--- 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.\" — Emily Giffin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/emily-giffin-938_character_i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-peo_104316.png" --- # 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.” quote by Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/emily-giffin-938_character_i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-peo_104316.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/emily-giffin-938_character_i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-peo_104316.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/emily-giffin-938_character_i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-peo_104316.png) > “I try to write about real women, real people - in other words flawed characters.” [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. Writing authentic, imperfect characters reflects real human experience, fostering reader connection through shared flaws and growth. **In simple terms:** I write flawed, real women. Key Takeaway Flawed characters create authenticity. Themes authenticity character development flaws humanity Mood honest intimate inspirational Type literary creative When to use this quote - crafting a novel protagonist - developing a screenplay heroine - creating a relatable brand mascot Key Concepts psychological realism narrative empathy Practical Applications - Include specific imperfections that drive plot - Show characters learning from mistakes Questions to Reflect On - Which flaws make a character relatable? - How do you avoid caricature while portraying imperfection? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on flaws can lead to negative stereotypes if not balanced with strengths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Flawed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flawed/) [Flawed Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flawed-characters-970110/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [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/) [Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Women Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-real-908032/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Write Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-real-364953/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I try to write about real women, real people - in other words flawed characters. I find flawed characters much more interesting than perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-people-in-other-words-flawed-2/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [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/) > [As creators and as readers, we need to always be pushing it - by looking for the books, looking for the artists and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-liu/as-creators-and-as-readers-we-need-to-always-be-pushing-it-by-looking/) [Marjorie Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-liu/) > [My music is for real women and it's about real women and I am a real woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandy-clark/my-music-is-for-real-women-and-it-s-about-real-women-and-i-am-a-real/) [Brandy Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandy-clark/) > [Where are the real women? show me the real women!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/where-are-the-real-women-show-me-the-real-women/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['That's What She Said' is not Hollywood's standard picture of women: preternaturally gorgeous, wedding obsessed, boy crazy, fashion focused, sexed up 'girl' women. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-preston/that-s-what-she-said-is-not-hollywood-s-standard-picture-of-women/) [Carrie Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-preston/) > [It's really important for women in the public eye to be open - these pop stars who don't look, behave, speak like real women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-o-porter/it-s-really-important-for-women-in-the-public-eye-to-be-open-these/) [Dawn O'Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-o-porter/) > [Ads featuring real women and real beauty are such a necessary component to offset the potentially dangerous programming out there for little girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/ads-featuring-real-women-and-real-beauty-are-such-a-necessary/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [Real women can do it on their own but a real men wont let them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/real-women-can-do-it-on-their-own-but-a-real-men-wont-let-them/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Here are examples of real women who have done real things: good, bad, and in between. We're expanding not just the definition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-sarkeesian/here-are-examples-of-real-women-who-have-done-real-things-good-bad/) [Anita Sarkeesian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-sarkeesian/) > [The characters are whole, real people to me that I'm getting to know, and since real people are all flawed, so are my characters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/the-characters-are-whole-real-people-to-me-that-i-m-getting-to-know/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [I like flawed characters very much. A lot of times I get asked to do parts that are kind of small but key -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-cannavale/i-like-flawed-characters-very-much-a-lot-of-times-i-get-asked-to-do/) [Bobby Cannavale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-cannavale/) > [“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/) > [I like playing flawed characters, people who aren't perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-berenger/i-like-playing-flawed-characters-people-who-aren-t-perfect/) [Tom Berenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-berenger/) > [I'm trying to make really flawed characters that have got redeeming features so people can say, 'I don't really like that character, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-m-trying-to-make-really-flawed-characters-that-have-got-redeeming/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) ## 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/) > [“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/) > [“let those surface issues go, to value content over form.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/let-those-surface-issues-go-to-value-content-over-form/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) [Explore all 324 Emily Giffin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. 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