--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This time all the historical details and…" description: "\"This time all the historical details and things were right. But I'd written it again in third person, and people found it dry. I decided to throw that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/arthur-golden-1813_details_this-time-all-the-historical-details-and_293574.png" --- # This time all the historical details and things were… ![“This time all the historical details and things were right. But I'd written it again in third person, and people found it dry. I decided to throw that one away.” quote by Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/arthur-golden-1813_details_this-time-all-the-historical-details-and_293574.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/arthur-golden-1813_details_this-time-all-the-historical-details-and_293574.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/arthur-golden-1813_details_this-time-all-the-historical-details-and_293574.png) > “This time all the historical details and things were right. But I'd written it again in third person, and people found it dry. I decided to throw that one away.” [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author realized a factual, third‑person narrative felt lifeless, prompting a rewrite to improve engagement. **In simple terms:** Third‑person facts felt dry, so the author changed style. Key Takeaway Consider narrative voice to match story tone. Themes writing authenticity engagement Mood reflective analytical Type literary creative When to use this quote - novel writing - creative process - editing - storytelling Key Concepts narrative voice reader immersion Questions to Reflect On - How does narrative perspective affect reader interest? - When should you prioritize style over accuracy? A Different Perspective A factual style may alienate readers seeking emotional connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Details](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/details/) [Dry Decided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dry-decided-2819675/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Third person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/third-person/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-historical-2819676/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) [Written Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-person-648325/) ## Related quotes > [I have never successfully written in the third person. If there's a rhythm or a musicality that interests me, I become obsessed with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rapp/i-have-never-successfully-written-in-the-third-person-if-there-s-a/) [Adam Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rapp/) > [“Some of the people who hate me love some of the sentences that I have written, until they get to the name of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-of-the-people-who-hate-me-love-some-of-the-sentences-that-i-have/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [When you get written off, you might be the only person who believes in you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geno-smith/when-you-get-written-off-you-might-be-the-only-person-who-believes-in/) [Geno Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geno-smith/) > [Ever since I've become chairman, there have been profiles of me in People, George, The Washington Post, The Detroit News, and all of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-bond/ever-since-i-ve-become-chairman-there-have-been-profiles-of-me-in/) [Julian Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-bond/) > [A few diaries could replace tons of self help books simply because their written in the first person...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/a-few-diaries-could-replace-tons-of-self-help-books-simply-because/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [It's always exciting when you work on a show that's written by one person because you know that their vision is so specific. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessalyn-gilsig/it-s-always-exciting-when-you-work-on-a-show-that-s-written-by-one/) [Jessalyn Gilsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessalyn-gilsig/) > [I've always written in first person. It gives the readers more insight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-ve-always-written-in-first-person-it-gives-the-readers-more-insight/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I have a journalism degree, but I'd rather be the person who is being written about rather than the person who is writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jericho/i-have-a-journalism-degree-but-i-d-rather-be-the-person-who-is-being/) [Chris Jericho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jericho/) > [“My novels are written in first person so you can feel the emotion of the character.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/airambooksie/my-novels-are-written-in-first-person-so-you-can-feel-the-emotion-of/) [Airambooksie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/airambooksie/) > [The Heretic Queen is historical fiction at its best. Michelle Moran seamlessly incorporates accurate details into a story full of suspense, intrigue, and tenderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasha-alexander/the-heretic-queen-is-historical-fiction-at-its-best-michelle-moran/) [Tasha Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasha-alexander/) > [Lemberger's stories are marvelous compounds of scholarship, imagination and empathy. Brought to life with rich historical detail, these biblical women, sidelined and silenced for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-huneven/lemberger-s-stories-are-marvelous-compounds-of-scholarship/) [Michelle Huneven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-huneven/) > [I've managed to include only enough historical detail to give the "flavor" of the time period while keeping the characters and story focal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-klassen/i-ve-managed-to-include-only-enough-historical-detail-to-give-the/) [Julie Klassen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-klassen/) > [“Middlemarch is a novel that is diminished by being put on the screen. It can't help but be, because so much of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/middlemarch-is-a-novel-that-is-diminished-by-being-put-on-the-screen/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Nothing brings two people closer than the hatred of a third person!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-brings-two-people-closer-than-the-hatred-of-a-third-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Studies show: Intelligent girls are more depressed Because they know What the world is really like Don't think for a beat it makes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilie-autumn/studies-show-intelligent-girls-are-more-depressed-because-they-know/) [Emilie Autumn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilie-autumn/) ## More by Arthur Golden > [He was like a song I'd heard once in fragments but had been singing in my mind ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/he-was-like-a-song-i-d-heard-once-in-fragments-but-had-been-singing/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [Sometimes we get through adversity only by imagining what the world might be like if our dreams should ever come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/sometimes-we-get-through-adversity-only-by-imagining-what-the-world/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [When we fight upstream against a rocky undercurrent, every foothold takes on a kind of urgency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/when-we-fight-upstream-against-a-rocky-undercurrent-every-foothold/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [Never give up; for even rivers someday wash dams away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/never-give-up-for-even-rivers-someday-wash-dams-away/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [“Oh I'm sure you're right," Auntie said. "Probably she's just as you say. But she looks to me like a very clever girl, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/oh-i-m-sure-you-re-right-auntie-said-probably-she-s-just-as-you-say/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [“I'm not sure this will make sense to you, but I felt as though I'd turned around to look in a different direction, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/i-m-not-sure-this-will-make-sense-to-you-but-i-felt-as-though-i-d/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [“We human beings are only a part of something very much larger. When we walk along, we may crush a beetle or simply cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/we-human-beings-are-only-a-part-of-something-very-much-larger-when-we/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [If you aren't the woman I think you are, then this isn't the world I thought it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/if-you-aren-t-the-woman-i-think-you-are-then-this-isn-t-the-world-i/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [You know, the men go to tea houses with the expectation that they will have a nice quiet evening and not read about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/you-know-the-men-go-to-tea-houses-with-the-expectation-that-they-will/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [Adversity is like a strong wind. I don't mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/adversity-is-like-a-strong-wind-i-don-t-mean-just-that-it-holds-us/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [“Most nights I lay on my futon I was sick with anxiety, and felt a pit inside myself as big and empty as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/most-nights-i-lay-on-my-futon-i-was-sick-with-anxiety-and-felt-a-pit/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [Of course, a sign doesn't mean anything unless you know how to interpret it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/of-course-a-sign-doesn-t-mean-anything-unless-you-know-how-to/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [“I knew even then that she was right. An en is a karmic bond lasting a lifetime. Nowadays many people seem to believe their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/i-knew-even-then-that-she-was-right-an-en-is-a-karmic-bond-lasting-a/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [I didn't say to act dead. I said act helpless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/i-didn-t-say-to-act-dead-i-said-act-helpless/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [“I'm not sure this will make sense to you but I felt as though I'd turned around to look in a different direction so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/i-m-not-sure-this-will-make-sense-to-you-but-i-felt-as-though-i-d-2/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) [Explore all 190 Arthur Golden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) ## More Details quotes > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [The more I trust you, the less details I need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-more-i-trust-you-the-less-details-i-need/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/) [Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/) > [The first track is the end of a string. At the far end, a being is moving; a mystery, dropping a hint about itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brown-jr/the-first-track-is-the-end-of-a-string-at-the-far-end-a-being-is/) [Tom Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brown-jr/) > [No matter what. Wherever your mind wanders, it seems to turn up at the same Field of Dreams. It's the vision you wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/no-matter-what-wherever-your-mind-wanders-it-seems-to-turn-up-at-the/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) > [Our thoughts are either focused on what's eternal, life-changing, and true, or lost in the details of our temporary, selfish, false beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/our-thoughts-are-either-focused-on-what-s-eternal-life-changing-and/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [Just because someone thinks they remember something in detail, with confidence and with emotion, does not mean that it actually happened, .. False memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-loftus/just-because-someone-thinks-they-remember-something-in-detail-with/) [Elizabeth Loftus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-loftus/) > [The Science Delusion is the belief that science already understands the nature of reality in principle leaving only the details to be filled in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-sheldrake/the-science-delusion-is-the-belief-that-science-already-understands/) [Rupert Sheldrake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-sheldrake/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [We're still working out the details, but I'd be delighted to do the film. The problem at the moment is my busy schedule. Shooting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-ziyi/we-re-still-working-out-the-details-but-i-d-be-delighted-to-do-the/) [Zhang Ziyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-ziyi/) > [What is needed, however, isn't just that people working together be nice to each other. It is discipline. Discipline is hard--harder than trustworthiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/what-is-needed-however-isn-t-just-that-people-working-together-be/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [I get worked up over an 'idea' or the ethos of an idea. 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