--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's why I have to be a fiction writer…" description: "\"That's why I have to be a fiction writer, because I can't remember what just happened or where I went last week or what movie I just watched with my hu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/545/bonnie-jo-campbell-9521_because-i-can_that-s-why-i-have-to-be-a-fiction-writer_1295503.jpg" --- # That's why I have to be a fiction writer, because I can't… ![“That's why I have to be a fiction writer, because I can't remember what just happened or where I went last week or what movie I just watched with my husband. I'm better off just making things up.” quote by Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/545/bonnie-jo-campbell-9521_because-i-can_that-s-why-i-have-to-be-a-fiction-writer_1295503.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/545/bonnie-jo-campbell-9521_because-i-can_that-s-why-i-have-to-be-a-fiction-writer_1295503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/545/bonnie-jo-campbell-9521_because-i-can_that-s-why-i-have-to-be-a-fiction-writer_1295503.jpg) > “That's why I have to be a fiction writer, because I can't remember what just happened or where I went last week or what movie I just watched with my husband. I'm better off just making things up.” [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction writing offers a refuge when memory fails; imagination fills gaps left by everyday forgetfulness. **In simple terms:** Fiction helps when you can’t recall real events. Key Takeaway Use imagination to compensate for memory lapses. Themes memory fiction creativity Mood introspective confessional Type advice personal When to use this quote - daily journaling - novel writing - screenwriting Key Concepts narrative invention storytelling Questions to Reflect On - Do you trust your invented stories? - How does memory loss affect your creative process? A Different Perspective Reliance on fiction may blur reality and truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writer/) [Fiction writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writers/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The beginning of human knowledge is through the senses, and the fiction writer begins where the human perception begins. He appeals through the senses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-beginning-of-human-knowledge-is-through-the-senses-and-the/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [And while dollars have little to do with it, the fiction writer should be asking the same question any capable film producer would ask:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/and-while-dollars-have-little-to-do-with-it-the-fiction-writer-should/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) > [I'm not a science-fiction writer. I've only written one book that's science fiction, and that's Fahrenheit 451. All the others are fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-m-not-a-science-fiction-writer-i-ve-only-written-one-book-that-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [It's always great when you want scientific fact to get a really good science fiction writer to talk to you about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/it-s-always-great-when-you-want-scientific-fact-to-get-a-really-good/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [If you're a fiction writer, though, I can tell you how to let people talk through you. Listen. Just be quiet, and listen. Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/if-you-re-a-fiction-writer-though-i-can-tell-you-how-to-let-people/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [The fiction writer has to engage in a continual examination of conscience. He has to be aware of the freak in himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-fiction-writer-has-to-engage-in-a-continual-examination-of/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [A fiction writer is never entirely alone. Her characters are constantly whispering in her ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cinda-williams-chima/a-fiction-writer-is-never-entirely-alone-her-characters-are/) [Cinda Williams Chima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cinda-williams-chima/) > [What I'm doing is exploring things. This is why I'm a fiction writer rather than an essayist or a politician or whatever. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/what-i-m-doing-is-exploring-things-this-is-why-i-m-a-fiction-writer/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [If I couldn't be a fiction writer, I would be a roller coaster designer for theme parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wells/if-i-couldn-t-be-a-fiction-writer-i-would-be-a-roller-coaster/) [Mike Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wells/) > [The challenge for any fiction writer is that your job involves simply sitting at a desk for a very, very long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/the-challenge-for-any-fiction-writer-is-that-your-job-involves-simply/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [As a fiction writer, one of things you learn is God lives in specificity. You know, human kindness is increased as we pursue specificity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/as-a-fiction-writer-one-of-things-you-learn-is-god-lives-in/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [The training of a journalist, of working with words for thousands of hours, is extraordinarily useful for a fiction writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/the-training-of-a-journalist-of-working-with-words-for-thousands-of/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [I don't think the function of writing, at least for me as a fiction writer, is to say to people, "Here's the answer." It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-don-t-think-the-function-of-writing-at-least-for-me-as-a-fiction/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [The fiction writer has a lot of balls to juggle. Setting, pacing, dialogue, and so on. And let's not forget: plot. That was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/the-fiction-writer-has-a-lot-of-balls-to-juggle-setting-pacing/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [No one can teach writing, but classes may stimulate the urge to write. If you are born a writer, you will inevitably and helplessly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/no-one-can-teach-writing-but-classes-may-stimulate-the-urge-to-write/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) ## More by Bonnie Jo Campbell > [In fact, when I finally realized I was really going to write, when I was about thirty-four, I was working on my Ph.D. in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/in-fact-when-i-finally-realized-i-was-really-going-to-write-when-i/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [I'm of the people in the bar and the people in my stories. They are my tribe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/i-m-of-the-people-in-the-bar-and-the-people-in-my-stories-they-are-my/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [That's where I live, a junkyard in a neighborhood of junkyards. We have three tractors from the 1940s and '50s, several old pickup trucks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/that-s-where-i-live-a-junkyard-in-a-neighborhood-of-junkyards-we-have/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [A Life in Men is a joyful, ambitious novel that is also an adventure traversing three continents, as well as a meditation on love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/a-life-in-men-is-a-joyful-ambitious-novel-that-is-also-an-adventure/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [People seem to want to read more nonfiction than fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/people-seem-to-want-to-read-more-nonfiction-than-fiction/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [Eighty percent of all novels are bought by women, or so I've heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/eighty-percent-of-all-novels-are-bought-by-women-or-so-i-ve-heard/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [Any of us who listen to the news or listen to stories our neighbors tell are accustomed to violence. We have to decide then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/any-of-us-who-listen-to-the-news-or-listen-to-stories-our-neighbors/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [In a regular class I don't focus on the form, but I think that focus is helpful for brainstorming and coming up with ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/in-a-regular-class-i-don-t-focus-on-the-form-but-i-think-that-focus/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [My donkeys are Jack and Don Quixote. They're very smart, very cautious. Much of what people consider stubbornness in donkeys is actually cautiousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/my-donkeys-are-jack-and-don-quixote-they-re-very-smart-very-cautious/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [Cocoa-buttered girls were stretched out on the public beach in apparently random alignments, but maybe if a weather satellite zoomed in on one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/cocoa-buttered-girls-were-stretched-out-on-the-public-beach-in/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [I think back when I was kind of a crappy writer, I really did know my time was better spent working and having adventures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/i-think-back-when-i-was-kind-of-a-crappy-writer-i-really-did-know-my/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [The great thing about fiction is that I don't have to settle on an answer to any troubling question, or even a solution. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/the-great-thing-about-fiction-is-that-i-don-t-have-to-settle-on-an/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [Writing is so wrapped up in ego, but with math one is just trying to get it right, although you're often wrong. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/writing-is-so-wrapped-up-in-ego-but-with-math-one-is-just-trying-to/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [“She hoped Smoke was wrong about people being unknowable. She hoped that she could crack herself open like a nut and know herself, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/she-hoped-smoke-was-wrong-about-people-being-unknowable-she-hoped/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [That was a mistake, I guess, going out to California. They have these things called guidance counselors in high school. They drink a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/that-was-a-mistake-i-guess-going-out-to-california-they-have-these/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) [Explore all 71 Bonnie Jo Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) ## More Because i can quotes > [I never write Metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman because I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-write-metropolis-for-seven-cents-because-i-can-get-the-same/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I've played more villains than anything else. And I love playing villains, because I can just be evil and do whatever I want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lopez/i-ve-played-more-villains-than-anything-else-and-i-love-playing/) [Jennifer Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lopez/) > [ A lot of people \[are\] saying civil union," Faried told KDVR. "I don't like it being called that because I can get married to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-faried/a-lot-of-people-are-saying-civil-union-faried-told-kdvr-i-don-t-like/) Kenneth Faried > [Some well-to-do parents may say, "I have a right to have as many children as I want because I can take care of them."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/some-well-to-do-parents-may-say-i-have-a-right-to-have-as-many/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [When you gain weight, for every pound that you gain, it adds four pounds of stress on your knees. So if you gain five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-simmons/when-you-gain-weight-for-every-pound-that-you-gain-it-adds-four/) [Richard Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-simmons/) > [I need to learn how to stop destroying myself, stop being hard on myself and be nice to myself. I need to keep telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daul-kim/i-need-to-learn-how-to-stop-destroying-myself-stop-being-hard-on/) [Daul Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daul-kim/) > [I make a star's salary when I do horror, because I can still open a movie in Italy or Spain or Germany.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/i-make-a-star-s-salary-when-i-do-horror-because-i-can-still-open-a/) [Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/) > [I mean, I can actually say goodbye to the game of golf, never hit another golf shot the rest of my life and I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-norman/i-mean-i-can-actually-say-goodbye-to-the-game-of-golf-never-hit/) [Greg Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-norman/) > [I don’t like to talk to people, because I can’t express myself satisfactorily. I don’t say the things I mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-garbo/i-don-t-like-to-talk-to-people-because-i-can-t-express-myself/) [Greta Garbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-garbo/) > [I want to thank you, especially those people who are agnostic or atheist. I don't mean any offense by the things I said of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-want-to-thank-you-especially-those-people-who-are-agnostic-or/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [I have this horrific thing where I'm really bad with names and faces. I have an appalling memory. Someone will come up to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/i-have-this-horrific-thing-where-i-m-really-bad-with-names-and-faces/) [Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/) > [Why do it, just because I can? That's kind of crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-shear/why-do-it-just-because-i-can-that-s-kind-of-crazy/) [Jules Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-shear/) > [I don't assume, because I can write screenplays, that I know how to write a novel. It's a very different world. There's a craft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-rosenberg/i-don-t-assume-because-i-can-write-screenplays-that-i-know-how-to/) [Melissa Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-rosenberg/) > [I don't have to hate any person because I can always start anew, I can always reconcile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/i-don-t-have-to-hate-any-person-because-i-can-always-start-anew-i-can/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [I think about dying every day, because I can't stop thinking about living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/i-think-about-dying-every-day-because-i-can-t-stop-thinking-about/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) Browse all 322 Because i can quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That's why I have to be a fiction writer, because I can't remember what just happened or where I went last week or what movie I just watched with my husband. 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