--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I try to write about real women, real…" description: "\"I try to write about real women, real people - in other words flawed characters. I find flawed characters much more interesting than perfect ones and e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa2/emily-giffin-938_areas_i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-peo_215904.jpg" --- # I try to write about real women, real people - in other… ![“I try to write about real women, real people - in other words flawed characters. I find flawed characters much more interesting than perfect ones and enjoy the challenge of making readers root for them in spite of their unsympathetic path and destructive choices. Life is about the gray areas…” quote by Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa2/emily-giffin-938_areas_i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-peo_215904.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa2/emily-giffin-938_areas_i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-peo_215904.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa2/emily-giffin-938_areas_i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-peo_215904.jpg) > “I try to write about real women, real people - in other words flawed characters. I find flawed characters much more interesting than perfect ones and enjoy the challenge of making readers root for them in spite of their unsympathetic path and destructive choices. Life is about the gray areas. Things are seldom black and white, even when we wish they were and think they should be, and I like exploring this nuanced terrain.” [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She writes complex, imperfect characters to explore moral ambiguity and engage readers. **In simple terms:** She prefers flawed characters over perfect ones. Key Takeaway Embrace complexity in storytelling. Themes writing character morality nuance Mood thoughtful analytical Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - character development - reader engagement Key Concepts psychology ethical dilemmas Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance flaw and relatability? - What moral gray zones intrigue you? A Different Perspective Perfect characters can feel unrealistic and disengaging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Areas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/areas/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black and white](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-and-white/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters/) [Characters Flawed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-flawed-621943/) [Characters Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-interesting-731461/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Destructive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destructive/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Exploring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploring/) [Flawed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flawed/) [Flawed Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flawed-characters-970110/) [Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gray/) [Gray area](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gray-area/) [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-people/) [Real women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-women/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Spite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spite/) [Terrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrain/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Unsympathetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unsympathetic/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I find flawed characters much more interesting than perfect ones and enjoy the challenge of making readers root for them in spite of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-find-flawed-characters-much-more-interesting-than-perfect-ones-and/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“Some of the best characters are the most flawed characters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-a-mcbride/some-of-the-best-characters-are-the-most-flawed-characters/) [Brian A. McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-a-mcbride/) > [Life is about the gray areas. Things are seldom black and white, even when we wish they were and think they should be, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/life-is-about-the-gray-areas-things-are-seldom-black-and-white-even/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I try to write about real women, real people - in other words flawed characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-people-in-other-words-flawed/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I think it's very important to write a demythologized woman character. My characters are flawed. They are no better than they should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-think-it-s-very-important-to-write-a-demythologized-woman-character/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [I like to play characters who are flawed - the big man brought down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-henry/i-like-to-play-characters-who-are-flawed-the-big-man-brought-down/) [Lenny Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-henry/) > [“It is part of the received doctrine of modern biography that all characters are Flawed, and as a Christian priest I am quite ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/it-is-part-of-the-received-doctrine-of-modern-biography-that-all/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [I'm very drawn to characters who are very flawed. I'm less interested in characters who are just good or bad, because to me then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-m-very-drawn-to-characters-who-are-very-flawed-i-m-less-interested/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [It seems to me that most characters, in anything, are flawed in some way, just like most people. You look for the good in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-gillen/it-seems-to-me-that-most-characters-in-anything-are-flawed-in-some/) [Aidan Gillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-gillen/) > [Why not provoke some thought and get people talking about things? I like characters that are flawed because we all are. When people break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fassbender/why-not-provoke-some-thought-and-get-people-talking-about-things-i/) [Michael Fassbender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fassbender/) > [I don't mind playing older characters. I find it interesting. There are parts I couldn't have got when I was 30 years old. So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-ford/i-don-t-mind-playing-older-characters-i-find-it-interesting-there-are/) [Harrison Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-ford/) > [I like developing characters who I find to have interesting psychology. Like politics and sex, but I'm really looking at bigger social problems that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mora-stephens/i-like-developing-characters-who-i-find-to-have-interesting/) [Mora Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mora-stephens/) > [Put your characters where they are the most interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-macdonald/put-your-characters-where-they-are-the-most-interesting/) [James D. Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-macdonald/) > [The characters I tend to play are a little more interesting than the standard heroes. Romantic leads can be a little more straightforward, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iwan-rheon/the-characters-i-tend-to-play-are-a-little-more-interesting-than-the/) [Iwan Rheon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iwan-rheon/) > [I've always been attracted to characters that were interesting to me, and different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milla-jovovich/i-ve-always-been-attracted-to-characters-that-were-interesting-to-me/) [Milla Jovovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milla-jovovich/) ## More by Emily Giffin > [I try to have something in common with my protagonists, especially when I'm writing in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-have-something-in-common-with-my-protagonists-especially/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I think exercise is critical to my writing and an essential way to recharge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-think-exercise-is-critical-to-my-writing-and-an-essential-way-to/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“Grab his penis like this, and I guarantee, it’s a done deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/grab-his-penis-like-this-and-i-guarantee-it-s-a-done-deal/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“Well, anyway… it’s over,” I say, realizing that those two words lump me right in with a hoard of naive women who say it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/well-anyway-it-s-over-i-say-realizing-that-those-two-words-lump-me/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [There are two kinds of sorry. There is the sorry imbued with regret. And a pure sorry. The kind that is merely asking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/there-are-two-kinds-of-sorry-there-is-the-sorry-imbued-with-regret/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [Throw in the intensity of emotions that come with that bittersweet summer sandwiched between high school graduation and the rest of your life...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/throw-in-the-intensity-of-emotions-that-come-with-that-bittersweet/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“You can never be too sure when it comes to things that matter most”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/you-can-never-be-too-sure-when-it-comes-to-things-that-matter-most/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“It occurs to me that she is not unique--that all women compare lives. We are aware of whose husband works more, who helps more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/it-occurs-to-me-that-she-is-not-unique-that-all-women-compare-lives/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“I desperately want to feel that way again. To be in a relationship that I’m not trying to script or water down. It’s about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-desperately-want-to-feel-that-way-again-to-be-in-a-relationship/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I always find something in common with my protagonist, particularly when I write in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-always-find-something-in-common-with-my-protagonist-particularly/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [There is no grief like heartbreak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/there-is-no-grief-like-heartbreak/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I find my voice and manage to say those three one-syllable words back to him. Words I haven't uttered in a very, very long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-find-my-voice-and-manage-to-say-those-three-one-syllable-words-back/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [i wish i could freeze this moment, somehow delay my final decision, and just hang here in the balance between two places, two worlds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-wish-i-could-freeze-this-moment-somehow-delay-my-final-decision-and/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I try to write about real women, real people - in other words flawed characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-people-in-other-words-flawed/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“never had a good gut feeling. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t have faith in my team, but that I maintained the truest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/never-had-a-good-gut-feeling-it-wasn-t-so-much-that-i-didn-t-have/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) [Explore all 324 Emily Giffin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) ## More Areas quotes > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The earliest language was body language and, since this language is the language of questions, if we limit the questions, and if we only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-earliest-language-was-body-language-and-since-this-language-is/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [People don't want to believe that technology is broken. Pharmaceuticals, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology - all these areas where the progress has been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/people-don-t-want-to-believe-that-technology-is-broken/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [It's absolutely fun to walk around and have people respect you. When Michael Jackson did Thriller, I was in the park one day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/it-s-absolutely-fun-to-walk-around-and-have-people-respect-you-when/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [The discrepancy between what actually happened and the version of what happened provided by sources is an enormous gray area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/the-discrepancy-between-what-actually-happened-and-the-version-of/) [Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/) > [Louisville is a place with no labels. It’s not the South, it’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/louisville-is-a-place-with-no-labels-it-s-not-the-south-it-s-not/) [Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/) > [It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that's attacked by Alzheimer's disease. So we can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-keefe/it-turns-out-that-this-part-of-the-brain-is-one-of-the-first-areas/) [John O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-keefe/) > [Engaging the city around us and ministering to its needs reveal to us the remaining bastions of sin in our lives, the areas we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/engaging-the-city-around-us-and-ministering-to-its-needs-reveal-to-us/) [Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/) > [I believe it is a mistake to isolate arms control from other areas of policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/i-believe-it-is-a-mistake-to-isolate-arms-control-from-other-areas-of/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Well, the U.N. Security Council resolution 1973 is very clear. It says all necessary measures to be taken to protect civilians and civilian areas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/well-the-u-n-security-council-resolution-1973-is-very-clear-it-says/) [Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/) > [When in one area of the world the standard of living and the size of the middle class increases, it is going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lagarde/when-in-one-area-of-the-world-the-standard-of-living-and-the-size-of/) [Christine Lagarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lagarde/) [Browse all 2,612 Areas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/areas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I try to write about real women, real people - in other words flawed characters. 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