--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My novels tend to come about from a…" description: "\"My novels tend to come about from a fusion of two big ideas, creating a critical mass that then fissions, throwing off hundreds of other particles, rif..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/will-self-2296_big_my-novels-tend-to-come-about-from-a-fusi_1899066.jpg" --- # My novels tend to come about from a fusion of two big… ![“My novels tend to come about from a fusion of two big ideas, creating a critical mass that then fissions, throwing off hundreds of other particles, riffs, tropes and characters.” quote by Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/will-self-2296_big_my-novels-tend-to-come-about-from-a-fusi_1899066.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/will-self-2296_big_my-novels-tend-to-come-about-from-a-fusi_1899066.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/will-self-2296_big_my-novels-tend-to-come-about-from-a-fusi_1899066.jpg) > “My novels tend to come about from a fusion of two big ideas, creating a critical mass that then fissions, throwing off hundreds of other particles, riffs, tropes and characters.” [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Combining two major ideas in a novel creates a catalytic effect, spawning numerous sub‑ideas, characters, and themes that enrich the story. **In simple terms:** Big ideas fuse to generate many story elements. Key Takeaway Blend core concepts to spark narrative complexity. Themes literature concept fusion creativity Mood thoughtful energetic Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - novel planning - screenwriting - creative brainstorming - teaching writing Key Concepts narrative theory intertextuality Questions to Reflect On - Which two concepts could you merge in your writing? - How do you maintain focus amid many sub‑ideas? A Different Perspective Too many spawned ideas can overwhelm coherence and dilute focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-idea/) [Big ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-ideas/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Fission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fission/) [Fusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fusion/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Particles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particles/) [Tropes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tropes/) ## Related quotes > [Novels tend to end as the Paternoster begins: with the kingdom of God on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/novels-tend-to-end-as-the-paternoster-begins-with-the-kingdom-of-god/) [Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/) > [Size matters in fiction, but so does lack of size. Everything else being equal, fat novels tend to be perceived as serious, very thin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/size-matters-in-fiction-but-so-does-lack-of-size-everything-else/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [There are two different forms of storytelling: Novels tend to come from the inside of a character, and movies tend to look at them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/there-are-two-different-forms-of-storytelling-novels-tend-to-come/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [My novels tend to take a long time to become exactly what they're going to be. They're fluid messes until I've done a ton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-cooper/my-novels-tend-to-take-a-long-time-to-become-exactly-what-they-re/) [Dennis Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-cooper/) > [“Of all human inventions the organization, a machine constructed of people performing interdependent functions, is the most powerful. Because it is so powerful, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shea/of-all-human-inventions-the-organization-a-machine-constructed-of/) [Robert Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shea/) > [Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. The key to our being here now is time, 4.54…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/evolution-is-the-fundamental-idea-in-all-of-life-science-in-all-of/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [No-one really thought of fission before its discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lise-meitner/no-one-really-thought-of-fission-before-its-discovery/) [Lise Meitner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lise-meitner/) > [You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/you-can-t-conquer-a-free-man-the-most-you-can-do-is-kill-him/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [It was my responsibility that this world got itself an atom bomb, because there were only a handful of nuclear physicists in the thirties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/it-was-my-responsibility-that-this-world-got-itself-an-atom-bomb/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [Today, nothing is unusual about a scientific discovery's being followed soon after by a technical application: The discovery of electrons led to electronics; fission…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/today-nothing-is-unusual-about-a-scientific-discovery-s-being/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [I must furnish those, who would protect or save life, with an energy source, which produces energy so cheaply that nuclear fission will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-schauberger/i-must-furnish-those-who-would-protect-or-save-life-with-an-energy/) [Viktor Schauberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-schauberger/) > [It is impossible, except for theologians, to conceive of a world-wide scandal or a universe-wide scandal; the proof of this is the way people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/it-is-impossible-except-for-theologians-to-conceive-of-a-world-wide/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion to fission. And it just so happens that there's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-nuclear-energy-it-s-just-that-i-prefer/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [ The technologists claim that if everything works \[in a nuclear fission reactor\] according to their blueprints, fission energy will be a safe and very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannes-alfven/the-technologists-claim-that-if-everything-works-in-a-nuclear-fission/) [Hannes Alfven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannes-alfven/) > [The pace of science forces the pace of technique. Theoretical physics forces atomic energy on us; the successful production of the fission bomb forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-pace-of-science-forces-the-pace-of-technique-theoretical-physics/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) ## More by Will Self > [As for critical writing about modernism, its moments of lucidity are but fulgurations illuminating the dark and incomprehensible landscape of its subject's unabashed difficulty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-for-critical-writing-about-modernism-its-moments-of-lucidity-are/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“As my voice died away I became conscious of the voice of another woman two tables away. I couldn't hear what she was saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-my-voice-died-away-i-became-conscious-of-the-voice-of-another/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [That tertiary education is under a sustained assault by a political and - it often seems - social consensus that equates all education with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/that-tertiary-education-is-under-a-sustained-assault-by-a-political/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I'm an anarchist. I'm implacably opposed to heirarchical systems of power and control. I also mistrust crowds, as they often operate according to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-an-anarchist-i-m-implacably-opposed-to-heirarchical-systems-of/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [What fiction offers us is an intimacy shorn of the messy contingencies of human existence - gender, race, class or age. Those moments of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/what-fiction-offers-us-is-an-intimacy-shorn-of-the-messy/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I'd rather fiddle with my phone for precious seconds than neglect an apostrophe; I'd rather insert a word laboriously keyed out than resort to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-d-rather-fiddle-with-my-phone-for-precious-seconds-than-neglect-an/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I'm very happy for whatever plaudits might come the way of my work, but I never ever sit down to write x with y…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-very-happy-for-whatever-plaudits-might-come-the-way-of-my-work/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [As a writer, I'm not convinced that we are the best equipped to understand how we go about the business of literary production.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-a-writer-i-m-not-convinced-that-we-are-the-best-equipped-to/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“I explained to him - as I withdrew the cup, ripped open the sachet and dunked the tea bag - that tea was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-explained-to-him-as-i-withdrew-the-cup-ripped-open-the-sachet-and/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [There is something mysteriously powerful that can happen when young, inchoate minds come into contact with older and more worldly ones in a spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/there-is-something-mysteriously-powerful-that-can-happen-when-young/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [It would seem that I, who never could make much sense of physics when I was at school, have now gained a strong sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/it-would-seem-that-i-who-never-could-make-much-sense-of-physics-when/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [Drug use and procrastination often go hand in tourniquet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/drug-use-and-procrastination-often-go-hand-in-tourniquet/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“…with the morbid realisation that his sexual being was a dull thing, a lifeless thing, a mass-produced marionette with chipped paint and fraying strings”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/with-the-morbid-realisation-that-his-sexual-being-was-a-dull-thing-a/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [A creative life cannot be sustained by approval any more than it can be destroyed by criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/a-creative-life-cannot-be-sustained-by-approval-any-more-than-it-can/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I don't think in terms of that bizarre tautology 'value for money' in my literary and journalistic work - and nor will I in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-don-t-think-in-terms-of-that-bizarre-tautology-value-for-money-in/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) [Explore all 172 Will Self quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) ## More Big quotes > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I always want to do a big finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/i-always-want-to-do-a-big-finale/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/) [Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/) [Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/) > [What I know about Ali Krieger is no moment is ever going to be too big for her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/what-i-know-about-ali-krieger-is-no-moment-is-ever-going-to-be-too/) [Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/) Browse all 12,477 Big quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My novels tend to come about from a fusion of two big ideas, creating a critical mass that then fissions, throwing off hundreds of other particles, riffs, tropes and characters.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Will Self" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/my-novels-tend-to-come-about-from-a-fusion-of-two-big-ideas-creating/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Big" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/my-novels-tend-to-come-about-from-a-fusion-of-two-big-ideas-creating/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/will-self-2296_big_my-novels-tend-to-come-about-from-a-fusi_1899066.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/will-self-2296_big_my-novels-tend-to-come-about-from-a-fusi_1899066.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/will-self-2296_big_my-novels-tend-to-come-about-from-a-fusi_1899066.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My novels tend to come about from a fusion of two big ideas, creating a critical mass that then fissions…” — Will Self", "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": "Will Self", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My novels tend to come about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/my-novels-tend-to-come-about-from-a-fusion-of-two-big-ideas-creating/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/my-novels-tend-to-come-about-from-a-fusion-of-two-big-ideas-creating/#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 } } ] } ```