--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In fiction you can make up everything to…" description: "\"In fiction you can make up everything to create the feeling. You can manufacture a story with whatever tools you want. With nonfiction you have to rely..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34a/chelsea-martin-18667_emotion_in-fiction-you-can-make-up-everything-to_55503.jpg" --- # In fiction you can make up everything to create the… ![“In fiction you can make up everything to create the feeling. You can manufacture a story with whatever tools you want. With nonfiction you have to rely on what actually happened to describe what you're feeling. That's hard. You have to know what will feed into the emotion you're trying to convey…” quote by Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34a/chelsea-martin-18667_emotion_in-fiction-you-can-make-up-everything-to_55503.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34a/chelsea-martin-18667_emotion_in-fiction-you-can-make-up-everything-to_55503.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34a/chelsea-martin-18667_emotion_in-fiction-you-can-make-up-everything-to_55503.jpg) > “In fiction you can make up everything to create the feeling. You can manufacture a story with whatever tools you want. With nonfiction you have to rely on what actually happened to describe what you're feeling. That's hard. You have to know what will feed into the emotion you're trying to convey. And that's hard because you don't necessarily know what causes your emotions.” [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts the freedom of fiction to craft emotions with the constraints of nonfiction, which must derive feeling from real events, highlighting the difficulty of translating personal emotion into narrative. **In simple terms:** Fiction vs. nonfiction emotional creation Key Takeaway Fiction allows emotional construction; nonfiction demands factual grounding Themes creativity emotion narrative truth storytelling self-awareness Mood reflective introspective analytical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - writing fiction - writing nonfiction - teaching creative writing - psychology of emotion - media criticism Key Concepts emotional intelligence authorial intent subjectivity authenticity Practical Applications - developing authentic nonfiction narratives - using fictional techniques to explore personal feelings Questions to Reflect On - How can a writer bridge the gap between factual truth and emotional truth? - What strategies help identify the sources of one's emotions for writing? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonfiction/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Truth is stranger than fiction; fiction has to make sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-fiction-has-to-make-sense/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [There is only one definition of science fiction that seems to make sense: 'Science fiction is anything published as science fiction.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/there-is-only-one-definition-of-science-fiction-that-seems-to-make/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [I suspect that one of the reasons we create fiction is to make sex exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-suspect-that-one-of-the-reasons-we-create-fiction-is-to-make-sex/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The purpose of fiction is not to make people seem nice. What makes anyone think people are nice? Look around you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/the-purpose-of-fiction-is-not-to-make-people-seem-nice-what-makes/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [I write fiction. I make things up, it's what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morpurgo/i-write-fiction-i-make-things-up-it-s-what-i-do/) [Michael Morpurgo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morpurgo/) > [Imagination and fiction make up more than three quarters of our real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/imagination-and-fiction-make-up-more-than-three-quarters-of-our-real/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Truth is so hard to tell, it sometimes needs fiction to make it plausible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/truth-is-so-hard-to-tell-it-sometimes-needs-fiction-to-make-it/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [“I am not ultimately interested in writing fiction. I can't make things up. Or rather, I can only make things up about things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-bechdel/i-am-not-ultimately-interested-in-writing-fiction-i-can-t-make-things/) [Alison Bechdel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-bechdel/) > [All my novels are very much directly related to my inner life, even though I'm inventing characters, even though it's fiction, even though it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/all-my-novels-are-very-much-directly-related-to-my-inner-life-even/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“take details from “real life” into fiction and make them believable requires careful work: creating characters the reader can believe would do the unbelievable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/take-details-from-real-life-into-fiction-and-make-them-believable/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Real life isn't required to be logical, but fiction has to make sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-michaels/real-life-isn-t-required-to-be-logical-but-fiction-has-to-make-sense/) [Leigh Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-michaels/) > [It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-no-wonder-that-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction-fiction-has-to/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“but the fact is that New York is as much a myth as a place, and because we all participate in that fiction, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/but-the-fact-is-that-new-york-is-as-much-a-myth-as-a-place-and/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“And if publishers are too skittish to bite—sell it as goddamn fiction. Make yourself the author and change the names if necessary. Do whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-v-scher/and-if-publishers-are-too-skittish-to-bite-sell-it-as-goddamn-fiction/) Joshua V. Scher > [The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-difference-between-fiction-and-reality-fiction-has-to-make-sense/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) ## More by Chelsea Martin > [The thing about writing or making art is that I'm not thinking about that stuff while I'm doing it. Like the driver's ed kid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/the-thing-about-writing-or-making-art-is-that-i-m-not-thinking-about/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [“It is something to consider, if we're making a list of things to consider, that most relationships are mirrors of yourself, and that those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/it-is-something-to-consider-if-we-re-making-a-list-of-things-to/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [“Romance is such a funny term. Funny as in, "I have a fake body part. Guess what it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/romance-is-such-a-funny-term-funny-as-in-i-have-a-fake-body-part/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [I don't really like to write anywhere but my own apartment. I send a lot of text messages to myself as email when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/i-don-t-really-like-to-write-anywhere-but-my-own-apartment-i-send-a/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [I think it's really important to have a sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/i-think-it-s-really-important-to-have-a-sense-of-humor/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [I have hundreds of Word documents filled with pages of one-liners. If I begin to write a story, or if one of my thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/i-have-hundreds-of-word-documents-filled-with-pages-of-one-liners-if/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [It's uncomfortable to just say the first thing that pops into your head, but you have to when you're speaking in front of people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/it-s-uncomfortable-to-just-say-the-first-thing-that-pops-into-your/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [I hide my documents in many different places on my computer, because I often write things that I would never want anybody to read,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/i-hide-my-documents-in-many-different-places-on-my-computer-because-i/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [I don't know how to talk about technology in a positive or negative way because it's just the way the world is to me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/i-don-t-know-how-to-talk-about-technology-in-a-positive-or-negative/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [I think I've been able to express some of the more complicated feelings I had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/i-think-i-ve-been-able-to-express-some-of-the-more-complicated/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [There is a lot of stuff I write that makes it seem like my intention is to make people think I'm speaking about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/there-is-a-lot-of-stuff-i-write-that-makes-it-seem-like-my-intention/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [“There is a piece of clothing thrown on the floor in the shape of what I look to myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/there-is-a-piece-of-clothing-thrown-on-the-floor-in-the-shape-of-what/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [I basically have two ways I start writing. Either I'll start with something about myself, or something that happened to me that seemed important,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/i-basically-have-two-ways-i-start-writing-either-i-ll-start-with/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [I like being around funny people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/i-like-being-around-funny-people/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) > [I want to draw subjects that seem very boring and everyday... Stuff that would be normal except for one thing. Or two things. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-martin/i-want-to-draw-subjects-that-seem-very-boring-and-everyday-stuff-that/) [Chelsea Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) [Explore all 34 Chelsea Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-martin/) ## More Emotion quotes > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/) Marlin > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [“Emotion as well as reason belongs to the very stuff of history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-smalley/emotion-as-well-as-reason-belongs-to-the-very-stuff-of-history/) Beryl Smalley > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them. They may forget what you said, but they will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/people-are-disturbed-not-by-things-but-by-the-view-they-take-of-them/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [There cannot be any communication except through form. If there is no form, you cannot create emotion in the spectator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-resnais/there-cannot-be-any-communication-except-through-form-if-there-is-no/) [Alain Resnais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-resnais/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [ Music \[is\] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grabbed-it-to-shock-yourself-out/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [“What if each time you experienced an emotion, you acknowledged it, accepted it, and became curious about its message for you (instead of trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/what-if-each-time-you-experienced-an-emotion-you-acknowledged-it/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) [Browse all 7,204 Emotion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In fiction you can make up everything to create the feeling. You can manufacture a story with whatever tools you want. With nonfiction you have to rely on what actually happened to describe what you're feeling. That's hard. You have to know what will feed into the emotion you're trying to convey. 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