--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You don't write a book. You write a…" description: "\"You don't write a book. You write a sentence and then a paragraph and then a page and then a chapter. Looking at writing 400 plus pages or seventy thou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/rebecca-serle-4076_book_you-don-t-write-a-book-you-write-a-sente_2642197.jpg" --- # You don't write a book. You write a sentence and then a… ![“You don't write a book. You write a sentence and then a paragraph and then a page and then a chapter. Looking at writing 400 plus pages or seventy thousand odd words is incredibly daunting, but if you just focus on the immediate picture - say, 500 words - it's not so overwhelming.” quote by Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/rebecca-serle-4076_book_you-don-t-write-a-book-you-write-a-sente_2642197.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/rebecca-serle-4076_book_you-don-t-write-a-book-you-write-a-sente_2642197.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/rebecca-serle-4076_book_you-don-t-write-a-book-you-write-a-sente_2642197.jpg) > “You don't write a book. You write a sentence and then a paragraph and then a page and then a chapter. Looking at writing 400 plus pages or seventy thousand odd words is incredibly daunting, but if you just focus on the immediate picture - say, 500 words - it's not so overwhelming.” [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing large works becomes manageable by focusing on tiny, immediate tasks rather than the whole. **In simple terms:** Break big projects into small steps. Key Takeaway Start with a single sentence and build gradually. Themes productivity writing focus Mood encouraging practical Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - academic papers - software development Key Concepts incrementalism goal setting creativity Questions to Reflect On - What immediate step can you take on your current project? - How does focusing on the present reduce anxiety? A Different Perspective May underestimate the need for overall planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picture/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I should write a book. I've always wanted to write a book. I should write a book about kids who see dead people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-noory/i-should-write-a-book-i-ve-always-wanted-to-write-a-book-i-should/) [George Noory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-noory/) > [“I do enjoy writing, and I hope someone gets something interesting out of this book. I already have. Now, If I ever have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/i-do-enjoy-writing-and-i-hope-someone-gets-something-interesting-out/) [Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/) > [If you don’t write the book you have to write, everything breaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/if-you-don-t-write-the-book-you-have-to-write-everything-breaks/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [Early on my career, I figured out that I just have to write the book I have to write at that moment. Whatever else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/early-on-my-career-i-figured-out-that-i-just-have-to-write-the-book-i/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [It's always a better choice to write a new book than it is to keep pounding your head against the submissions wall with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/it-s-always-a-better-choice-to-write-a-new-book-than-it-is-to-keep/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [I think, for me, there's The Book I Should Write and The Book I Wanted to Write - and they weren't the same book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-james/i-think-for-me-there-s-the-book-i-should-write-and-the-book-i-wanted/) [Marlon James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-james/) > [The only way to write a book, I’m fond of telling people, is to actually write a book. That’s how you write a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/the-only-way-to-write-a-book-i-m-fond-of-telling-people-is-to/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [With each book you write you have to learn how to write that book - so every time, you have to start all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/with-each-book-you-write-you-have-to-learn-how-to-write-that-book-so/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [The definition of a writing career, is write a book, write another book, write another book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-lisle/the-definition-of-a-writing-career-is-write-a-book-write-another-book/) [Holly Lisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-lisle/) > [When I write a book, I write a book for myself; the reaction is up to the reader. It's not my business whether people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-i-write-a-book-i-write-a-book-for-myself-the-reaction-is-up-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You have to surrender to your mediocrity, and just write. Because it's hard, really hard, to write even a crappy book. But it's better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/you-have-to-surrender-to-your-mediocrity-and-just-write-because-it-s/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [When I write a book I write the best that I can and so much of that for me is following the book's demands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micheline-aharonian-marcom/when-i-write-a-book-i-write-the-best-that-i-can-and-so-much-of-that/) [Micheline Aharonian Marcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micheline-aharonian-marcom/) > [The fact of the matter is that you should really stop concerning yourself with writing a book because anyone can write a book that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashly-lorenzana/the-fact-of-the-matter-is-that-you-should-really-stop-concerning/) [Ashly Lorenzana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashly-lorenzana/) > [“If you can't write a book, write a chapter. If you can't do that, write a page, a sentence or a word. For it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarun-betala/if-you-can-t-write-a-book-write-a-chapter-if-you-can-t-do-that-write/) [Tarun Betala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarun-betala/) > [“If you only had a year left to live, what book would you write? Now, write that book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-kirin/if-you-only-had-a-year-left-to-live-what-book-would-you-write-now/) [M. Kirin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-kirin/) ## More by Rebecca Serle > [I love that the collapse of The Other Side is being felt in both 'The Vampire Diaries' and 'The Originals' universes - as someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/i-love-that-the-collapse-of-the-other-side-is-being-felt-in-both-the/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > ['Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte has been my all-time favorite book since I was in middle school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/wuthering-heights-by-emily-bronte-has-been-my-all-time-favorite-book/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [My first book, 'When You Were Mine,' got optioned for film and went into preproduction as 'Rosaline.' That was the classic model: Hollywood calls,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/my-first-book-when-you-were-mine-got-optioned-for-film-and-went-into/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > ['Ready Player One' has it all - nostalgia, trivia, adventure, romance, heart, and, dare I say it, some very fascinating social commentary. The novel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/ready-player-one-has-it-all-nostalgia-trivia-adventure-romance-heart/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [By refusing to lend a hand, we are not only robbing our colleagues and peers of the opportunity to gain guidance, but we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/by-refusing-to-lend-a-hand-we-are-not-only-robbing-our-colleagues-and/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [I've said it before, and I'll say it again: writing picture books is an art - the art of word choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-ll-say-it-again-writing-picture-books-is-an/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [When someone around you succeeds, it does not mean they've taken that spot from you. What it means is that you are in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/when-someone-around-you-succeeds-it-does-not-mean-they-ve-taken-that/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [American fantasy is not a genre we think about too often. Sure, we are familiar with the worlds of English boarding school houses and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/american-fantasy-is-not-a-genre-we-think-about-too-often-sure-we-are/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [“No one ever died from having too much information. It’s the misunderstandings that are the problem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/no-one-ever-died-from-having-too-much-information-it-s-the/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [“They died together; they'll always be remembered together. It's decided, once and for all. He was hers. The rumors don't matter; they'll fade...People may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/they-died-together-they-ll-always-be-remembered-together-it-s-decided/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [So many tend to brand the Internet as the downfall of youth, but 'Ready Player One' hints that it's more complicated than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/so-many-tend-to-brand-the-internet-as-the-downfall-of-youth-but-ready/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [At its heart, 'Mostly Good Girls' is about the pressures we put on ourselves to live up to ideas of perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/at-its-heart-mostly-good-girls-is-about-the-pressures-we-put-on/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [Of course YA authors have a responsibility to their audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/of-course-ya-authors-have-a-responsibility-to-their-audience/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [The adult fiction and writing for children portions of my MFA program were kept very separate, and there was a stigma around those 'kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/the-adult-fiction-and-writing-for-children-portions-of-my-mfa-program/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [“It’s not that most girls are delusional, per se. It’s just that they have this subtle ability to warp actual circumstances into something different.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/it-s-not-that-most-girls-are-delusional-per-se-it-s-just-that-they/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) [Explore all 116 Rebecca Serle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) ## More Book 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You don't write a book. 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