--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think you can write about what you know…" description: "\"“I think you can write about what you know for about an hour and a half. Then you have to start bullshitting. So I say, lie to me and lie to me well. T..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/a-m-homes-12366_books_i-think-you-can-write-about-what-you-kno_3235130.jpg" --- # I think you can write about what you know for about an… ![“I think you can write about what you know for about an hour and a half. Then you have to start bullshitting. So I say, lie to me and lie to me well. The only way to write well is to write accurately. Accuracy is not about the reader, it’s about the subject and the character.” quote by A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/a-m-homes-12366_books_i-think-you-can-write-about-what-you-kno_3235130.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/a-m-homes-12366_books_i-think-you-can-write-about-what-you-kno_3235130.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/a-m-homes-12366_books_i-think-you-can-write-about-what-you-kno_3235130.jpg) > ““I think you can write about what you know for about an hour and a half. Then you have to start bullshitting. So I say, lie to me and lie to me well. The only way to write well is to write accurately. Accuracy is not about the reader, it’s about the subject and the character.”” [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing well requires factual accuracy about characters, not just pleasing the reader; deception must be skillful and purposeful. **In simple terms:** Write truthfully about your subject; deception is a tool, not a shortcut. Key Takeaway Prioritize accuracy over flashy prose. Themes writing truth character deception Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - novel drafting - character development - creative workshops Key Concepts literary craft authenticity narrative ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance factual detail with narrative flair? - When is lying in service of art justified? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on accuracy can stifle imagination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bullshitting Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullshitting-say-6135568/) [Think Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-write-261876/) [Way Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-write-280486/) [Write Accurately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-accurately-5725649/) [Write Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-know-339415/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Writing is a simple but elusive art,” he said. “To write is to describe. Describe accurately and respectfully. 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The world is bigger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/i-don-t-agree-with-the-sentiment-write-what-you-know-i-think-one/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [“As someone else once said, "Write what you know". Well I know very little, so I write, and illustrate, Nonsense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-h-tubb/as-someone-else-once-said-write-what-you-know-well-i-know-very-little/) [Paul H Tubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-h-tubb/) > [Write about what you know, that's what I say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-widdicombe/write-about-what-you-know-that-s-what-i-say/) [Josh Widdicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-widdicombe/) > [Some writing courses will advise you to write what you know. I've always thought this is very odd advice ... because it means, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/some-writing-courses-will-advise-you-to-write-what-you-know-i-ve/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [I fortunately have a good memor, and that helps a lot in the way I write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/i-fortunately-have-a-good-memor-and-that-helps-a-lot-in-the-way-i/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [Hemingway said the only way to write about a place is to leave it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/hemingway-said-the-only-way-to-write-about-a-place-is-to-leave-it/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [Kabuki is the way that I so often write; Noh is how I would write if I were more 'spiritual,' more understated, or perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/kabuki-is-the-way-that-i-so-often-write-noh-is-how-i-would-write-if-i/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [The way I write is really like putting one foot in front of the other. I really let the characters do most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/the-way-i-write-is-really-like-putting-one-foot-in-front-of-the-other/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [The way you write affects what you say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/the-way-you-write-affects-what-you-say/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Half the people tell me, 'I love 'Go All the Way,' but why do you have to write all those schlocky ballads.' And half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-carmen/half-the-people-tell-me-i-love-go-all-the-way-but-why-do-you-have-to/) [Eric Carmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-carmen/) > [What we've learned is there's no right way to write a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-tedeschi/what-we-ve-learned-is-there-s-no-right-way-to-write-a-song/) [Susan Tedeschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-tedeschi/) > [Whatever works for the piece I'm thinking about is the way I write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-branca/whatever-works-for-the-piece-i-m-thinking-about-is-the-way-i-write/) [Glenn Branca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-branca/) ## More by A.M. Homes > [Every family has a story that it tells itself, that it passes on to the children and grandchildren. The story grows over the years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/every-family-has-a-story-that-it-tells-itself-that-it-passes-on-to/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [“You can’t collect everything,” Pat says, putting the dress in with the giveaways. “Life is not a hobby.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/you-can-t-collect-everything-pat-says-putting-the-dress-in-with-the/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [It's my policy not to review funerals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/it-s-my-policy-not-to-review-funerals/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [“I love my foot. If I had to send a part of myself to represent myself in some other country, or in some other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/i-love-my-foot-if-i-had-to-send-a-part-of-myself-to-represent-myself/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [The struggle is how to write optimistically when the world we're living in is not inherently optimistic. I love the idea of the family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/the-struggle-is-how-to-write-optimistically-when-the-world-we-re/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [“You are your own beginning. Every day, every hour, every minute, you start again. There is no point wishing you were someone else, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/you-are-your-own-beginning-every-day-every-hour-every-minute-you/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [Birthday parties make me nervous as hell. They're one of those things where you're forced to be happy. And even if you're totally depressed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/birthday-parties-make-me-nervous-as-hell-they-re-one-of-those-things/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [“A fat old man has disturbed my day, coming to tell me that he has sold my childhood to a museum in Cincinnati.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/a-fat-old-man-has-disturbed-my-day-coming-to-tell-me-that-he-has-sold/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [“The subjects range from the pastoral (sniffing of the butt of a melon to tell if it's ripe. and almost romantically lush descriptions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/the-subjects-range-from-the-pastoral-sniffing-of-the-butt-of-a-melon/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [I really don't watch enough TV to know about the impact. In my experience as a TV writer, I would say is the exact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/i-really-don-t-watch-enough-tv-to-know-about-the-impact-in-my/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [I am very interested in loyalty, even if the person to whom one is loyal is flawed, criminal, or otherwise in the wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/i-am-very-interested-in-loyalty-even-if-the-person-to-whom-one-is/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [The weird thing about having your birthday on a school day is that by the time you get to be ten, or eleven for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/the-weird-thing-about-having-your-birthday-on-a-school-day-is-that-by/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [My mind leaps to my theory about presidents - that there are two kinds, ones who have a lot of sex and the others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/my-mind-leaps-to-my-theory-about-presidents-that-there-are-two-kinds/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [Philip Galanes makes his debut with a novel that is both heartbreaking and deftly comic, the story of a young man struggling with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/philip-galanes-makes-his-debut-with-a-novel-that-is-both/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [“It's a strange city... filled with things that are not obvious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/it-s-a-strange-city-filled-with-things-that-are-not-obvious/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) [Explore all 55 A.M. Homes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) ## 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. 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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": "“I think you can write about what you know for about an hour and a half. Then you have to start bullshitting. So I say, lie to me and lie to me well. The only way to write well is to write accurately. Accuracy is not about the reader, it’s about the subject and the character.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A.M. 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