--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: o matter how much research you do, or…" description: "\"o matter how much research you do, or invention you do, whether it's a character from a novel, a completely invented character or someone who actually ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/809/cate-blanchett-864_books_o-matter-how-much-research-you-do-or-inv_2919682.jpg" --- # o matter how much research you do, or invention you do… ![“o matter how much research you do, or invention you do, whether it's a character from a novel, a completely invented character or someone who actually existed, it's a work of faction. By the very fact you only have an hour and a half or two hours to tell a story, you're telescoping events and it…” quote by Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/809/cate-blanchett-864_books_o-matter-how-much-research-you-do-or-inv_2919682.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/809/cate-blanchett-864_books_o-matter-how-much-research-you-do-or-inv_2919682.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/809/cate-blanchett-864_books_o-matter-how-much-research-you-do-or-inv_2919682.jpg) > “o matter how much research you do, or invention you do, whether it's a character from a novel, a completely invented character or someone who actually existed, it's a work of faction. By the very fact you only have an hour and a half or two hours to tell a story, you're telescoping events and it is, in the end, a work of imagination.” [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Storytelling compresses time, turning research and invention into imaginative narratives within limited duration. **In simple terms:** Stories condense facts into imagination. Key Takeaway Focus on narrative clarity and imagination. Themes storytelling imagination time compression fiction research Mood analytical critical Type creative reflective When to use this quote - documentary filmmaking - novel writing - theater scripts - educational videos Key Concepts narrative structure creative nonfiction fictionalization Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide what to omit for narrative flow? - What ethical responsibilities arise in fictionalizing real events? A Different Perspective May blur lines between fact and fiction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [Once you have invented a character with three dimensions and a voice, you begin to realize that some of the things you'd like him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perry/once-you-have-invented-a-character-with-three-dimensions-and-a-voice/) [Thomas Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perry/) > [It's not very often that you get to come up with ideas and bring your take on the character and then actually have writers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madchen-amick/it-s-not-very-often-that-you-get-to-come-up-with-ideas-and-bring-your/) [Madchen Amick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madchen-amick/) > [ The main thing about the character \[in the Ordinary World\] is that he loves music, and he shares it with his daughter. He's having… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-joe-armstrong/the-main-thing-about-the-character-in-the-ordinary-world-is-that-he/) [Billie Joe Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-joe-armstrong/) > [I think it always helps when you build a character, and then, you actually step into that character's wardrobe, something else happens. Another angle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-michael-foster/i-think-it-always-helps-when-you-build-a-character-and-then-you/) [Scott Michael Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-michael-foster/) > [The best thing about acting is that I get to lose myself in another character and actually get paid for it. As for myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/the-best-thing-about-acting-is-that-i-get-to-lose-myself-in-another-2/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [Every so often when I'm writing, a character might actually be a distinct person in my head - often not an actor or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callie-khouri/every-so-often-when-i-m-writing-a-character-might-actually-be-a/) [Callie Khouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callie-khouri/) > [By the end, you should be inside your character, actually operating from within somebody else, and knowing him pretty well, as that person knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-trevor/by-the-end-you-should-be-inside-your-character-actually-operating/) [William Trevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-trevor/) > [If you're dealing with a character that actually exists, there's an awful lot of information there. So, you can put together, from the information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fassbender/if-you-re-dealing-with-a-character-that-actually-exists-there-s-an/) [Michael Fassbender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fassbender/) > [People will have their guesses and opinions on my character, but anyone that's actually sat down and talked to me knows that I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baker-mayfield/people-will-have-their-guesses-and-opinions-on-my-character-but/) [Baker Mayfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baker-mayfield/) > [I surprised myself, that I was in the tissue of the character enough, that I could actually come up with something that I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-surprised-myself-that-i-was-in-the-tissue-of-the-character-enough/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [I feel like you can't get an audience to like your character if she's actually cool, but you can if she's trying to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kendrick/i-feel-like-you-can-t-get-an-audience-to-like-your-character-if-she-s/) [Anna Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kendrick/) > [The best thing about acting is that I get to lose myself in another character and actually get paid for it... It's a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/the-best-thing-about-acting-is-that-i-get-to-lose-myself-in-another/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [Well, I think it can be quite helpful to be working on a character who actually existed, historically. Of course, you might have material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspard-ulliel/well-i-think-it-can-be-quite-helpful-to-be-working-on-a-character-who/) [Gaspard Ulliel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspard-ulliel/) > [If you want to do your version, go off and write it. You bring your knowledge to it, and you can use that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-harris/if-you-want-to-do-your-version-go-off-and-write-it-you-bring-your/) [Jared Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-harris/) > [People would be shocked to know... that despite the nature of my TV character, I am actually a nice guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lafferty/people-would-be-shocked-to-know-that-despite-the-nature-of-my-tv/) [James Lafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lafferty/) ## More by Cate Blanchett > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [I think if you're too embroiled in the need to relate too closely to the character, then you start to judge the character for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-think-if-you-re-too-embroiled-in-the-need-to-relate-too-closely-to/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Every single pore - not on the men, but on the women - is scrutinized, so I am really grateful that I feel very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/every-single-pore-not-on-the-men-but-on-the-women-is-scrutinized-so-i/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Conservatism is affecting the way women perceive who they are in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/conservatism-is-affecting-the-way-women-perceive-who-they-are-in-the/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [There is a societal cost of increased pollution, and that's what I'm passionate about as a mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/there-is-a-societal-cost-of-increased-pollution-and-that-s-what-i-m/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [If you know you are going to fail, then fail gloriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/if-you-know-you-are-going-to-fail-then-fail-gloriously/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [I went through a mod and goth-phase when I decided that I wouldn't ever be the bronzed beach-bunny. I started going as pale as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-went-through-a-mod-and-goth-phase-when-i-decided-that-i-wouldn-t/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [See the opportunity in the misstep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/see-the-opportunity-in-the-misstep/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [I think Pilates is great, especially when you can do it with a trainer who keeps you on track.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-think-pilates-is-great-especially-when-you-can-do-it-with-a-trainer/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [I'm partial to a nice cup of vodka. I normally just drink it really simple with a little bit of lemon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-m-partial-to-a-nice-cup-of-vodka-i-normally-just-drink-it-really/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Obviously, if Woody Allen calls and says he wants you to read a script, of course you read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/obviously-if-woody-allen-calls-and-says-he-wants-you-to-read-a-script/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Everyone gets obsessed with anti-aging but I'd rather look as good as I can at the age I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/everyone-gets-obsessed-with-anti-aging-but-i-d-rather-look-as-good-as/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Australia is a remarkable country with incredible technical and physical resources and a capacity to be a world leader in renewables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/australia-is-a-remarkable-country-with-incredible-technical-and/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [I often have a few scents depending on if I'm playing a character. The character may be wearing a scent that perhaps I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-often-have-a-few-scents-depending-on-if-i-m-playing-a-character-the/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) [Explore all 347 Cate Blanchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "o matter how much research you do, or invention you do, whether it's a character from a novel, a completely invented character or someone who actually existed, it's a work of faction. 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