---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I start writing a novel, I have no…"
description: "\"When I start writing a novel, I have no sense of direction, no idea, really nothing.\" — William Gibson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/william-gibson-642_books_when-i-start-writing-a-novel-i-have-no-s_2100051.png"
---

#  When I start writing a novel, I have no sense of…

![“When I start writing a novel, I have no sense of direction, no idea, really nothing.” quote by William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/william-gibson-642_books_when-i-start-writing-a-novel-i-have-no-s_2100051.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/william-gibson-642_books_when-i-start-writing-a-novel-i-have-no-s_2100051.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/william-gibson-642_books_when-i-start-writing-a-novel-i-have-no-s_2100051.png)

> “When I start writing a novel, I have no sense of direction, no idea, really nothing.”

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Starting a novel often feels directionless, lacking a clear path or idea at the outset.

**In simple terms:** Writing begins in uncertainty.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the blank page.

Themes

writing creativity uncertainty

Mood

curious determined

Type

process motivational

When to use this quote

- novel drafting
- brainstorming sessions
- creative retreats
- writing workshops

Key Concepts

storytelling idea generation

Questions to Reflect On

- What strategies help generate direction?
- How can uncertainty become a creative asset?

A Different Perspective

Fear of emptiness may stall progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/direction/) [Direction Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/direction-idea-4190811/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [No idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-idea/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-sense-2062116/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense/) [Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start/) [Start Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-writing/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-novel/)

## Related quotes

> [As a teacher at Princeton, I'm surrounded by people who work hard so I just make good use of my time. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/as-a-teacher-at-princeton-i-m-surrounded-by-people-who-work-hard-so-i/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [Don't start writing your novel until you know your characters very, very well. What they'd do if they saw somebody shoplifting. What they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/don-t-start-writing-your-novel-until-you-know-your-characters-very/)

[Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/)

> [For me, the process of writing a novel happens mostly in your head before you actually start writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/for-me-the-process-of-writing-a-novel-happens-mostly-in-your-head/)

[Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/)

> [I think most fiction writers naturally start by writing short stories, but some of us don't. When I first started writing, I just started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-barrett/i-think-most-fiction-writers-naturally-start-by-writing-short-stories/)

[Andrea Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-barrett/)

> [I'm constantly trying to figure out how to crack that mystery; how to make a novel that has a sense of immediacy of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-orner/i-m-constantly-trying-to-figure-out-how-to-crack-that-mystery-how-to/)

[Peter Orner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-orner/)

> [One of the humbling things about having written more than one novel is the sense that every time you begin, that new empty page…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/one-of-the-humbling-things-about-having-written-more-than-one-novel/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [I don't yet know what style will be required for my next novel, but my sense is that each book will involve a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/i-don-t-yet-know-what-style-will-be-required-for-my-next-novel-but-my/)

[Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/)

> [I've never been able to force a novel. I always had the sense something being given to me. You can't sit around and wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-laurence/i-ve-never-been-able-to-force-a-novel-i-always-had-the-sense/)

[Margaret Laurence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-laurence/)

> [A novel must give a sense of permanence as well as a sense of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-novel-must-give-a-sense-of-permanence-as-well-as-a-sense-of-life/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm one of those sad cases who've never wanted to be anything but a writer. I started writing my first novel when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-larbalestier/i-m-one-of-those-sad-cases-who-ve-never-wanted-to-be-anything-but-a/)

[Justine Larbalestier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-larbalestier/)

> [The most common human act that writing a novel resembles is lying. The working novelist lies daily, very complexly, and at great length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/the-most-common-human-act-that-writing-a-novel-resembles-is-lying-the/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [The most common human act that writing a novel resembles is lying. The working novelist lies daily, very complexly and at great length. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/the-most-common-human-act-that-writing-a-novel-resembles-is-lying-the-2/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“I suggested to her that she start writing. "I can't write at all," she said. "Neither can many bestsellers," I replied. "But that pesky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-suggested-to-her-that-she-start-writing-i-can-t-write-at-all-she/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [I usually start writing stories from tone and not from content - kind of like people who create music and invent the lyrics later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-usually-start-writing-stories-from-tone-and-not-from-content-kind/)

[Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/)

> [“Advice? I don’t have advice. Stop aspiring and start writing. If you’re writing, you’re a writer. Write like you’re a goddamn death row inmate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wilson-watts/advice-i-don-t-have-advice-stop-aspiring-and-start-writing-if-you-re/)

[Alan Wilson Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wilson-watts/)

## More by William Gibson

> [“We have no idea, now, of who or what the inhabitants of our future might be. In that sense, we have no future. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/we-have-no-idea-now-of-who-or-what-the-inhabitants-of-our-future/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“No," said Blackwell, "she won't, because that would be a violation of the very personal terms I will have established in our conversation. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/no-said-blackwell-she-won-t-because-that-would-be-a-violation-of-the/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“Music was strange that way though; there were people into any damned thing, it seemed like, and if you got enough of them together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/music-was-strange-that-way-though-there-were-people-into-any-damned/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [When I start writing a new imaginary future, I have no idea what it is. The characters arrive first. They help me figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-i-start-writing-a-new-imaginary-future-i-have-no-idea-what-it-is/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [Hollis thought he looked like William Burroughs, minus the bohemian substrate (or perhaps the methadone). Like someone who'd be invited quail shooting with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/hollis-thought-he-looked-like-william-burroughs-minus-the-bohemian/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [Fiction is an illusion wrought with many small, conventionally symbolic marks, triggering visions in the minds of others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/fiction-is-an-illusion-wrought-with-many-small-conventionally/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [The experience of celebrity is gradually being democratized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/the-experience-of-celebrity-is-gradually-being-democratized/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [I don't generate a storyline and then fill it out in the course of writing. The story actually generates in the course of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/i-don-t-generate-a-storyline-and-then-fill-it-out-in-the-course-of/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“What happened to your arm?" she asked me one night in the Gentleman Loser, the three of us drinking at a small table in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/what-happened-to-your-arm-she-asked-me-one-night-in-the-gentleman/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“In Heathrow a vast chunk of memory detached itself from a blank bowl of airport sky and fell on him. He vomited into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/in-heathrow-a-vast-chunk-of-memory-detached-itself-from-a-blank-bowl/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [And, for an instant, she stared directly into those soft blue eyes and knew, with an instinctive mammalian certainty, that the exceedingly rich were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/and-for-an-instant-she-stared-directly-into-those-soft-blue-eyes-and/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [ \[When\] Johnny Mnemonic was coming out and I realized that all the kids that worked in 7-11 knew more - or thought they knew… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-johnny-mnemonic-was-coming-out-and-i-realized-that-all-the-kids/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“Andrea maintained that men like Alain lied so constantly, so passionately, that some basic distinction had been lost. They were artists in their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/andrea-maintained-that-men-like-alain-lied-so-constantly-so/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“Because he had a good agent, he had a good contract. Because he had a good contract, he was in Singapore an hour after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/because-he-had-a-good-agent-he-had-a-good-contract-because-he-had-a/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

[Explore all 430 William Gibson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I start writing a novel, I have no sense of direction, no idea, really nothing.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Gibson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-i-start-writing-a-novel-i-have-no-sense-of-direction-no-idea/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-i-start-writing-a-novel-i-have-no-sense-of-direction-no-idea/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/william-gibson-642_books_when-i-start-writing-a-novel-i-have-no-s_2100051.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/william-gibson-642_books_when-i-start-writing-a-novel-i-have-no-s_2100051.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/315/william-gibson-642_books_when-i-start-writing-a-novel-i-have-no-s_2100051.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I start writing a novel, I have no sense of direction, no idea, really nothing.” — William Gibson",
                "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": "William Gibson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I start writing a novel,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-i-start-writing-a-novel-i-have-no-sense-of-direction-no-idea/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-i-start-writing-a-novel-i-have-no-sense-of-direction-no-idea/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
