Fiction Quotes | Beyond Motive

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Fiction Quotes

"His theory was that non-fiction could be as artful as fiction."

"His theory was that non-fiction could be as artful as fiction."

Gerald Clarke, Zimbabwean Politician

Fiction, Theory

38

"The neurotic is nailed to the cross of his fiction."

"The neurotic is nailed to the cross of his fiction."

Alfred Adler, Austrian Psychologist

14

"I think I had actually served my apprenticeship as a writer of fiction by writing all those songs. I had already been through phases of autobiographical or experimental stuff."

"I think I had actually served my apprenticeship as a writer of fiction by writing all those songs. I had already been through phases of autobiographical or experimental stuff."

Kazuo Ishiguro, Japanese Author

Fiction, Songs, Writer, Writing

11

"I rather like getting away from fiction."

"I rather like getting away from fiction."

Penelope Lively, English Author

10

"Good fiction is made of that which is real, and reality is difficult to come by."

"Good fiction is made of that which is real, and reality is difficult to come by."

Ralph Ellison, American Author

Fiction, Reality

8

"Every writer knows he is spurious; every fiction writer would rather be credible than authentic."

"Every writer knows he is spurious; every fiction writer would rather be credible than authentic."

John Le Carre, English Writer

8

"And then Jack chopped down what was the world's last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement, and trespass charges already mentioned, and all the giant's children didn't have a daddy anymore. But he got away with it and lived happily ever after, without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done...which proves that you can be excused for just about anything if you are a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions."

"And then Jack chopped down what was the world's last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement, and trespass charges already mentioned, and all the giant's children didn't have a daddy anymore. But he got away with it and lived happily ever after, without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done...which proves that you can be excused for just about anything if you are a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions."

Terry Pratchett, English Author

Fiction, Justice, Heroism, Irony, Ethics

8

"Writers of fiction, when they begin, are more likely to try the short form."

"Writers of fiction, when they begin, are more likely to try the short form."

Irwin Shaw, American Novelist

Fiction, Writers

7

"I do one Xanth novel a year, because at the moment that is all that publishers will accept; they don't want any other type of fiction from me, so Xanth pays my way."

"I do one Xanth novel a year, because at the moment that is all that publishers will accept; they don't want any other type of fiction from me, so Xanth pays my way."

Piers Anthony, English Writer

Fiction, Want, Will

7

"The pleasure of writing fiction is that you are always spotting some new approach, an alternative way of telling a story and manipulating characters; the novel is such a wonderfully flexible form."

"The pleasure of writing fiction is that you are always spotting some new approach, an alternative way of telling a story and manipulating characters; the novel is such a wonderfully flexible form."

Penelope Lively, English Author

Fiction, Pleasure, Writing

7

"I read very widely, both non-fiction and fiction, so I don't think there's a single writer who influences me."

"I read very widely, both non-fiction and fiction, so I don't think there's a single writer who influences me."

Peter Benchley, American Author

Fiction, Writer

7

"To create a past that seemed authentic but would be a fiction, you need an invented language."

"To create a past that seemed authentic but would be a fiction, you need an invented language."

Jeanette Winterson, British Novelist

Fiction, Language, Past

7

"First of all, writing at best - certainly fiction writing - more and more I think is magic."

"First of all, writing at best - certainly fiction writing - more and more I think is magic."

Kathy Acker, American Activist

Fiction, First, Magic, Writing

7

"Fiction is experimentation; when it ceases to be that, it ceases to be fiction."

"Fiction is experimentation; when it ceases to be that, it ceases to be fiction."

John Cheever, American Writer

7

"Given that external reality is a fiction, the writer's role is almost superfluous. He does not need to invent the fiction because it is already there."

"Given that external reality is a fiction, the writer's role is almost superfluous. He does not need to invent the fiction because it is already there."

J. G. Ballard, British Author

Fiction, Reality, Writer

7

"Create a world in which these things do or do not exist, or in which they are extended in some way. Test reality against this fiction. The reader will recognize the world that you're talking about, even though it may be another one altogether."

"Create a world in which these things do or do not exist, or in which they are extended in some way. Test reality against this fiction. The reader will recognize the world that you're talking about, even though it may be another one altogether."

Theodore Sturgeon, American Writer

Fiction, May, Reality, Talking

7

"There is no life here but the slow death of days, and so when the evil falls on the town, its coming seems almost preordained, sweet and morphic. It is almost as though the town knows the evil was coming and the shape it would take."

"There is no life here but the slow death of days, and so when the evil falls on the town, its coming seems almost preordained, sweet and morphic. It is almost as though the town knows the evil was coming and the shape it would take."

Stephen King, American Author

Fiction, Evil, Fate, Truth, Wisdom

6

"You learn a lot, writing fiction."

"You learn a lot, writing fiction."

Penelope Lively, English Author

Fiction, Writing

6

"Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures."

"Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures."

Jessamyn West, American Author

Fiction, Reality

6

"I learned to write fiction the way I learned to read fiction - by skipping the parts that bored me."

"I learned to write fiction the way I learned to read fiction - by skipping the parts that bored me."

Jonathan Lethem, American Writer

6

"As a kid, I didn't read a great deal of fiction, and I've forgotten most of what I did read."

"As a kid, I didn't read a great deal of fiction, and I've forgotten most of what I did read."

Mark Haddon, English Novelist

6

"I bought a selection of short, romantic fiction novels, studied them, decided that I had found a formula and then wrote a book that I figured was the perfect story. Thank goodness it was rejected."

"I bought a selection of short, romantic fiction novels, studied them, decided that I had found a formula and then wrote a book that I figured was the perfect story. Thank goodness it was rejected."

Louise Brown, English Celebrity

Fiction, Formula, Goodness, Romantic

6

"The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means."

"The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means."

Oscar Wilde, Irish Dramatist

6

"However far fiction writers stray from their own lives and experiences - and I stray pretty far from mine - I think, ultimately, that we may be writing what we need to write in some way, albeit unconsciously."

"However far fiction writers stray from their own lives and experiences - and I stray pretty far from mine - I think, ultimately, that we may be writing what we need to write in some way, albeit unconsciously."

Wally Lamb, American Author

Fiction, May, Pretty, Writers

6

"The easiest songs to write are pure fiction. There is no limit to how you can tell the story. I find it difficult when I'm replaying an event through a song."

"The easiest songs to write are pure fiction. There is no limit to how you can tell the story. I find it difficult when I'm replaying an event through a song."

Jason Mraz, American Musician

Fiction, Song, Songs

6

"I really don't believe in magic."

"I really don't believe in magic."

J. K. Rowling, English Author

6

"And, of course, some SF is set close enough to here and now that Anglo and European do apply. Since many of the writers come from those backgrounds, so does much of the fiction."

"And, of course, some SF is set close enough to here and now that Anglo and European do apply. Since many of the writers come from those backgrounds, so does much of the fiction."

Stanley Schmidt, American Writer

Fiction, Now, Writers

6

"But even gold is not everything: and only a fanatic, and a rather foolish fanatic, would say that this style of fiction summed up and exhausted all the good that fiction could give and do."

"But even gold is not everything: and only a fanatic, and a rather foolish fanatic, would say that this style of fiction summed up and exhausted all the good that fiction could give and do."

George Saintsbury, English Writer

Fiction, Gold, Style

5

"If you like to read, sometimes it's interesting just to go and see what the reality is, of the word, of the seedy or not so seedy fiction writer, the drunk or sober poet... Sometimes you can go looking for illumination."

"If you like to read, sometimes it's interesting just to go and see what the reality is, of the word, of the seedy or not so seedy fiction writer, the drunk or sober poet... Sometimes you can go looking for illumination."

Harold Brodkey, American Author

Fiction, Reality, Word, Writer

5

"Adventure! People talked about the idea as if it were something worthwhile, rather than a mess of bad food, no sleep and strange people inexplicably trying to stick pointed objects in bits of you."

"Adventure! People talked about the idea as if it were something worthwhile, rather than a mess of bad food, no sleep and strange people inexplicably trying to stick pointed objects in bits of you."

Terry Pratchett, English Author

Fiction, Adventure, Truth, Regret, Power

5

"A masterpiece of fiction is an original world and as such is not likely to fit the world of the reader."

"A masterpiece of fiction is an original world and as such is not likely to fit the world of the reader."

Vladimir Nabokov, American Novelist

5

"It doesn't stop being magic just because you know how it works."

"It doesn't stop being magic just because you know how it works."

Terry Pratchett, English Author

Fiction, Magic, Truth, Wisdom, Power

5

"I don't read a great deal of fiction, to my shame, other than the classics."

"I don't read a great deal of fiction, to my shame, other than the classics."

Richard Attenborough, English Actor

5

"A fiction about soft or easy deaths is part of the mythology of most diseases that are not considered shameful or demeaning."

"A fiction about soft or easy deaths is part of the mythology of most diseases that are not considered shameful or demeaning."

Susan Sontag, American Author

Fiction, Mythology

5

"One can easily classify all works of fiction either as descendants of the Iliad or of the Odyssey."

"One can easily classify all works of fiction either as descendants of the Iliad or of the Odyssey."

Raymond Queneau, French Poet

5

"Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike."

"Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike."

J. K. Rowling, English Author

Fiction, Indifference, Neglect

5

"I got nice rejections explaining that historical fiction was a difficult sell. But I kept trying."

"I got nice rejections explaining that historical fiction was a difficult sell. But I kept trying."

Anita Diament, American Author

Fiction, Trying

5

"And I sense it was a rather constructed, almost half narrative fiction film in some ways. A lot of it was staged and manipulated to get those things in there that I knew to be strong."

"And I sense it was a rather constructed, almost half narrative fiction film in some ways. A lot of it was staged and manipulated to get those things in there that I knew to be strong."

Terry Zwigoff, American Director

Fiction, Film, Sense

5

"Writing fiction has developed in me an abiding respect for the unknown in a human lifetime and a sense of where to look for the threads, how to follow, how to connect, find in the thick of the tangle what clear line persists."

"Writing fiction has developed in me an abiding respect for the unknown in a human lifetime and a sense of where to look for the threads, how to follow, how to connect, find in the thick of the tangle what clear line persists."

Eudora Welty, American Author

Fiction, Respect, Sense, Writing

5

"I think good radio often uses the techniques of fiction: characters, scenes, a big urgent emotional question. And as in the best fiction, tone counts for a lot."

"I think good radio often uses the techniques of fiction: characters, scenes, a big urgent emotional question. And as in the best fiction, tone counts for a lot."

Ira Glass, American Journalist

Fiction, Question

5

"Fiction has consisted either of placing imaginary characters in a true story, which is the Iliad, or of presenting the story of an individual as having a general historical value, which is the Odyssey."

"Fiction has consisted either of placing imaginary characters in a true story, which is the Iliad, or of presenting the story of an individual as having a general historical value, which is the Odyssey."

Raymond Queneau, French Poet

5

"But I don't want to write my own fiction,' Cath said, as emphatically as she could. 'I don't want to write my own characters or my own worlds -- I don't care about them. . . . I'd rather pour myself into a world I love and understand than try to make something up out of nothing."

"But I don't want to write my own fiction,' Cath said, as emphatically as she could. 'I don't want to write my own characters or my own worlds -- I don't care about them. . . . I'd rather pour myself into a world I love and understand than try to make something up out of nothing."

Rainbow Rowell, American Author

Fiction, Writing, Imagination, Escape

5

"There are some subjects that can only be tackled in fiction."

"There are some subjects that can only be tackled in fiction."

John Le Carre, English Writer

5

"I'm writing another novel and I know what I'm going to do after, which may be something more like this again, maybe some strange mixture of fiction and non-fiction."

"I'm writing another novel and I know what I'm going to do after, which may be something more like this again, maybe some strange mixture of fiction and non-fiction."

Penelope Lively, English Author

Fiction, May, Writing

5

"Real magic is the hand around the bandsaw, the thrown spark in the powder keg, the dimension-warp linking you straight into the heart of a star, the flaming sword that burns all the way down to the pommel. Sooner juggle torches in a tar pit than mess with real magic. Sooner lie down in front of a thousand elephants."

"Real magic is the hand around the bandsaw, the thrown spark in the powder keg, the dimension-warp linking you straight into the heart of a star, the flaming sword that burns all the way down to the pommel. Sooner juggle torches in a tar pit than mess with real magic. Sooner lie down in front of a thousand elephants."

Terry Pratchett, English Author

Fiction, Danger, Magic, Truth, Power

5

"What we've got here is a lunatic genius ghost-in-the-computer monorail that likes riddles and goes faster than the speed of sound. Welcome to the fantasy version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

"What we've got here is a lunatic genius ghost-in-the-computer monorail that likes riddles and goes faster than the speed of sound. Welcome to the fantasy version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

Stephen King, American Author

Fiction, Genius, Madness, Fantasy, Technology

5

"Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes. The object of fiction isn't grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story, to make him/her forget, whenever possible, that he/she is reading a story at all."

"Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes. The object of fiction isn't grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story, to make him/her forget, whenever possible, that he/she is reading a story at all."

Stephen King, American Author

Fiction, Truth, Wisdom, Life, Today

4

"I believe that, like most writers, my personality comes through in the fiction. So in that respect my writing can't be like any other author's really."

"I believe that, like most writers, my personality comes through in the fiction. So in that respect my writing can't be like any other author's really."

Paul Kane, English Writer

Fiction, Personality, Respect, Writers

4

"Whoever knows that the mind is a fiction and devoid of anything real knows that his own mind neither exists nor doesn't exist."

"Whoever knows that the mind is a fiction and devoid of anything real knows that his own mind neither exists nor doesn't exist."

Bodhidharma, Indian Leader

4

"Memoirs are a well-known form of fiction."

"Memoirs are a well-known form of fiction."

Frank Harris, Irish Author

4

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