--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With the historical fictions, I was…" description: "\"With the historical fictions, I was already doing so much research, and so much of the stories was anchored by historical truth that the move to nonfic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/debra-dean-17204_dramatic_with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-alrea_578476.jpg" --- # With the historical fictions, I was already doing so much… ![“With the historical fictions, I was already doing so much research, and so much of the stories was anchored by historical truth that the move to nonfiction didn't feel all that dramatic - just another half-step to the right.” quote by Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/debra-dean-17204_dramatic_with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-alrea_578476.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/debra-dean-17204_dramatic_with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-alrea_578476.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/debra-dean-17204_dramatic_with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-alrea_578476.jpg) > “With the historical fictions, I was already doing so much research, and so much of the stories was anchored by historical truth that the move to nonfiction didn't feel all that dramatic - just another half-step to the right.” [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The shift from historical fiction to nonfiction felt natural because both rely heavily on factual research, making the change minor. **In simple terms:** Changing genres felt natural due to research focus. Key Takeaway Leverage research skills across genres. Themes writing research genre transition Mood reflective thoughtful Type literary informative When to use this quote - writing a memoir - academic research - historical documentaries Key Concepts historical accuracy nonfiction storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How does factual grounding affect narrative voice? - Can genre shifts revive writer motivation? A Different Perspective Nonfiction may limit creative freedom compared to fiction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dramatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dramatic/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fictions Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fictions-doing-4760234/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Historical fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-fiction/) [Historical Fictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-fictions-4760233/) [Historical truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-truth/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonfiction/) [Nonfiction Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonfiction-didn-2762013/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Stories Anchored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-anchored-4760235/) ## Related quotes > [“Nonfiction. I didn’t choose it as much as it chose me. It squatted and birthed me one raw winter day then jerked me up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chila-woychik/nonfiction-i-didn-t-choose-it-as-much-as-it-chose-me-it-squatted-and/) [Chila Woychik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chila-woychik/) > [For the sake of historical truth I must verify that only the Greeks, of all the adversaries who confronted us, fought with bold courage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/for-the-sake-of-historical-truth-i-must-verify-that-only-the-greeks/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The only Bible-honoring conclusion is, of course, that Genesis 1-11 is actual historical truth, regardless of any scientific or chronological problems thereby entailed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-m-morris/the-only-bible-honoring-conclusion-is-of-course-that-genesis-1-11-is/) [Henry M. Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-m-morris/) > [When I write I have no loyalty except to historical truth as I see it and care no more about British achievements and mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-p-taylor/when-i-write-i-have-no-loyalty-except-to-historical-truth-as-i-see-it/) [A. J. P. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-p-taylor/) > [Reeducation needs careful tending, like an English lawn. 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No man can know where he is going unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/for-africa-to-me-is-more-than-a-glamorous-fact-it-is-a-historical/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The truth is the greatest enemy of the State.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-the-greatest-enemy-of-the-state/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let's face a historical truth: we have never had a "free market", we have always had government intervention in the economy, and indeed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/let-s-face-a-historical-truth-we-have-never-had-a-free-market-we-have/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## More by Debra Dean > [“Whatever we know as children, this is the world, eaten whole and without question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-we-know-as-children-this-is-the-world-eaten-whole-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“What is heartbreaking is that there is still beauty in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/what-is-heartbreaking-is-that-there-is-still-beauty-in-the-world/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [I kept writing short stories and sending out my manuscript, and it kept coming back like a bad penny. 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I'm still amazed at the radical temerity of my friends, you included,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/peculiar-as-i-was-and-remain-i-was-trained-to-be-practical-i-m-still/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Unless you're Stephen King or Joyce Carol Oates, no one's going to recognize you on the street, and you're promoting your book, not yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/unless-you-re-stephen-king-or-joyce-carol-oates-no-one-s-going-to/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [I tell my students, if you're interested in marine biology or llama farming, follow that string. Yes, it will probably take you a longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-tell-my-students-if-you-re-interested-in-marine-biology-or-llama/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Along the way, I've worked as a waitress, I've done phone surveys, and worked as a receptionist, and for the last twenty years I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/along-the-way-i-ve-worked-as-a-waitress-i-ve-done-phone-surveys-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“He nods solemnly and repeats the stock response of the Housing Committee whenever they address the perpetual shortage of apartments in Leningrad. “Privacy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/he-nods-solemnly-and-repeats-the-stock-response-of-the-housing/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“Each day, the world is made fresh again, holy, and she takes it in, in all its raw intensity, like a young child. 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One moment she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/she-is-leaving-him-not-all-at-once-which-would-be-painful-enough-but/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) [Explore all 37 Debra Dean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) ## More Dramatic quotes > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think if I have any kind of unique gift, it's more in the comedy area than it is in the dramatic area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sullivan/i-think-if-i-have-any-kind-of-unique-gift-it-s-more-in-the-comedy/) [Susan Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sullivan/) > [A counted number of pulses only is given to us of a variegated, dramatic life. How may we see in them all that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-pater/a-counted-number-of-pulses-only-is-given-to-us-of-a-variegated/) [Walter Pater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-pater/) > [Sure, I’m dramatic and sloppily semi-cynical and semi-sentimental. But, in leisure years I could grow and choose my way. Now I am living on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/sure-i-m-dramatic-and-sloppily-semi-cynical-and-semi-sentimental-but/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [There is a comfort zone of knowing where things are going and having characters in place, but the action gets more and more dramatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/there-is-a-comfort-zone-of-knowing-where-things-are-going-and-having/) [Jerry B. 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I was the kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanna-masterson/i-think-that-i-originally-became-an-actor-because-i-was-super-super/) [Alanna Masterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanna-masterson/) > [Maybe my movie isn't over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/maybe-my-movie-isn-t-over-i-say-because-sometimes-moviemakers-trick/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) [Browse all 1,590 Dramatic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dramatic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "With the historical fictions, I was already doing so much research, and so much of the stories was anchored by historical truth that the move to nonfiction didn't feel all that dramatic - just another half-step to the right.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Debra Dean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-already-doing-so-much-research-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dramatic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-already-doing-so-much-research-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/debra-dean-17204_dramatic_with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-alrea_578476.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/debra-dean-17204_dramatic_with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-alrea_578476.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c56/debra-dean-17204_dramatic_with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-alrea_578476.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“With the historical fictions, I was already doing so much research, and so much of the stories was anchored…” — Debra Dean", "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": "Debra Dean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "With the historical fictions, I was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-already-doing-so-much-research-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-already-doing-so-much-research-and/#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 } } ] } ```