--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fiction writers learn about the…" description: "\"Fiction writers learn about the development of metaphor, the use of rhythm, the way that language is compacted in order to express the feelings of - ex..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/edward-hirsch-1614_character_fiction-writers-learn-about-the-developm_3217289.png" --- # Fiction writers learn about the development of metaphor… ![“Fiction writers learn about the development of metaphor, the use of rhythm, the way that language is compacted in order to express the feelings of - express their own feelings and the feelings of their characters.” quote by Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/edward-hirsch-1614_character_fiction-writers-learn-about-the-developm_3217289.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/edward-hirsch-1614_character_fiction-writers-learn-about-the-developm_3217289.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/edward-hirsch-1614_character_fiction-writers-learn-about-the-developm_3217289.png) > “Fiction writers learn about the development of metaphor, the use of rhythm, the way that language is compacted in order to express the feelings of - express their own feelings and the feelings of their characters.” [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers develop metaphor, rhythm, and concise language to convey both personal and character emotions effectively. **In simple terms:** Metaphor and rhythm help express deep feelings. Key Takeaway Study poetic techniques to enrich writing. Themes creativity language emotion Mood inspirational thoughtful Type educational literary When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary criticism - teaching - personal journaling Key Concepts metaphor rhythm conciseness Questions to Reflect On - How does rhythm affect emotional impact? - When does metaphor become obscure? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on technique may stifle authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writers/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Any composer should be able to synthesize the primary feelings that the characters are going through in the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-newton-howard/any-composer-should-be-able-to-synthesize-the-primary-feelings-that/) [James Newton Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-newton-howard/) > [We cannot judge either of the feelings or of the characters of men with perfect accuracy from their actions or their appearance in public;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/we-cannot-judge-either-of-the-feelings-or-of-the-characters-of-men/) [Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/) > [I do find it sometimes that people project their own feelings on to the characters and I think that there is a certain amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-weiner/i-do-find-it-sometimes-that-people-project-their-own-feelings-on-to/) [Matthew Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-weiner/) > [“What truly matters isn’t your feelings or even those of your characters—it’s the emotional experience of your audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-raywood/what-truly-matters-isn-t-your-feelings-or-even-those-of-your/) Will Raywood > [When I teach, I try to assign writers from whom I can learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-barbash/when-i-teach-i-try-to-assign-writers-from-whom-i-can-learn/) [Tom Barbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-barbash/) > [I don't think anybody can teach anybody anything. I think that you learn it, but the young writer that is as I say demon-driven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-don-t-think-anybody-can-teach-anybody-anything-i-think-that-you/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Writers learn their craft, above all, from the work of other writers. From reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-arana/writers-learn-their-craft-above-all-from-the-work-of-other-writers/) [Marie Arana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-arana/) > [“Not all marketing people are writers, but all writers must learn to be marketers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-kraft/not-all-marketing-people-are-writers-but-all-writers-must-learn-to-be/) Joanne Kraft > [“I think that it's only natural that readers become writers. You can only learn so much before you have to share it with others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geary-davis/i-think-that-it-s-only-natural-that-readers-become-writers-you-can/) Geary Davis > [Successful writers learn at last what they should learn at first,--to be intelligently simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/successful-writers-learn-at-last-what-they-should-learn-at-first-to/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [All writers learn this, in time: don't show your work to other people until it's safely finished. Even discussing your unborn book in quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/all-writers-learn-this-in-time-don-t-show-your-work-to-other-people/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [The advice I continually give to young writers is this, "Learn to paint pictures with words." Not just once upon a time, but ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/the-advice-i-continually-give-to-young-writers-is-this-learn-to-paint/) [Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/) > [The reason I'm here today, the reason I own a brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycle and the reason I have a big log cabin and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-aykroyd/the-reason-i-m-here-today-the-reason-i-own-a-brand-new-harley/) [Dan Aykroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-aykroyd/) > [If writers learn more from their books than do readers, perhaps I may have begun to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/if-writers-learn-more-from-their-books-than-do-readers-perhaps-i-may/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [That is many poets don't know how to tell a story and they don't have a sense of how to put things in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/that-is-many-poets-don-t-know-how-to-tell-a-story-and-they-don-t-have/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) ## More by Edward Hirsch > [And my experience is the best titles, for me, emerge in the process of writing. They don't usually come at the very beginning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/and-my-experience-is-the-best-titles-for-me-emerge-in-the-process-of/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“I did not know the work of mourning Is like carrying a bag of cement Up a mountain at night The mountaintop is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-did-not-know-the-work-of-mourning-is-like-carrying-a-bag-of-cement/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“Fall" Fall, falling, fallen. That’s the way the season Changes its tense in the long-haired maples That dot the road; the veiny hand-shaped leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/fall-fall-falling-fallen-that-s-the-way-the-season-changes-its-tense/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I find great consolation in having a lot of poetry books around. I believe that writing poetry and reading it are deeply intertwined. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-find-great-consolation-in-having-a-lot-of-poetry-books-around-i/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I had feelings that I didn't know what to do with, and I felt better when I started writing them. I thought of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-had-feelings-that-i-didn-t-know-what-to-do-with-and-i-felt-better/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I think in terms of educating a group of readers, MFA programs are very good. I just think the model of MFA programs in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-think-in-terms-of-educating-a-group-of-readers-mfa-programs-are/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“Jonson wrote a poem and called his son His best piece of poetrie A lovely line a little loathsome I loved that poem once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/jonson-wrote-a-poem-and-called-his-son-his-best-piece-of-poetrie-a/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [After my grandfather died I went down to the basement of my family house where my family kept books, anthologies and things and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/after-my-grandfather-died-i-went-down-to-the-basement-of-my-family/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [It does demand a certain space in order to read it and I think that space is somewhat threatened by the lack of attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/it-does-demand-a-certain-space-in-order-to-read-it-and-i-think-that/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [...I put down these memorandums of my affections in honor of tenderness, in honor of all of those who have been conscripted into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-put-down-these-memorandums-of-my-affections-in-honor-of-tenderness/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Poetry is a vocation. It is not a career but a calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/poetry-is-a-vocation-it-is-not-a-career-but-a-calling/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [You're shadowed by your own dream, especially as you get older, of trying to create something that will last in poetry. And so, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/you-re-shadowed-by-your-own-dream-especially-as-you-get-older-of/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [The attention deficit disorder of the culture is very distressing in America now and I think it puts a lot of things at risk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-attention-deficit-disorder-of-the-culture-is-very-distressing-in/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Now, as I've gotten older I've been able to write more quickly. Sometimes I get in the space of something and I can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/now-as-i-ve-gotten-older-i-ve-been-able-to-write-more-quickly/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Poetry takes courage because you have to face things and you try to articulate how you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/poetry-takes-courage-because-you-have-to-face-things-and-you-try-to/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) [Explore all 222 Edward Hirsch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [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'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [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/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fiction writers learn about the development of metaphor, the use of rhythm, the way that language is compacted in order to express the feelings of - express their own feelings and the feelings of their characters.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Hirsch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/fiction-writers-learn-about-the-development-of-metaphor-the-use-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/fiction-writers-learn-about-the-development-of-metaphor-the-use-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/edward-hirsch-1614_character_fiction-writers-learn-about-the-developm_3217289.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/edward-hirsch-1614_character_fiction-writers-learn-about-the-developm_3217289.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/edward-hirsch-1614_character_fiction-writers-learn-about-the-developm_3217289.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Fiction writers learn about the development of metaphor, the use of rhythm, the way that language is…” — Edward Hirsch", "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": "Edward Hirsch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Fiction writers learn about the development...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/fiction-writers-learn-about-the-development-of-metaphor-the-use-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/fiction-writers-learn-about-the-development-of-metaphor-the-use-of/#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 } } ] } ```