Home / Topics / Novel Quotes

Novel Quotes

Browse 6108 quotes about Novel.

Novel Quotes

“When I was 30 or so - by that time I had become an assistant D.A. - I decided I would try to write a novel. To be clear: I did not decide to become a novelist. Honestly, it never crossed my mind that I could actually earn a living as a professional novelist.”

Writing Trying Mind Novel Clear Decided Honestly Novelists Assistants

Author:William Landay

“I think that physics is about escaping the prison of the received thoughts and searching for novel ways of thinking the world, about trying to clear a bit the misty lake of insubstantial dreams, which reflect reality like the lake reflects the mountains.”

Thinking World Way Trying Dream Reality Bits Novel Clear Mountain Prison Physics Lakes Way Of Thinking Escaping Misty

Book:Quantum Gravity

Source: Quantum Gravity

“Modern reformers offer nebulous theories or write philanthropic novels. But your thief acts! He is as clear as a fact and as logical as a punch on the nose! And what a style he has!”

Writing Facts Novel Clear Modern Style Theory Offers Noses Logical Thieves Philanthropic Reformers

Author:Honore de Balzac

“I remember how surprised I was when my first novel was about to be published and I was informed that I could be sued for anything any one of my characters said. 'But I often don't agree with what they say,' I protested. The lawyer was not interested in the clear distinction I make between my own voice and the voices of my characters. Neither, I have found, are many of my readers.”

Firsts Said Character Remember Found Voice My Own Novel Clear Reader Agree Lawyer Distinction Not Interested

Book:Outlander: Short Stories and Essays

Source: Outlander: Short Stories and Essays

“Some authors write nonsense in a clear style, and others sense in an obscure one; some can reason without being able to persuade, others can persuade without being able to reason; some dive so deep that they descend into darkness, and others soar so high that they give us no light; and some, in a vain attempt to be cutting and dry, give us only that which is cut and dried. We should labor, therefore, to treat with ease of things that are difficult; with familiarity, of things that are novel; and with perspicuity, of things that are profound.”

Source: Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think

“The object is very clear in the fight against racism; you have reasons why you're opposed to it. But when you're writing a novel, you don't want the reader to come out of it voting yes or no to some question. Life is more complicated than that.”

Want Writing Reason Life Is Fighting Novel Clear Objects Reader Racism Complicated Reason Why Voting Yes Or No Against Racism

Author:Margaret Atwood

“You could say that this book is ripped from the headlines, but that wouldn't be fair. Bret Anthony Johnston's riveting novel picks up where the tabloids leave off, and takes us places even the best journalism can't go. Remember Me Like This is a wise, moving, and troubling novel about family and identity, and a clear-eyed inventory of loss and redemption.”

Book Remember Moving Loss Novel Clear Wise Identity Picks Fairs Redemption Journalism Headlines Ripped Tabloids Remember Me About Family Inventory

Author:Tom Perrotta

“Film is a medium of clear lines and broad strikes - which can be fantastic - but compared to the subtleties and nuances of a novel, it doesn't even get close.”

Film Lines Novel Clear Strikes Mediums Fantastic Broads Subtlety Nuance

Author:William Boyd

“The combination of the growth of these digital technologies, the ability of the government to conjure up these secret interpretations, plus a very unusual and novel court make for this ever-expanding surveillance state. We so treasure our freedoms; we will regret it if our generation doesn't use this unique time to reform the surveillance laws and make it clear that security and liberty are not mutually exclusive. We can do both.”

“A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has a troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel. I know this from experience. He has no clear idea of his story; in fact he has no story. He merely has some people in his mind, and an incident or two, also a locality, and he trusts he can plunge those people into those incidents with interesting results.”

Source: The Complete Works of Mark Twain: All 13 Novels, Short Stories, Poetry and Essays

“Usually at the end of each story we're thrown clear out of the story's world and then we're given a new world to enter. What's unique about a linked collection is that it can deliver both sets of narrative pleasures - the novel's long immersion into character-world and the story anthology's energetic (and mortal) brevity - the linked collection is unique in its ability to be both abrupt and longitudinal simultaneously.”

World Long Ends Character Stories Given Ability Pleasure Novel Clear Unique Mortals Narrative Collections Thrown New World Linked Energetic Brevity Anthology Immersion

Author:Junot Diaz

“Along the (writing) way accidents happen, detours get taken... But these are not "divine" accidents; I don't believe in those. I believe you have constructive accidents en route through a novel only because you have mapped a clear way. If you have confidence that you have a clear direction to take, you always have confidence to explore other ways; if they prove to be mere digressions, you'll recognize that and make the necessary revisions. The more you know about a book, the freer you can be to fool around. The less you know, the tighter you get.”