--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Concentrate your narrative energy on the…" description: "\"Concentrate your narrative energy on the point of change. This is especially important for historical fiction. When your character is new to a place, o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/hilary-mantel-440_alter_concentrate-your-narrative-energy-on-the_3032089.jpg" --- # Concentrate your narrative energy on the point of change… ![“Concentrate your narrative energy on the point of change. This is especially important for historical fiction. When your character is new to a place, or things alter around them, that's the point to step back and fill in the details of their world.” quote by Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/hilary-mantel-440_alter_concentrate-your-narrative-energy-on-the_3032089.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/hilary-mantel-440_alter_concentrate-your-narrative-energy-on-the_3032089.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/hilary-mantel-440_alter_concentrate-your-narrative-energy-on-the_3032089.jpg) > “Concentrate your narrative energy on the point of change. This is especially important for historical fiction. When your character is new to a place, or things alter around them, that's the point to step back and fill in the details of their world.” [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus narrative energy on moments of change, especially when characters encounter new settings. **In simple terms:** Highlight change points in stories. Key Takeaway Emphasize transformative moments. Themes narrative change historical fiction character development Mood analytical instructive Type educational practical When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - teaching - editing Key Concepts storytelling structure Questions to Reflect On - When should you pause to add detail? - How does change drive character growth? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on detail can stall pacing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Historical fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-fiction/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [You get a lot of narrative energy from people who make really big mistakes, who act against their best interests, who do things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/you-get-a-lot-of-narrative-energy-from-people-who-make-really-big/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [It's easy to get stagnate, if you play the same character. In New Moon, I felt like I was going a little bit deeper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/it-s-easy-to-get-stagnate-if-you-play-the-same-character-in-new-moon/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [With each new character, I find something new about myself that I didn't know before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wesley/with-each-new-character-i-find-something-new-about-myself-that-i-didn/) [Paul Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wesley/) > [Every character, for me, is a new discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-kapoor/every-character-for-me-is-a-new-discovery/) [Arjun Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-kapoor/) > [I will not say that women have no character; rather, they have a new one every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/i-will-not-say-that-women-have-no-character-rather-they-have-a-new/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [The whole point for me is to change as much as possible. If I've done one movie, I've done that, move on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keira-knightley/the-whole-point-for-me-is-to-change-as-much-as-possible-if-i-ve-done/) [Keira Knightley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keira-knightley/) > [Don't live in the past. There's no point. You can't change anything. What a waste of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/don-t-live-in-the-past-there-s-no-point-you-can-t-change-anything/) [Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/) > [Philosophy studies the world, but the point is to change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/philosophy-studies-the-world-but-the-point-is-to-change-it/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The point is to change one's life. The point is not to give some vent to the emotions that have been destroying one; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-deming/the-point-is-to-change-one-s-life-the-point-is-not-to-give-some-vent/) [Barbara Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-deming/) > [Vengeance is not the point: change is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-deming/vengeance-is-not-the-point-change-is/) [Barbara Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-deming/) > [“Sometimes you hit a point where you either change or self destruct.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-stevens/sometimes-you-hit-a-point-where-you-either-change-or-self-destruct/) Sam Stevens > [Singularity is the point at which "all the change in the last million years will be superseded by the change in the next five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/singularity-is-the-point-at-which-all-the-change-in-the-last-million/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways: the point, however, is to change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-philosophers-have-only-interpreted-the-world-in-various-ways-the-2/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [You can control and censor a child's reading, but you can't control her interpretations; no one can guess how a message that to adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/you-can-control-and-censor-a-child-s-reading-but-you-can-t-control/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“It’s hard to feel supported when you can’t tell people everything. People haven’t really got a clue what it’s like. It’s hard to trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/it-s-hard-to-feel-supported-when-you-can-t-tell-people-everything/) [Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/) ## More by Hilary Mantel > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The hunter is among the most innocent of men; living in the moment makes him feel pure. When he returns in the evening, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-hunter-is-among-the-most-innocent-of-men-living-in-the-moment/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“But what would happen … I mean, what would be so awful … if they did meet up?” “Why, it would be like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-what-would-happen-i-mean-what-would-be-so-awful-if-they-did-meet/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [When you have committed enough words to paper, you feel you have a spine stiff enough to stand up in the wind. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/when-you-have-committed-enough-words-to-paper-you-feel-you-have-a/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [At New Year's he had given Anne a present of silver forks with handles of rock crystal. He hopes she will use them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-new-year-s-he-had-given-anne-a-present-of-silver-forks-with/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The story of my own childhood is a complicated sentence that I am always trying to finish, to finish and put behind me. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-story-of-my-own-childhood-is-a-complicated-sentence-that-i-am/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“He wants to say, because Anne is not a carnal being, she is a calculating being, with a cold slick brain at work behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/he-wants-to-say-because-anne-is-not-a-carnal-being-she-is-a/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Come to that, don't pay out good money for horoscopes. If things are going to go badly for you, is that what you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/come-to-that-don-t-pay-out-good-money-for-horoscopes-if-things-are/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“But my sins are my strength, he thinks; the sins I have done, that others have not even found the opportunity of committing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-my-sins-are-my-strength-he-thinks-the-sins-i-have-done-that/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Feminism hasn't failed, it's just never been tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/feminism-hasn-t-failed-it-s-just-never-been-tried/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Mirabeau: “If you have been told to clear us from this hall, you must ask for orders to use force. We shall leave our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/mirabeau-if-you-have-been-told-to-clear-us-from-this-hall-you-must/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Cardinal Campeggio has implored Katherine to bow to the king's will, accept that her marriage is invalid and retire to a convent. Certainly, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/cardinal-campeggio-has-implored-katherine-to-bow-to-the-king-s-will/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Sion calls Anne an eel, he calls her a slippery dipper from the slime, and he remembers what the cardinal had called her: my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/sion-calls-anne-an-eel-he-calls-her-a-slippery-dipper-from-the-slime/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [I spend a great deal of time on research, on finding all the available accounts of a scene or incident, finding out all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-spend-a-great-deal-of-time-on-research-on-finding-all-the-available/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“At the front, people die for their mistakes. Why should politicians be more gently treated? They made the war. They deserve a dozen deaths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-the-front-people-die-for-their-mistakes-why-should-politicians-be/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) [Explore all 559 Hilary Mantel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## More Alter quotes > [“It’s hard to feel supported when you can’t tell people everything. People haven’t really got a clue what it’s like. It’s hard to trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/it-s-hard-to-feel-supported-when-you-can-t-tell-people-everything/) [Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/) > [“In order to get to know who is in your System, each individual alter needs to complete a piece of paper in the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-t-w/in-order-to-get-to-know-who-is-in-your-system-each-individual-alter/) A.T.W > [“If we do not alter with the times, the times yet alter us. We may stand perfectly still, but our surroundings shift round and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/if-we-do-not-alter-with-the-times-the-times-yet-alter-us-we-may-stand/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [With every character, you alter, you can’t be attached to your own identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/with-every-character-you-alter-you-can-t-be-attached-to-your-own/) [Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/) > [Seeking approval and people pleasing forces you to alter your actions and speech to no longer reflect what you actually think or feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/seeking-approval-and-people-pleasing-forces-you-to-alter-your-actions/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [Don't worry about things you cannot alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-the-great/don-t-worry-about-things-you-cannot-alter/) [Catherine the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-the-great/) > [“When you alter yourself, the alterations become the truth...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-you-alter-yourself-the-alterations-become-the-truth/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“I wish I had more breaks in life, rather than life breaking me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/i-wish-i-had-more-breaks-in-life-rather-than-life-breaking-me/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [When I need the idea, I can find it immediately. I have a horror of rewriting or deleting; the parts of my composition are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruggero-leoncavallo/when-i-need-the-idea-i-can-find-it-immediately-i-have-a-horror-of/) Ruggero Leoncavallo > [A number of well-understood mechanisms, including single gene mutations, produce changes that qualify as macroevolution. These include heterochronic mutations that alter structures by changing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/a-number-of-well-understood-mechanisms-including-single-gene/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [Public officials insult our intelligence and our goodwill when they paint rosy pictures about budgets, jobs, bipartisanship, and transparency, and alter their positions on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/public-officials-insult-our-intelligence-and-our-goodwill-when-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you aren't destroying your enemies, it's because you have been conquered and assimilated, you do not even have an idea of who your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/if-you-aren-t-destroying-your-enemies-it-s-because-you-have-been/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [As technology and science advances, I think the ability to alter yourself should be embraced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-jane-grace/as-technology-and-science-advances-i-think-the-ability-to-alter/) [Laura Jane Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-jane-grace/) > [There came a point in time when Michael was under a great deal of pressure to alter the film in a way that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-stowe/there-came-a-point-in-time-when-michael-was-under-a-great-deal-of/) [Madeleine Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-stowe/) > [Never forget: This very moment, we can change our lives. There never was a moment, and never will be, when we are without the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/never-forget-this-very-moment-we-can-change-our-lives-there-never-was/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) Browse all 128 Alter quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Concentrate your narrative energy on the point of change. This is especially important for historical fiction. 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