--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writers of fiction embellish reality…" description: "\"“Writers of fiction embellish reality almost without knowing it.”\" — Aljean Harmetz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/aljean-harmetz-218006_embellishment_writers-of-fiction-embellish-reality-alm_909408.jpg" --- # Writers of fiction embellish reality almost without… ![“Writers of fiction embellish reality almost without knowing it.” quote by Aljean Harmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/aljean-harmetz-218006_embellishment_writers-of-fiction-embellish-reality-alm_909408.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/aljean-harmetz-218006_embellishment_writers-of-fiction-embellish-reality-alm_909408.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/aljean-harmetz-218006_embellishment_writers-of-fiction-embellish-reality-alm_909408.jpg) > ““Writers of fiction embellish reality almost without knowing it.”” [Aljean Harmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aljean-harmetz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction writers unconsciously enhance their stories, blurring truth and imagination. **In simple terms:** Writers add detail without noticing. Key Takeaway Notice and balance creative embellishment. Themes fiction writing reality perception Mood reflective analytical Type Embellishment:1 Fiction:1 Lies:0 Lying:0 Writer:1 Writers:1 Writing:1 Reality Knowing:0 Fiction Embellish:1 Writers Fiction:1 Embellish Reality:1 When to use this quote - authoring novels - screenwriting - story development Key Concepts narrative bias creative truth literary illusion Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate fact from artistic license? - When does embellishment become deception? A Different Perspective Excessive embellishment can mislead audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Embellish Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embellish-reality-1317305/) [Embellishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embellishment/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Embellish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-embellish-1317303/) [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Reality Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-knowing-984121/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writers Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-fiction-1317304/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Knowing reality is knowing that you can't lose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sinclair/knowing-reality-is-knowing-that-you-can-t-lose-it/) [May Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sinclair/) > [“Reality is knowing that you will get hurt. That there’s no stopping it, but you still try. Even after you’re hurt, you first want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandi-lynn/reality-is-knowing-that-you-will-get-hurt-that-there-s-no-stopping-it/) [Mandi Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandi-lynn/) > [Hegel understood the Heisenbergian reality of knowing: yes, it would be nice if we could somehow delicately capture the truth and bring it closer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/hegel-understood-the-heisenbergian-reality-of-knowing-yes-it-would-be/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [You can try to control people, or you can try to have a system that represents reality. I find that knowing what's really happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/you-can-try-to-control-people-or-you-can-try-to-have-a-system-that/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [Too many writers of fiction don't give the reader enough credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-evison/too-many-writers-of-fiction-don-t-give-the-reader-enough-credit/) [Jonathan Evison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-evison/) > [Writers of fiction should stick to writing, not pop up on panel shows or as a talking head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/writers-of-fiction-should-stick-to-writing-not-pop-up-on-panel-shows/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“One must not ask for sincere autobiographies from writers. Fiction was invented precisely to give men the possibility of expressing themselves freely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/one-must-not-ask-for-sincere-autobiographies-from-writers-fiction-was/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“Do writers of fiction tell lies or just tall stories?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-owen-barry/do-writers-of-fiction-tell-lies-or-just-tall-stories/) [Clive Owen Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-owen-barry/) > [I have always felt like an artist when I work on a book. I see no reason why the word should always be confined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/i-have-always-felt-like-an-artist-when-i-work-on-a-book-i-see-no/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [All writers of fiction will at some point find themselves abandoning a piece of work - or find themselves putting it aside, as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/all-writers-of-fiction-will-at-some-point-find-themselves-abandoning/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [Writers, at least writers of fiction, are always full of anxiety and worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/writers-at-least-writers-of-fiction-are-always-full-of-anxiety-and/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [Fact is often stranger than fiction because most writers of fiction try to make their stories plausible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-posner/fact-is-often-stranger-than-fiction-because-most-writers-of-fiction/) [Richard Posner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-posner/) > [A friend of mine who writes history books said to me that he thought that the two creatures most to be pitied were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/a-friend-of-mine-who-writes-history-books-said-to-me-that-he-thought/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [The most underrated of all contemporary American writers of fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-march/the-most-underrated-of-all-contemporary-american-writers-of-fiction/) [William March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-march/) > [Writers of fiction, when they begin, are more likely to try the short form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/writers-of-fiction-when-they-begin-are-more-likely-to-try-the-short/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) ## More Embellishment quotes > [“Ivy waved the wet handkerchief, as much as to say, words cannot possibly articulate my profound distress. Then, because Ivy never settled for meaningful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/ivy-waved-the-wet-handkerchief-as-much-as-to-say-words-cannot/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [If you come up with the original idea on your laptop, anything else is an embellishment of that idea. It's nice to have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-mohawke/if-you-come-up-with-the-original-idea-on-your-laptop-anything-else-is/) [Hudson Mohawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hudson-mohawke/) > [I am fond of history and am very well contented to take the false with the true. In the principal facts they have sources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-am-fond-of-history-and-am-very-well-contented-to-take-the-false/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [I’ve always been very detail orientated, but I have gone from embellishment to nudity - from designing for a woman that likes to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-louboutin/i-ve-always-been-very-detail-orientated-but-i-have-gone-from/) [Christian Louboutin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-louboutin/) > [Few have abilities so much needed by the rest of the world as to be caressed on their own terms; and he that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/few-have-abilities-so-much-needed-by-the-rest-of-the-world-as-to-be/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The intricate engraving, fine lines, beading and milgrain accents echo an era defined by elaborate embellishments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-wang/the-intricate-engraving-fine-lines-beading-and-milgrain-accents-echo/) [Vera Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-wang/) > [You come by your style by learning what to leave out. At first you tend to overwrite—embellishment instead of insight. You either continue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/you-come-by-your-style-by-learning-what-to-leave-out-at-first-you/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [But if there was embellishment, it only had to do with the facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/but-if-there-was-embellishment-it-only-had-to-do-with-the-facts/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [Beauty has so many charms, one knows not how to speak against it; and when it happens that a graceful figure is the habitation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/beauty-has-so-many-charms-one-knows-not-how-to-speak-against-it-and/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [Punctuality is an essential trait of the teacher. It is a foundation, not an embellishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/punctuality-is-an-essential-trait-of-the-teacher-it-is-a-foundation/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [The inspiration starts with the armor my parents collected. The references are subtle, whether in the mix of textures (woven, quilted, pleated) or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tory-burch/the-inspiration-starts-with-the-armor-my-parents-collected-the/) [Tory Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tory-burch/) > [Southerners have this love of embellishment. Even when you read a police report, there's some backstory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/southerners-have-this-love-of-embellishment-even-when-you-read-a/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [At a distance from the theatre of action, truth is not always related without embellishment, and sometimes is entirely perverted, from a misconception of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/at-a-distance-from-the-theatre-of-action-truth-is-not-always-related/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [I loved fairy tales as a kid. I've always been drawn to fantasy. They're always exciting. There's never a dull moment. I just love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/i-loved-fairy-tales-as-a-kid-i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-fantasy-they/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [Flying is hypnotic and all pilots are victims to the spell. Their world is like a magic island in which the factors of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-k-gann/flying-is-hypnotic-and-all-pilots-are-victims-to-the-spell-their/) [Ernest K. Gann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-k-gann/) [Browse all 47 Embellishment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embellishment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Writers of fiction embellish reality almost without knowing it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aljean Harmetz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aljean-harmetz/writers-of-fiction-embellish-reality-almost-without-knowing-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Embellishment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aljean-harmetz/writers-of-fiction-embellish-reality-almost-without-knowing-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/aljean-harmetz-218006_embellishment_writers-of-fiction-embellish-reality-alm_909408.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/aljean-harmetz-218006_embellishment_writers-of-fiction-embellish-reality-alm_909408.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/aljean-harmetz-218006_embellishment_writers-of-fiction-embellish-reality-alm_909408.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writers of fiction embellish reality almost without knowing it.” — Aljean Harmetz", "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": "Aljean Harmetz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aljean-harmetz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Writers of fiction embellish reality almost...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aljean-harmetz/writers-of-fiction-embellish-reality-almost-without-knowing-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aljean-harmetz/writers-of-fiction-embellish-reality-almost-without-knowing-it/#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 } } ] } ```