--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing a novel is always complicated…" description: "\"Writing a novel is always complicated, it's not like you snap your fingers and go, 'Ah, I know what I'll write'. For me, a lot of the time, I have to w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/reif-larsen-22351_books_writing-a-novel-is-always-complicated-it_1299839.png" --- # Writing a novel is always complicated, it's not like you… ![“Writing a novel is always complicated, it's not like you snap your fingers and go, 'Ah, I know what I'll write'. For me, a lot of the time, I have to write and as I write, I learn about the story.” quote by Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/reif-larsen-22351_books_writing-a-novel-is-always-complicated-it_1299839.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/reif-larsen-22351_books_writing-a-novel-is-always-complicated-it_1299839.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/reif-larsen-22351_books_writing-a-novel-is-always-complicated-it_1299839.png) > “Writing a novel is always complicated, it's not like you snap your fingers and go, 'Ah, I know what I'll write'. For me, a lot of the time, I have to write and as I write, I learn about the story.” [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) ## 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 is an iterative process where the story emerges through continual drafting and discovery. **In simple terms:** Writing unfolds through trial and error. Key Takeaway Embrace the process and learn while you write. Themes creativity process discovery iteration writing Mood thoughtful encouraging creative Type advisory inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - workshop sessions - self‑editing - story planning Key Concepts narrative development learning by doing authorial voice Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle writer’s block? - What techniques help you refine ideas mid‑draft? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I believe in plot, in development of character, in the effect of the passage of time, in a good story - better than something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-believe-in-plot-in-development-of-character-in-the-effect-of-the/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I believe a novel should be as complicated and involved as you're capable of making it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-believe-a-novel-should-be-as-complicated-and-involved-as-you-re/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“A novel is always more complicated than it seems at the beginning. 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Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-e-feist/) > [Even if you can't just snap your fingers and make a dream come true, you can travel in the direction of your dream, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-pagels/even-if-you-can-t-just-snap-your-fingers-and-make-a-dream-come-true/) [Douglas Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-pagels/) > [“I count myself as one of the number of those who learn as they write and write as they learn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/i-count-myself-as-one-of-the-number-of-those-who-learn-as-they-write/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [There is no such thing as writer's block. There is only not enough information. If you can't write, learn something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/there-is-no-such-thing-as-writer-s-block-there-is-only-not-enough/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [I want to tell the children of Kashmir that they should read, write, and learn and come to the mainstream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-patekar/i-want-to-tell-the-children-of-kashmir-that-they-should-read-write/) [Nana Patekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-patekar/) > [“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-achuthananda/the-illiterate-of-the-21st-century-will-not-be-those-who-cannot-read/) Swami Achuthananda > [We're not just writers; we're readers probably more than anything else. 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It is easy to say what looks good or sound good on paper until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-michelle/the-more-i-write-the-more-i-learn-about-writing-it-is-easy-to-say/) Jeanette Michelle ## More by Reif Larsen > [“Adults were pack rats of old, useless emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/adults-were-pack-rats-of-old-useless-emotions/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [“What happened to all the historical detritus in the world? Some of it made it into drawers of museums, okay, but what about all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/what-happened-to-all-the-historical-detritus-in-the-world-some-of-it/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [A novel is a tricky thing to map.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/a-novel-is-a-tricky-thing-to-map/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [I suddenly had an idea of how adults can hold on to a feeling for very long periods of time, long after the event…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-suddenly-had-an-idea-of-how-adults-can-hold-on-to-a-feeling-for/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [I was only twelve, but through the slow, inevitable burn of a thousand sunrises and sunsets, a thousand maps traced and retraced, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-was-only-twelve-but-through-the-slow-inevitable-burn-of-a-thousand/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [How many snapshots in the world were actually just-after shots, the moment that elicited the shooter to press the button never captured; instead, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/how-many-snapshots-in-the-world-were-actually-just-after-shots-the/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [Do you ever get the feeling like you already know the entire contents of the universe somewhere inside of your head, as if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/do-you-ever-get-the-feeling-like-you-already-know-the-entire-contents/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [I do love the sound of ripping corn husks. The violence of the noise, the sustained popping and shoring of the silky organic threads,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-do-love-the-sound-of-ripping-corn-husks-the-violence-of-the-noise/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [A map does not just chart, it unlocks and formulates meaning; it forms bridges between here and there, between disparate ideas that we did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/a-map-does-not-just-chart-it-unlocks-and-formulates-meaning-it-forms/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [A text is evolutionary by its very nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/a-text-is-evolutionary-by-its-very-nature/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [“Dr. Clair looked at Layton. The mancala pieces were still in her hand. If Angela Ashforth ever says anything like that to you again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/dr-clair-looked-at-layton-the-mancala-pieces-were-still-in-her-hand/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [“I suppose he represented the worst of what rural life can do to a man: he was racist, uneducated, and badly in need of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-suppose-he-represented-the-worst-of-what-rural-life-can-do-to-a-man/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [“Whenever I smelled the same perfume on other women, no matter where I was, I was instantly transported back to that feeling of discovery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/whenever-i-smelled-the-same-perfume-on-other-women-no-matter-where-i/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [“I'm a practicing Zen Buddhist and I'm influenced by my readings in that tradition, such as the notion that everyone is born a perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-m-a-practicing-zen-buddhist-and-i-m-influenced-by-my-readings-in/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [“. . . the mountains sighed with the weight of the heavens on their backs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/the-mountains-sighed-with-the-weight-of-the-heavens-on-their-backs/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) [Explore all 26 Reif Larsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) ## 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. 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