--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I couldn't decide on a title for my first…" description: "\"I couldn't decide on a title for my first novel and my editor came up with Everything Good Will Come. After that, I thought I should name my own books...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daa/sefi-atta-22130_bits_i-couldn-t-decide-on-a-title-for-my-firs_3049853.jpg" --- # I couldn't decide on a title for my first novel and my… ![“I couldn't decide on a title for my first novel and my editor came up with Everything Good Will Come. After that, I thought I should name my own books.A Bit of Difference seems just right.” quote by Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daa/sefi-atta-22130_bits_i-couldn-t-decide-on-a-title-for-my-firs_3049853.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daa/sefi-atta-22130_bits_i-couldn-t-decide-on-a-title-for-my-firs_3049853.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daa/sefi-atta-22130_bits_i-couldn-t-decide-on-a-title-for-my-firs_3049853.jpg) > “I couldn't decide on a title for my first novel and my editor came up with Everything Good Will Come. After that, I thought I should name my own books.A Bit of Difference seems just right.” [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects how external input can inspire personal branding and title decisions, highlighting the iterative creative process. **In simple terms:** External ideas can shape personal choices. Key Takeaway Embrace feedback, then personalize it. Themes creativity branding collaboration Mood reflective optimistic Type advice personal development When to use this quote - novel planning - title selection - editorial advice Key Concepts identity iteration authorship Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance external advice with your own voice? - When should you trust your instincts over others? A Different Perspective External suggestions may not always align with personal vision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Couldn Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couldn-decide-253366/) [Decide Title](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decide-title-5067449/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Editor Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/editor-came-642787/) [Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/editors/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Good will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-will/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Editor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-editor-3643264/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Title Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/title-novel-669971/) [Titles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/titles/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [A good novel editor is invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/a-good-novel-editor-is-invisible/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [There are plenty of bad editors who try to impose their own vision on a book. (…) A good novel editor is invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/there-are-plenty-of-bad-editors-who-try-to-impose-their-own-vision-on/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [I'd trained to be a diplomat but the state department said I was too liberal. I saw an ad in the New York Times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/i-d-trained-to-be-a-diplomat-but-the-state-department-said-i-was-too/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I think part of my success as an editor came from never worrying about a fact, a cause, an atmosphere. It was me—projecting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-vreeland/i-think-part-of-my-success-as-an-editor-came-from-never-worrying/) [Diana Vreeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-vreeland/) > [Our editor came to work today in a vibrant pink shirt. Vibrant. Several members of staff have had to go home sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-mair/our-editor-came-to-work-today-in-a-vibrant-pink-shirt-vibrant-several/) [Eddie Mair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-mair/) > [The DNA of the novel - which, if I begin to write nonfiction, I will write about this - is that: the title of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-zuravleff/the-dna-of-the-novel-which-if-i-begin-to-write-nonfiction-i-will/) [Mary Kay Zuravleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-zuravleff/) > [ I hope that the relationship of the title to the novel \[ What Belongs To You\] gets more complex with each section of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-greenwell/i-hope-that-the-relationship-of-the-title-to-the-novel-what-belongs/) [Garth Greenwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-greenwell/) > [Lost Illusion is the undisclosed title of every novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-maurois/lost-illusion-is-the-undisclosed-title-of-every-novel/) [Andre Maurois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-maurois/) > [A little more than a hundred years ago, "Tel Aviv" was not a city. It was a title of a novel written by an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/a-little-more-than-a-hundred-years-ago-tel-aviv-was-not-a-city-it-was/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [For years, copying other people, I tried to know myself. From within, I couldn't decide what to do. Unable to see, I heard my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/for-years-copying-other-people-i-tried-to-know-myself-from-within-i/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [“I couldn't decide what kind of person she was, whether she was one of those insects that look exactly like wasps but aren't .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-sudjic/i-couldn-t-decide-what-kind-of-person-she-was-whether-she-was-one-of/) [Olivia Sudjic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-sudjic/) > [For a while, I couldn't decide whether or not I should pursue singing in the opera or acting. And I'm glad that I chose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/for-a-while-i-couldn-t-decide-whether-or-not-i-should-pursue-singing/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [“Either she was admirably at ease anywhere or she suffered from a total lack of discrimination; Liam couldn't decide which.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/either-she-was-admirably-at-ease-anywhere-or-she-suffered-from-a/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [I went to vote once, but I got too scared. I couldn't decide whom to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-went-to-vote-once-but-i-got-too-scared-i-couldn-t-decide-whom-to/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [“I couldn't decide how to feel about what he was saying, whether it was all nonsense or just more evidence that I would never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-couldn-t-decide-how-to-feel-about-what-he-was-saying-whether-it-was/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) ## More by Sefi Atta > [I never wanted to be a writer; I just had stories I wanted to share so I learnt how to write and kept going.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-never-wanted-to-be-a-writer-i-just-had-stories-i-wanted-to-share-so/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [ I always begin \[a novel\] with outlines, but they change and so do my endings and beginnings. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-always-begin-a-novel-with-outlines-but-they-change-and-so-do-my/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [For all forms, writing dialogue is almost like writing music. I pay close attention to rhythms and tones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/for-all-forms-writing-dialogue-is-almost-like-writing-music-i-pay/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [I get stage fright with short stories. For me it feels like standup comedy: kill or die. I'm more confident when I begin a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-get-stage-fright-with-short-stories-for-me-it-feels-like-standup/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [I have to say that writing about my writing process is more daunting than writing non-fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-have-to-say-that-writing-about-my-writing-process-is-more-daunting/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [“She says the lesson to learn is that the world is round, which means that if I run too fast I might end up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/she-says-the-lesson-to-learn-is-that-the-world-is-round-which-means/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [I'm addicted to writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-m-addicted-to-writing/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > ['ve had notebooks, but they are nondescript. All I care about is that they fit in my hand. I scribble down ideas. The problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/ve-had-notebooks-but-they-are-nondescript-all-i-care-about-is-that/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [What works for me is that I read widely and stay focused on my writing. I'm no longer concerned about what happens in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/what-works-for-me-is-that-i-read-widely-and-stay-focused-on-my/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [“She drinks her Eva water. Their parents were taken down by cancer, heart attacks and strokes. Respectable diseases.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/she-drinks-her-eva-water-their-parents-were-taken-down-by-cancer/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [I don't remember being a keen reader, but apparently I was. My aunt told me that whenever I was teased for reading, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-don-t-remember-being-a-keen-reader-but-apparently-i-was-my-aunt/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [I don't have a schedule, but I can write for hours non-stop. If I'm drafting a book, I try and do a chapter a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-don-t-have-a-schedule-but-i-can-write-for-hours-non-stop-if-i-m/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [I don't write non-fiction because I get bored. Some of my writing is autobiographical, but not the way readers imagine. I use my memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-don-t-write-non-fiction-because-i-get-bored-some-of-my-writing-is/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [I read Macbeth as a secondary student in Nigeria and it was like an African play to me. It had all the right elements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-read-macbeth-as-a-secondary-student-in-nigeria-and-it-was-like-an/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [I'm always working on something new and while I'm working, I'm absorbed with my characters, their conflicts,my language and settings. I'm in another place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-m-always-working-on-something-new-and-while-i-m-working-i-m/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) [Explore all 28 Sefi Atta quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) ## More Bits quotes > [ Brad \[Dourif\] would tell himself that he was not intentionally trying to mimic Jack Nicholson in any way. I think that actually bothers him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirschner/brad-dourif-would-tell-himself-that-he-was-not-intentionally-trying/) [David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirschner/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I became a bit of a teacher's pet, and it became known in the school by both faculty and students that I really excelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/i-became-a-bit-of-a-teacher-s-pet-and-it-became-known-in-the-school/) [Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [He referred to me as an 'insufferable puffed-up prat'. This is a bit rich coming from a man who actually married his own mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/he-referred-to-me-as-an-insufferable-puffed-up-prat-this-is-a-bit/) [Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/) > [It won't do you a bit of good to know everything if you don't do anything with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-fitzhugh/it-won-t-do-you-a-bit-of-good-to-know-everything-if-you-don-t-do/) [Louise Fitzhugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-fitzhugh/) > [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/) [Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/) > [I think that's the beauty of the current setup, is that Legends is meant to be a bit of a revolving door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-think-that-s-the-beauty-of-the-current-setup-is-that-legends-is/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [We, as pop stars, are people not androids. We’ve got views. I’ve got opinions and I don’t see why I shouldn’t use a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-meddows-taylor/we-as-pop-stars-are-people-not-androids-we-ve-got-views-i-ve-got/) [Roger Meddows Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-meddows-taylor/) > [In terms of style, too, I think I've been working with a somewhat limited -- although intentionally limited -- set of tools. So I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/in-terms-of-style-too-i-think-i-ve-been-working-with-a-somewhat/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [ Donald Trump has opened \[ politically correct enforcement\] up wide. He's made a very bold statement and he's backed it back just a little… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/donald-trump-has-opened-politically-correct-enforcement-up-wide-he-s/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [When my name started popping up I was quite irritated and a little bit in shock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-snow/when-my-name-started-popping-up-i-was-quite-irritated-and-a-little/) [Michael Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-snow/) > [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) [Browse all 5,709 Bits quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I couldn't decide on a title for my first novel and my editor came up with Everything Good Will Come. 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