3rd-1939-with-the-invasion-of-poland/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [“When Equus leaves - if he leaves at all - it will be with your intestines in his teeth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/when-equus-leaves-if-he-leaves-at-all-it-will-be-with-your-intestines/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [“Do you know what it's like for two people to live in the same house as if they were in different parts of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/do-you-know-what-it-s-like-for-two-people-to-live-in-the-same-house/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [What the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve over, does it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/what-the-eye-does-not-see-the-heart-does-not-grieve-over-does-it/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [It's an extraordinary thing about Mozart is that you never tire of him... he never bores me, and he doesn't... not only bore me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/it-s-an-extraordinary-thing-about-mozart-is-that-you-never-tire-of/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [The Devil isn’t made by what Mommy says, or what Daddy says. 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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. 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