--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that the best fiction is directly…" description: "\"“I think that the best fiction is directly rooted in an ability to identify and tell the psychological truth about people.”\" — Alistair Cross" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/alistair-cross-22389_fiction_i-think-that-the-best-fiction-is-directl_2694662.jpg" --- # I think that the best fiction is directly rooted in an… ![“I think that the best fiction is directly rooted in an ability to identify and tell the psychological truth about people.” quote by Alistair Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/alistair-cross-22389_fiction_i-think-that-the-best-fiction-is-directl_2694662.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/alistair-cross-22389_fiction_i-think-that-the-best-fiction-is-directl_2694662.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/alistair-cross-22389_fiction_i-think-that-the-best-fiction-is-directl_2694662.jpg) > ““I think that the best fiction is directly rooted in an ability to identify and tell the psychological truth about people.”” [Alistair Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cross/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The best fiction stems from the ability to uncover and convey deep psychological truths about characters **In simple terms:** Great stories reveal authentic inner lives Key Takeaway Explore characters’ inner worlds Themes literature psychology truth Mood analytical inspirational Type creative educational When to use this quote - writing workshops - therapy - creative reading Key Concepts character study narrative authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How do you access characters’ hidden motivations? - What techniques reveal inner truth? A Different Perspective Psychological depth can be hard to achieve without empathy ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-fiction-581081/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Directly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-directly-537196/) [Psychological Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological-truth-850880/) [Tell Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-psychological-2686639/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I find it interesting that people often seem to believe that authors of realistic fiction are directly translating their personal experiences into their work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malinda-lo/i-find-it-interesting-that-people-often-seem-to-believe-that-authors/) [Malinda Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malinda-lo/) > [I can't help believing that these things that come from the subconscious mind have a sort of truth to them. 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It is created usually as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-edwards/the-best-fiction-is-often-how-we-interpret-our-own-lives-and-what-we/) [Anne Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-edwards/) > [The best fiction is far more true than any journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-best-fiction-is-far-more-true-than-any-journalism/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Biographies never feel as real as the best fiction. There is such a discontinuity between the narrative and the material it comes from, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/biographies-never-feel-as-real-as-the-best-fiction-there-is-such-a/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [The best fiction is geared towards conflict. We learn most about our characters through tension, when they are put up against insurmountable obstacles. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/the-best-fiction-is-geared-towards-conflict-we-learn-most-about-our/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) ## More by Alistair Cross > [“She (Tamara Thorne) has this fascinating way of wrapping herself around the things I write and bringing out the best in my writing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cross/she-tamara-thorne-has-this-fascinating-way-of-wrapping-herself-around/) [Alistair Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cross/) > [“The black panic, that’s what woke me; that all too familiar blend of terror and heinousness that buzzed beneath my skin where no eye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cross/the-black-panic-that-s-what-woke-me-that-all-too-familiar-blend-of/) [Alistair Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cross/) > [“I have a file in my phone that I’m always adding things to. 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Any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cross/most-of-all-kink-comes-up-in-my-writing-because-that-is-very-simply/) [Alistair Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cross/) > [“Sandy’s was one of those places that made poor, white trash feel like high-class consumers. This was the kind of place you’d take your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cross/sandy-s-was-one-of-those-places-that-made-poor-white-trash-feel-like/) [Alistair Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cross/) > [“.” I watched her sip at the drink some more. She was strong, healthy, but also petite enough that I was certain I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cross/i-watched-her-sip-at-the-drink-some-more-she-was-strong-healthy-but/) [Alistair Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cross/) [Explore all 27 Alistair Cross quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cross/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) [Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) [Coheed and Cambria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coheed-and-cambria/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think that the best fiction is directly rooted in an ability to identify and tell the psychological truth about people.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alistair Cross" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cross/i-think-that-the-best-fiction-is-directly-rooted-in-an-ability-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cross/i-think-that-the-best-fiction-is-directly-rooted-in-an-ability-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/alistair-cross-22389_fiction_i-think-that-the-best-fiction-is-directl_2694662.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/alistair-cross-22389_fiction_i-think-that-the-best-fiction-is-directl_2694662.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/alistair-cross-22389_fiction_i-think-that-the-best-fiction-is-directl_2694662.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that the best fiction is directly rooted in an ability to identify and tell the psychological truth…” — Alistair Cross", "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": "Alistair Cross", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cross/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I think that the best fiction...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cross/i-think-that-the-best-fiction-is-directly-rooted-in-an-ability-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cross/i-think-that-the-best-fiction-is-directly-rooted-in-an-ability-to/#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 } } ] } ```