--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't be reading novels when I'm…" description: "\"I can't be reading novels when I'm writing a novel, because somebody's voice creeps in. The hardest thing to do is keep the tone and your attitude over..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/t-c-boyle-8108_attitude_i-can-t-be-reading-novels-when-i-m-writi_1828330.jpg" --- # I can't be reading novels when I'm writing a novel… ![“I can't be reading novels when I'm writing a novel, because somebody's voice creeps in. The hardest thing to do is keep the tone and your attitude over the course of a year or however long it takes.But when I'm writing short stories, which I will be doing shortly, I can read anything I like.” quote by T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/t-c-boyle-8108_attitude_i-can-t-be-reading-novels-when-i-m-writi_1828330.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/t-c-boyle-8108_attitude_i-can-t-be-reading-novels-when-i-m-writi_1828330.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/t-c-boyle-8108_attitude_i-can-t-be-reading-novels-when-i-m-writi_1828330.jpg) > “I can't be reading novels when I'm writing a novel, because somebody's voice creeps in. The hardest thing to do is keep the tone and your attitude over the course of a year or however long it takes.But when I'm writing short stories, which I will be doing shortly, I can read anything I like.” [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading novels while writing your own can disrupt your voice; short stories allow freer reading. **In simple terms:** Reading similar work can dilute your style. Key Takeaway Protect your creative voice. Themes creativity writing process discipline Mood introspective analytical Type literary advice When to use this quote - novel writing - short story crafting - creative workshops Key Concepts Literary theory self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain a unique voice? - When is it okay to read similar works? A Different Perspective Balancing inspiration and originality is tough. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Hardest thing to do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardest-thing-to-do/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-novels/) [Short stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-stories/) [Short story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-story/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Things to do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-to-do/) [Tone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tone/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing short stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-short-stories/) ## Related quotes > [You learn by writing short stories. Keep writing short stories. The money's in novels, but writing short stories keeps your writing lean and pointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-niven/you-learn-by-writing-short-stories-keep-writing-short-stories-the/) [Larry Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-niven/) > [When I started writing short stories, I thought I was writing a novel. I had like 60 or 70 pages. And what I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-carruth/when-i-started-writing-short-stories-i-thought-i-was-writing-a-novel/) [Shane Carruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-carruth/) > [I feel quite at home writing short stories but nervous and anxious when writing novels, as if the bad time of consecutive failures might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/i-feel-quite-at-home-writing-short-stories-but-nervous-and-anxious/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [I'm used to writing short stories, which is primarily what I like to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-healy/i-m-used-to-writing-short-stories-which-is-primarily-what-i-like-to/) [Matthew Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-healy/) > [I don't revise a lot when writing short stories. As far as the novel, I definitely thought more about plot. Honestly, I'm still pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-miller/i-don-t-revise-a-lot-when-writing-short-stories-as-far-as-the-novel-i/) [Mary J. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-miller/) > [I've been writing short stories for twenty years now, on and off ever since I was in the creative writing program at San Francisco…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/i-ve-been-writing-short-stories-for-twenty-years-now-on-and-off-ever/) [Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/) > [I love short stories. They're like small imploding universes. They are very tightly bound and controlled. I'd been wanting to write one for ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-love-short-stories-they-re-like-small-imploding-universes-they-are/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [All my writing-life people kept telling me that I should stop writing short stories and start writing novels: my agent, my Israeli publisher, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/all-my-writing-life-people-kept-telling-me-that-i-should-stop-writing/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [Don't wait for success, but for the respect and interest of those who read you. At the start it could be a classmate, someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/don-t-wait-for-success-but-for-the-respect-and-interest-of-those-who/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [I think I'm someone who can prattle on a long time about something, which serves me well as a novelist, but it's the enemy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-shipstead/i-think-i-m-someone-who-can-prattle-on-a-long-time-about-something/) [Maggie Shipstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-shipstead/) > [The first fiction I ever wrote was short stories. I was writing short stories in my late teens and early twenties, and I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/the-first-fiction-i-ever-wrote-was-short-stories-i-was-writing-short/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [I chose philosophy because it sounded like something I ought to be interested in. I didn't know anything about it, I didn't even know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-anderson/i-chose-philosophy-because-it-sounded-like-something-i-ought-to-be/) [Wes Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-anderson/) > [I kept writing short stories and sending out my manuscript, and it kept coming back like a bad penny. It was rejected all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-kept-writing-short-stories-and-sending-out-my-manuscript-and-it/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [You can write when you're dyslexic, you just can't read it. But I started writing short stories as a child and I found the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/you-can-write-when-you-re-dyslexic-you-just-can-t-read-it-but-i/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) ## More by T.C. Boyle > [Everything we do is escapism, because we'll all be dead and everything we do is completely meaningless. Why brush your teeth? Why not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/everything-we-do-is-escapism-because-we-ll-all-be-dead-and-everything/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [ The hardest thing in a novel is time. You've got \[a line like\] "two weeks later, he woke up with a headache," and you've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/the-hardest-thing-in-a-novel-is-time-you-ve-got-a-line-like-two-weeks/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [Writing is a channeling of an individual experience; so is reading. That's what's so exciting about this art form - it's interactive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/writing-is-a-channeling-of-an-individual-experience-so-is-reading/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [I'm pretty hardcore. I stick exactly to what I'm doing. So I write a novel in one period, and then I'll write stories in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-m-pretty-hardcore-i-stick-exactly-to-what-i-m-doing-so-i-write-a/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [Work saved me. Literature saved me. It sounds corny but it's absolutely true. I was going in the wrong direction, but after the 9,000th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/work-saved-me-literature-saved-me-it-sounds-corny-but-it-s-absolutely/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [There are always surprises. Life may be inveterately grim and the surprises disproportionately unpleasant, but it would be hardly worth living if there were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/there-are-always-surprises-life-may-be-inveterately-grim-and-the/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [“Besides, to like something, to really like it and come out and say so, is taking a terrible risk. I mean, what if I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/besides-to-like-something-to-really-like-it-and-come-out-and-say-so/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [“I am concerned with social and environmental issues. What rational person is not? But advocacy and art do not mix. Art is a seduction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-am-concerned-with-social-and-environmental-issues-what-rational/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [Pleasure, I remind myself, is inseparable from its lawfully wedded mate, pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/pleasure-i-remind-myself-is-inseparable-from-its-lawfully-wedded-mate/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [A glad zest and hopefulness might be inspired even in the most jaded and ennui-cursed, were there in our homes such simple, truthful natures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/a-glad-zest-and-hopefulness-might-be-inspired-even-in-the-most-jaded/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [What I'm doing is exploring things. This is why I'm a fiction writer rather than an essayist or a politician or whatever. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/what-i-m-doing-is-exploring-things-this-is-why-i-m-a-fiction-writer/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [“Who was she in high school? Little Miss Nobody. She could have embroidered it on her sweaters, tattooed it across her forehead. And in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/who-was-she-in-high-school-little-miss-nobody-she-could-have/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [The professorial dictum has always been to write what you know, but I say write what you don't know and find something out. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/the-professorial-dictum-has-always-been-to-write-what-you-know-but-i/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [A richly detailed, poignant, and utterly fascinating look into another culture and how it is cross-pollinated by our own. It brings to mind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/a-richly-detailed-poignant-and-utterly-fascinating-look-into-another/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [I always listen to music while I'm working and I always read aloud to my wife. I love to read aloud to an audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-always-listen-to-music-while-i-m-working-and-i-always-read-aloud-to/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) [Explore all 83 T.C. Boyle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) ## More Attitude quotes > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Don't judge me because I'm stupid. Don't judge me because I'm, mean. Don't judge me because I'm weird. Don't judge me for mistakes. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-stupid-don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-mean-don/) Isaiah Harden (Me > [Your feelings (mood) dictate your thought, your thought determines your attitude (reactions) and your attitude describes your lifestyle, so: be careful how you feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheye-hassan/your-feelings-mood-dictate-your-thought-your-thought-determines-your/) Sheye Hassan > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“Good Seeds! Gratitude is the Greatest Attitude that has no Substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/good-seeds-gratitude-is-the-greatest-attitude-that-has-no-substitute/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [One genuine reason to feel jealous of my parents:-) I will never ever have a kid as awesome as their's...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-genuine-reason-to-feel-jealous-of-my-parents-i-will-never-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [My attitude it that you don't give in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-taylor/my-attitude-it-that-you-don-t-give-in/) [Phil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-taylor/) > [Transparency pertains to impartial behavior, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Inculcate transparency in attitude and experience a life free of controversy and blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/transparency-pertains-to-impartial-behavior-implies-openness/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) [Browse all 9,543 Attitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can't be reading novels when I'm writing a novel, because somebody's voice creeps in. The hardest thing to do is keep the tone and your attitude over the course of a year or however long it takes.But when I'm writing short stories, which I will be doing shortly, I can read anything I like.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "T.C. Boyle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-can-t-be-reading-novels-when-i-m-writing-a-novel-because-somebody-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attitude" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-can-t-be-reading-novels-when-i-m-writing-a-novel-because-somebody-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/t-c-boyle-8108_attitude_i-can-t-be-reading-novels-when-i-m-writi_1828330.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/t-c-boyle-8108_attitude_i-can-t-be-reading-novels-when-i-m-writi_1828330.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/t-c-boyle-8108_attitude_i-can-t-be-reading-novels-when-i-m-writi_1828330.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can't be reading novels when I'm writing a novel, because somebody's voice creeps in. The hardest thing to…” — T.C. Boyle", "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": "T.C. Boyle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can't be reading novels when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-can-t-be-reading-novels-when-i-m-writing-a-novel-because-somebody-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-can-t-be-reading-novels-when-i-m-writing-a-novel-because-somebody-s/#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 } } ] } ```