--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I started writing at 18 or 19, I had…" description: "\"When I started writing at 18 or 19, I had a fear of anything autobiographical, but I've come to realise that my writing is very autobiographical at the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ben-marcus-7492_autobiographical_when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had_2630811.jpg" --- # When I started writing at 18 or 19, I had a fear of… ![“When I started writing at 18 or 19, I had a fear of anything autobiographical, but I've come to realise that my writing is very autobiographical at the emotional level.” quote by Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ben-marcus-7492_autobiographical_when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had_2630811.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ben-marcus-7492_autobiographical_when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had_2630811.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ben-marcus-7492_autobiographical_when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had_2630811.jpg) > “When I started writing at 18 or 19, I had a fear of anything autobiographical, but I've come to realise that my writing is very autobiographical at the emotional level.” [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Initially feared autobiographical writing, later realized emotional honesty makes work autobiographical. **In simple terms:** Writing feels personal even if not factual. Key Takeaway Allow emotional truth in creative work. Themes writing autobiography emotion Mood introspective thoughtful Type literary reflective When to use this quote - memoir - fiction - therapy - teaching Key Concepts self‑reflection literary theory Questions to Reflect On - How does personal emotion shape your voice? - When is distance better than intimacy? A Different Perspective Emotional focus may limit narrative scope. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autobiographical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiographical/) [Autobiographical Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiographical-emotional-2187791/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Autobiographical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-autobiographical-2187792/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Realising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realising/) [Started Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-writing-238165/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Autobiographical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-autobiographical-1201698/) ## Related quotes > [There's a certain point, when you're writing autobiographical stuff, where you don't want to misrepresent yourself. It would be dishonest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/there-s-a-certain-point-when-you-re-writing-autobiographical-stuff/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [As a gay writer and someone who began by writing autobiographical fiction, it's hard to get away from chatter of "You're just a narcissist,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-a-martin/as-a-gay-writer-and-someone-who-began-by-writing-autobiographical/) [Douglas A. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-a-martin/) > [Because of the wonderfully positive response to 'Life's That Way,' I am considering writing some more autobiographical stuff - maybe another book. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/because-of-the-wonderfully-positive-response-to-life-s-that-way-i-am/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) > [Few writers are willing to admit writing is autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/few-writers-are-willing-to-admit-writing-is-autobiographical/) [Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/) > [In fact, writing, especially writing autobiographical works, and this is actually the fourth time I've done it, each time I've done it I've felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/in-fact-writing-especially-writing-autobiographical-works-and-this-is/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“Readers," continued Miss Winter, "are fools. They believe all writing is autobiographical. And so it is, but not in the way they think. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/readers-continued-miss-winter-are-fools-they-believe-all-writing-is/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [I don't write non-fiction because I get bored. Some of my writing is autobiographical, but not the way readers imagine. I use my memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/i-don-t-write-non-fiction-because-i-get-bored-some-of-my-writing-is/) [Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/) > [Readers are fools. They believe all writing is autobiographical. And so it is, but not in the way they think. The writer's life needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/readers-are-fools-they-believe-all-writing-is-autobiographical-and-so/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [First of all, all writing includes some part of the self. The relationship of the self and the other exists in writing, whether autobiographical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/first-of-all-all-writing-includes-some-part-of-the-self-the/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [Autobiographical comics, I love them. I love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/autobiographical-comics-i-love-them-i-love-them/) [Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/) > [I occasionally experience the discomfort of people assuming my work is autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/i-occasionally-experience-the-discomfort-of-people-assuming-my-work/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [Of necessity, the autobiographical self is not just about one individual but about all the others that an individual interacts with. Of necessity, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/of-necessity-the-autobiographical-self-is-not-just-about-one/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Race as a subject only comes about because of what I look like. If I say something truthfully, people say "Oh, she's so angry."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/race-as-a-subject-only-comes-about-because-of-what-i-look-like-if-i/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [I'm always saying that my books are not autobiographical because they're not. I can't choose any one scene and say, 'Oh, this is exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-von-ziegesar/i-m-always-saying-that-my-books-are-not-autobiographical-because-they/) [Cecily von Ziegesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-von-ziegesar/) > [“I am not and autobiographical writer--one can't be without a solid and explicable self--and read all autobiographical writers with the same curiosity. What kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-am-not-and-autobiographical-writer-one-can-t-be-without-a-solid-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) ## More by Ben Marcus > [To refrain from storytelling is perhaps one of the highest forms of respect we can pay. Those people, with no stories to circle them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/to-refrain-from-storytelling-is-perhaps-one-of-the-highest-forms-of/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [My goal, with whatever I'm working on, is to lose track of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/my-goal-with-whatever-i-m-working-on-is-to-lose-track-of-time/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [“..., and he told a story once after intercourse, to the person who had just politely hoisted him while he hyperventilated in their space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/and-he-told-a-story-once-after-intercourse-to-the-person-who-had-just/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [“Terms BEN MARCUS, THE 1. False map, scroll, caul, or parchment. It is comprised of the first skin. In ancient times, it hung from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/terms-ben-marcus-the-1-false-map-scroll-caul-or-parchment-it-is/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [“We can contain such secret misery, perversion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/we-can-contain-such-secret-misery-perversion/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [“Loud people have thin, hollow bones. They can be broken in half and discarded into a pit. They snap as easily as children do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/loud-people-have-thin-hollow-bones-they-can-be-broken-in-half-and/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [I like big doses of grief when I read: Richard Yates, Flannery O'Connor, Kenzabaro Oe, Thomas Bernhard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/i-like-big-doses-of-grief-when-i-read-richard-yates-flannery-o-connor/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [“This first. To understand this. Then maybe." Julian was impressed. The doctor had devised a pretty good tombstone. This first. To understand this. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/this-first-to-understand-this-then-maybe-julian-was-impressed-the/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [“Who is setting the bar for what you call accessibility? The definition of “accessible” is “easy to understand,” and so much of the fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/who-is-setting-the-bar-for-what-you-call-accessibility-the-definition/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [“People are considered as areas that resist light, mistakes in the air, collision sweet spots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/people-are-considered-as-areas-that-resist-light-mistakes-in-the-air/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [“The true elitists in the literary world are the ones who have become annoyed by literary ambition in any form, who have converted the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/the-true-elitists-in-the-literary-world-are-the-ones-who-have-become/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [“Together we were something less, which felt like such a relief, to not be ourselves for a while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/together-we-were-something-less-which-felt-like-such-a-relief-to-not/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [“I prefer men who don't fall down and weep, who absorb a blow, who do not scamper and yell when chased, but stand firm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/i-prefer-men-who-don-t-fall-down-and-weep-who-absorb-a-blow-who-do/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [I love the way dates in a text make us think that truth will follow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/i-love-the-way-dates-in-a-text-make-us-think-that-truth-will-follow/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) > [Judaism to me, as badly as I practiced it, what I've always loved about it was its total embrace of complexity, its admission of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/judaism-to-me-as-badly-as-i-practiced-it-what-i-ve-always-loved-about/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) [Explore all 90 Ben Marcus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) ## More Autobiographical quotes > [“I am not and autobiographical writer--one can't be without a solid and explicable self--and read all autobiographical writers with the same curiosity. What kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-am-not-and-autobiographical-writer-one-can-t-be-without-a-solid-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [I'm always saying that my books are not autobiographical because they're not. I can't choose any one scene and say, 'Oh, this is exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-von-ziegesar/i-m-always-saying-that-my-books-are-not-autobiographical-because-they/) [Cecily von Ziegesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-von-ziegesar/) > [Race as a subject only comes about because of what I look like. If I say something truthfully, people say "Oh, she's so angry."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/race-as-a-subject-only-comes-about-because-of-what-i-look-like-if-i/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [Of necessity, the autobiographical self is not just about one individual but about all the others that an individual interacts with. Of necessity, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/of-necessity-the-autobiographical-self-is-not-just-about-one/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Because of the wonderfully positive response to 'Life's That Way,' I am considering writing some more autobiographical stuff - maybe another book. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/because-of-the-wonderfully-positive-response-to-life-s-that-way-i-am/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) > [I occasionally experience the discomfort of people assuming my work is autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/i-occasionally-experience-the-discomfort-of-people-assuming-my-work/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [Autobiographical comics, I love them. I love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/autobiographical-comics-i-love-them-i-love-them/) [Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/) > [It's actually easier to do autobiographical stories. The story is already there. It's a matter of carving away what doesn't fit rather than building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-thompson/it-s-actually-easier-to-do-autobiographical-stories-the-story-is/) [Craig Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-thompson/) > [My books aren't autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/my-books-aren-t-autobiographical/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“Attempting to express a person’s objective reality and subjective state of mind with the written word is an endless task because writing alters our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/attempting-to-express-a-person-s-objective-reality-and-subjective/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [Memoir is actually the most egoless genre, even though it might seem ostensibly so much ego-driven. In order for it to succeed, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/memoir-is-actually-the-most-egoless-genre-even-though-it-might-seem/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [I'm not an autobiographical writer, but I am a writer who deals with human emotion on all levels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-an-autobiographical-writer-but-i-am-a-writer-who-deals-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“is a little remarkable, that—though disinclined to talk overmuch of myself and my affairs at the fireside, and to my personal friends—an autobiographical impulse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/is-a-little-remarkable-that-though-disinclined-to-talk-overmuch-of/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [There certainly is no secret in that there are plenty of people who don't like plenty of my movies. Each one of my films…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reitman/there-certainly-is-no-secret-in-that-there-are-plenty-of-people-who/) [Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reitman/) > ['Normal' is not clinical, it's not autobiographical, and I don't claim to be objective. It's strictly my perceptions and thoughts about the people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/normal-is-not-clinical-it-s-not-autobiographical-and-i-don-t-claim-to/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) [Browse all 202 Autobiographical quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiographical/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I started writing at 18 or 19, I had a fear of anything autobiographical, but I've come to realise that my writing is very autobiographical at the emotional level.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ben Marcus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had-a-fear-of-anything/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Autobiographical" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had-a-fear-of-anything/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ben-marcus-7492_autobiographical_when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had_2630811.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ben-marcus-7492_autobiographical_when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had_2630811.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/ben-marcus-7492_autobiographical_when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had_2630811.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I started writing at 18 or 19, I had a fear of anything autobiographical, but I've come to realise that…” — Ben Marcus", "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": "Ben Marcus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I started writing at 18...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had-a-fear-of-anything/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/when-i-started-writing-at-18-or-19-i-had-a-fear-of-anything/#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 } } ] } ```