--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think that writing, real writing…" description: "\"I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do with affirming belief--if anything it causes rifts and gaps in belief which make belief more c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/brian-evenson-21180_affirming_i-don-t-think-that-writing-real-writing_10537.jpg" --- # I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do… ![“I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do with affirming belief--if anything it causes rifts and gaps in belief which make belief more complex and more textured, more real. Good writing unsettles, destroys both the author and the reader. From my perspective, there always has to be a…” quote by Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/brian-evenson-21180_affirming_i-don-t-think-that-writing-real-writing_10537.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/brian-evenson-21180_affirming_i-don-t-think-that-writing-real-writing_10537.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5dc/brian-evenson-21180_affirming_i-don-t-think-that-writing-real-writing_10537.jpg) > “I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do with affirming belief--if anything it causes rifts and gaps in belief which make belief more complex and more textured, more real. Good writing unsettles, destroys both the author and the reader. From my perspective, there always has to be a tension between the writer and the monolithic elements of the culture, such as religion.” [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing that challenges belief creates tension, making belief more nuanced and authentic, while unsettling both author and reader. **In simple terms:** Writing unsettles belief, adding complexity. Key Takeaway Discomfort fuels deeper insight. Themes Belief Tension Culture Authenticity Transformation Mood Provocative Reflective Type Philosophical Critical When to use this quote - When confronting religious dogma - In experimental fiction - During personal introspection Key Concepts Cognitive dissonance Narrative disruption Cultural critique Practical Applications - Literary analysis - Creative writing workshops Questions to Reflect On - How does discomfort in reading reshape personal convictions? - Can a writer maintain integrity while confronting cultural monoliths? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Good writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-writing/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“If you are here because you think writing will always be fun, you're in for a disappointment. Writing -- real writing -- is among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-molly-backes/if-you-are-here-because-you-think-writing-will-always-be-fun-you-re/) [M. Molly Backes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-molly-backes/) > [Writing, real writing, should leave a small sweet bruise somewhere on the writer . . . and on the reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/writing-real-writing-should-leave-a-small-sweet-bruise-somewhere-on/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [Sometimes I think of blogging as finger exercises for a violinist; sometimes I think of it as mulching a garden. 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I'm living the story, and I think people can read that sincerity about the characters.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/when-i-write-i-forget-that-it-s-not-real-i-m-living-the-story-and-i/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [You really don't understand the first thing about writing...for one thing, early in the morning is the worst possible time. the brain is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/you-really-don-t-understand-the-first-thing-about-writing-for-one/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [My first real writing job was at 'Rolling Stone,' so I wrote about rock-and-roll and politics and the like. At the time, I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cahill/my-first-real-writing-job-was-at-rolling-stone-so-i-wrote-about-rock/) [Tim Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cahill/) > [The real writing of a piece comes only when you are performing it. It is why I like theatre. 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I'm living the story, and I think people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/all-i-can-guess-is-that-when-i-write-i-forget-that-it-s-not-real-i-m/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [I've often said, not totally jokingly, that screenwriting doesn't really qualify as real writing at all. You don't string sentences into paragraphs. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-raymond/i-ve-often-said-not-totally-jokingly-that-screenwriting-doesn-t/) [Jonathan Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raymond/) > [“The genesis of my interest in being a writer can be traced to fourth grade when we listened to a radio production of Shakespeare's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-abbot/the-genesis-of-my-interest-in-being-a-writer-can-be-traced-to-fourth/) Laura Abbot > [There are millions of people who think that romance isn't real writing. But the only person who can make you real, make your books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-day/there-are-millions-of-people-who-think-that-romance-isn-t-real/) [Sylvia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-day/) ## More by Brian Evenson > [“What was the truth? he wondered. How important was it to know? And once he knew, what then?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/what-was-the-truth-he-wondered-how-important-was-it-to-know-and-once/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [Anything can happen: anything. Or nothing. Who can say? The world, monstrous, is made that way, and in the end consumes us all. Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/anything-can-happen-anything-or-nothing-who-can-say-the-world/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [ Truth cannot be imparted. \[\] It must be inflicted. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/truth-cannot-be-imparted-it-must-be-inflicted/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [In Kamby Bolongo Mean River damage and delusion walk hand in hand, and everything we think we know is gradually called into question. Reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/in-kamby-bolongo-mean-river-damage-and-delusion-walk-hand-in-hand-and/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [“Curiosity is a terrible thing, he was thinking. 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Ultimately, this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/fiction-is-a-set-of-observable-manifestations-as-represented-and/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [One of the primary differences for me between fiction and poetry is that fiction uses every sort of tool that poetry does but hides…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/one-of-the-primary-differences-for-me-between-fiction-and-poetry-is/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [“Truth cannot be imparted," said Kline. "It must be inflicted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/truth-cannot-be-imparted-said-kline-it-must-be-inflicted/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [“Hell is crammed full of godly men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/hell-is-crammed-full-of-godly-men/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [Like a cross between Paul Auster's The Book of Illusions and Janice Lee's Damnation, The Absolution of Roberto Acestes Laing is at once smart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/like-a-cross-between-paul-auster-s-the-book-of-illusions-and-janice/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [“Still,” said Ramse. “You’re not much. You’re what you are and we love you for it, but you’re not much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/still-said-ramse-you-re-not-much-you-re-what-you-are-and-we-love-you/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [“He found the slot that people thought best suited him and he crammed himself into it. He grew up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/he-found-the-slot-that-people-thought-best-suited-him-and-he-crammed/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [“Of course there’s another choice, he thought. There is always another choice. I’m just not going to take it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/of-course-there-s-another-choice-he-thought-there-is-always-another/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [Ideas for stories come in really different terms and really different ways for me. Sometimes they're from books, sometimes they're just kind of out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/ideas-for-stories-come-in-really-different-terms-and-really-different/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) [Explore all 29 Brian Evenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) ## More Affirming quotes > [Change your thoughts, change your life. —LAO TZU When I was fighting depression, I remember hearing this expression and not understanding it at first.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/change-your-thoughts-change-your-life-lao-tzu-when-i-was-fighting/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [Where a generation ago people felt entitled to a chance at education, they now feel entitled to the credential affirming that they have completed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-henry-iii/where-a-generation-ago-people-felt-entitled-to-a-chance-at-education/) [William A. Henry III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-henry-iii/) > [To create something beautiful about despair or out of a feeling of despair is for me the most hopeful life affirming thing a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kane/to-create-something-beautiful-about-despair-or-out-of-a-feeling-of/) [Sarah Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kane/) > [“By affirming that all 'meaning,' every assertion about the significance of life and reality, must be judged by reference to a brief succession of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/by-affirming-that-all-meaning-every-assertion-about-the-significance/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [It feels intimate and life affirming to me when someone tweets things that appear to just be insane thoughts they had and typed out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-gonzalez/it-feels-intimate-and-life-affirming-to-me-when-someone-tweets-things/) [Mira Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-gonzalez/) > [ \[F\]or academic men to be happy, the universe would have to take shape. All of philosophy has no other goal: it is a matter… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bataille/f-or-academic-men-to-be-happy-the-universe-would-have-to-take-shape/) [Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bataille/) > [It is so inspiring to see a new group coming together not to focus on a particular war or weapons system, but on all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medea-benjamin/it-is-so-inspiring-to-see-a-new-group-coming-together-not-to-focus-on/) [Medea Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medea-benjamin/) > [I think we're in a new era where the advancing tide is towards human unity, where people all around the world want to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/i-think-we-re-in-a-new-era-where-the-advancing-tide-is-towards-human/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [Despite two decisions, in 2008 and 2010, by the U.S. Supreme Court unequivocally affirming that the Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees an individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/despite-two-decisions-in-2008-and-2010-by-the-u-s-supreme-court/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [To be honest, I am not theatre-trained and though I am confident in my skill set, to do theatre requires a better-tuned set of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamlyn-tomita/to-be-honest-i-am-not-theatre-trained-and-though-i-am-confident-in-my/) [Tamlyn Tomita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamlyn-tomita/) > [The fact that you have a policy of such consequence directly affecting millions of people and you have a legal question of great consequence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-verrilli-jr/the-fact-that-you-have-a-policy-of-such-consequence-directly/) [Donald Verrilli Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-verrilli-jr/) > [Action eradicates fear. No matter what you fear,--- positive, self-affirming action can diminish or completely cancel that which you are fearful of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-victor-hansen/action-eradicates-fear-no-matter-what-you-fear-positive-self/) [Mark Victor Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-victor-hansen/) > [Coming out to gays is a way of affirming sanity and self-worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weinberg/coming-out-to-gays-is-a-way-of-affirming-sanity-and-self-worth/) [George Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weinberg/) > [“we are affirming our trust that creation means well within us all, and that whatever painful growth and change may lie ahead, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-silf/we-are-affirming-our-trust-that-creation-means-well-within-us-all-and/) [Margaret Silf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-silf/) > [I am affirming that the casting couch for men exists in the modeling world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-rampal/i-am-affirming-that-the-casting-couch-for-men-exists-in-the-modeling/) [Arjun Rampal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-rampal/) Browse all 167 Affirming quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do with affirming belief--if anything it causes rifts and gaps in belief which make belief more complex and more textured, more real. 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