--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: take details from “real life” into…" description: "\"“take details from “real life” into fiction and make them believable requires careful work: creating characters the reader can believe would do the unb..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/dorothy-allison-2041_books_take-details-from-real-life-into-fiction_1432031.png" --- # take details from “real life” into fiction and make them… ![“take details from “real life” into fiction and make them believable requires careful work: creating characters the reader can believe would do the unbelievable and setting up a scene where those events make some kind of sense.” quote by Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/dorothy-allison-2041_books_take-details-from-real-life-into-fiction_1432031.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/dorothy-allison-2041_books_take-details-from-real-life-into-fiction_1432031.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/dorothy-allison-2041_books_take-details-from-real-life-into-fiction_1432031.png) > ““take details from “real life” into fiction and make them believable requires careful work: creating characters the reader can believe would do the unbelievable and setting up a scene where those events make some kind of sense.”” [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating believable fiction requires grounding fantastical events in realistic details and plausible characters. **In simple terms:** Make the extraordinary feel real. Key Takeaway Blend truth with imagination carefully. Themes creativity realism storytelling Mood thoughtful inspirational Type literary educational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - role‑playing games Key Concepts character development world‑building Questions to Reflect On - What details make a story feel authentic? - How do you balance plausibility with wonder? A Different Perspective Too much realism can limit imaginative freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believable Requires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believable-requires-5101561/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Details Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/details-real-2302827/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-make-427793/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Make Believable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-believable-1082619/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [When I want to show the kind of meanness people are capable of, to make it believable I find I have to tone it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-solondz/when-i-want-to-show-the-kind-of-meanness-people-are-capable-of-to/) [Todd Solondz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-solondz/) > [If you write a story based on a real person, you're trapped by the details of the real person and his life. It gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/if-you-write-a-story-based-on-a-real-person-you-re-trapped-by-the/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [If you want to write what the world is about, you have to write details...real life is in the dishes. Real life is pushing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/if-you-want-to-write-what-the-world-is-about-you-have-to-write/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [The Negro. The South. These are the details. 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So, if I dont believe it, I have to work really hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condola-rashad/william-shakespeare-was-a-brilliant-writer-and-he-only-wrote-the/) [Condola Rashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condola-rashad/) > [It turns out that good actors can make anything believable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/it-turns-out-that-good-actors-can-make-anything-believable/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [I think, specifically with the horror genre, you have to make it very believable because it can come across ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maika-monroe/i-think-specifically-with-the-horror-genre-you-have-to-make-it-very/) [Maika Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maika-monroe/) > [Not everybody can do the comic book adaptation thing and make it believable. It is challenging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-snipes/not-everybody-can-do-the-comic-book-adaptation-thing-and-make-it/) [Wesley Snipes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-snipes/) > [One of my jobs as an actor, regardless of who I play - even if I'm playing a despicable character - is to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-monaghan/one-of-my-jobs-as-an-actor-regardless-of-who-i-play-even-if-i-m/) [Dominic Monaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-monaghan/) > [Mostly it's lies, writing novels. You set out to tell an untrue story and you try to make it believable, even to yourself. 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Everyone is usually screwed up in some way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-paquin/there-are-very-few-films-or-plays-or-anything-about-really-happy-2/) [Anna Paquin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-paquin/) ## More by Dorothy Allison > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Simple answers, reductionist politics, are the most prone to compromise, to saying we’re addressing the essential issue and all that other stuff can slide.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/simple-answers-reductionist-politics-are-the-most-prone-to-compromise/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [People don't do right because of the fear of God or love of him. You do right because the world doesn't make sense if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-don-t-do-right-because-of-the-fear-of-god-or-love-of-him-you/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“I had to say to her that it isn’t just men, and it isn’t just men “like that.” I had to talk to her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-had-to-say-to-her-that-it-isn-t-just-men-and-it-isn-t-just-men-like/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Entitlement, I have told them, is a matter of feeling like we rather than they.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/entitlement-i-have-told-them-is-a-matter-of-feeling-like-we-rather/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Love was something I would not have to worry about - the whole mystery of love, heartbreak songs, and family legends. 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It gave me a vision that I could do something different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-think-i-would-have-died-if-there-hadn-t-been-the-women-s-movement/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [People begin to write in order to create what they have not found and, a little bit, to give something back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-begin-to-write-in-order-to-create-what-they-have-not-found-and/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [The hardest thing to teach young writers is that it's wonderful to tell your truth. And that's what you should do. But it damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-hardest-thing-to-teach-young-writers-is-that-it-s-wonderful-to/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“The horror of class stratification, racism, and prejudice is that some people begin to believe that the security of their families and communities depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-horror-of-class-stratification-racism-and-prejudice-is-that-some/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings and worked toward craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with-strong-feelings-and-worked/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I think I would have died if there hadn't been the women's movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-think-i-would-have-died-if-there-hadn-t-been-the-women-s-movement-2/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [When I was growing up, I always read horror books, while my sister read romance novels. My sister became unmarried and pregnant during high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/when-i-was-growing-up-i-always-read-horror-books-while-my-sister-read/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) [Explore all 189 Dorothy Allison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“take details from “real life” into fiction and make them believable requires careful work: creating characters the reader can believe would do the unbelievable and setting up a scene where those events make some kind of sense.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dorothy Allison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/take-details-from-real-life-into-fiction-and-make-them-believable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/take-details-from-real-life-into-fiction-and-make-them-believable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/dorothy-allison-2041_books_take-details-from-real-life-into-fiction_1432031.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/dorothy-allison-2041_books_take-details-from-real-life-into-fiction_1432031.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/dorothy-allison-2041_books_take-details-from-real-life-into-fiction_1432031.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“take details from “real life” into fiction and make them believable requires careful work: creating…” — Dorothy Allison", "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": "Dorothy Allison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“take details from “real life” into...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/take-details-from-real-life-into-fiction-and-make-them-believable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/take-details-from-real-life-into-fiction-and-make-them-believable/#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 } } ] } ```