---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In my stories, I wrote Malcolm as fire…"
description: "\"“In my stories, I wrote Malcolm as fire and gold and power, but here in my arms, Colin is cedar, silver, and summer air.”\" — Jacqueline E. Smith"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/jacqueline-e-smith-30431_author_in-my-stories-i-wrote-malcolm-as-fire-an_163537.jpg"
---

#  In my stories, I wrote Malcolm as fire and gold and power…

![“In my stories, I wrote Malcolm as fire and gold and power, but here in my arms, Colin is cedar, silver, and summer air.” quote by Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/jacqueline-e-smith-30431_author_in-my-stories-i-wrote-malcolm-as-fire-an_163537.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/jacqueline-e-smith-30431_author_in-my-stories-i-wrote-malcolm-as-fire-an_163537.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/jacqueline-e-smith-30431_author_in-my-stories-i-wrote-malcolm-as-fire-an_163537.jpg)

> ““In my stories, I wrote Malcolm as fire and gold and power, but here in my arms, Colin is cedar, silver, and summer air.””

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Contrasting vivid, powerful imagery with gentle, natural elements to describe different relationships.

**In simple terms:** Comparing intense and soothing partners.

Key Takeaway

Appreciate varied qualities in love.

Themes

contrast relationships imagery

Mood

thoughtful poetic

Type

literary romantic

When to use this quote

- writing
- relationship counseling

Key Concepts

metaphor characterization

Questions to Reflect On

- What traits do you cherish most?
- How do opposites complement each other?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex personalities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Arms Colin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms-colin-1789329/) [Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/author/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Colin Cedar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colin-cedar-1789328/) [Malcolm Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malcolm-gold-1789327/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Scotland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scotland/) [Stories Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-wrote-768859/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Wrote Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-malcolm-1789326/)

## Related quotes

> [The first stories I wrote when I was 12 were about Mars and landing on Mars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-first-stories-i-wrote-when-i-was-12-were-about-mars-and-landing/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [You know, most reporters can't go back to the towns they wrote stories about. I never wrote that kind of story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/you-know-most-reporters-can-t-go-back-to-the-towns-they-wrote-stories/)

[Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/)

> [I get to watch stories I wrote brought to life by the most brilliant actors in cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-claremont/i-get-to-watch-stories-i-wrote-brought-to-life-by-the-most-brilliant/)

[Chris Claremont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-claremont/)

> [I used to write stories a lot because you had to fill your hours some other way than watching television. So my imagination was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-osborne/i-used-to-write-stories-a-lot-because-you-had-to-fill-your-hours-some/)

[Robert Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-osborne/)

> [I didn't finish the stories until we went to the Philippines and I got malaria. I couldn't work and I didn't have any money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-didn-t-finish-the-stories-until-we-went-to-the-philippines-and-i/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [As a kid, I liked making up stories, and I wrote a story about a kangaroo and a bat with Christy Chang, and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/as-a-kid-i-liked-making-up-stories-and-i-wrote-a-story-about-a/)

[Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/)

> [I've been writing for as long as I can remember, and reading even before that. My mom still has stories that I wrote when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-sue-park/i-ve-been-writing-for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-and-reading-even/)

[Linda Sue Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-sue-park/)

> [But it's hard for me to pinpoint where all my characters and dialogue come from - imagination or real life. My memoir, of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/but-it-s-hard-for-me-to-pinpoint-where-all-my-characters-and-dialogue/)

[Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/)

> [I didnt finish the stories until we went to the Philippines and I got malaria. I couldnt work and I didnt have any money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-didnt-finish-the-stories-until-we-went-to-the-philippines-and-i-got/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [I started off at a local newspaper called 'The Middle East Times,' which is no longer in existence. I remember one of the earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/i-started-off-at-a-local-newspaper-called-the-middle-east-times-which/)

[Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/)

> [Even as a little kid, I told lots of stories, and I wrote them down, and I loved reading fiction and fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/even-as-a-little-kid-i-told-lots-of-stories-and-i-wrote-them-down-and/)

[Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/)

> [“I have worked locked psych wards and had patients give me stories they wrote or poems and this reminded me of that... Word salad!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montzalee-wittmann/i-have-worked-locked-psych-wards-and-had-patients-give-me-stories/)

[Montzalee Wittmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montzalee-wittmann/)

> [Recently I read the stories I wrote in my early 20s, to put in a volume. And here is this brittle young woman, writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/recently-i-read-the-stories-i-wrote-in-my-early-20s-to-put-in-a/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [Were there stories I wrote along the way that were terrible clinkers? God, yes. But they were all a product of their time, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-wein/were-there-stories-i-wrote-along-the-way-that-were-terrible-clinkers/)

[Len Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-wein/)

> [“One of the most terrifying aspects of publishing stories and books is the realization that they are going to be read, and read by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/one-of-the-most-terrifying-aspects-of-publishing-stories-and-books-is/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

## More by Jacqueline E. Smith

> [“I was supposed to earn my doctorate, become a literature professor, settle down with a nice, normal husband and raise a nice, normal family.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/i-was-supposed-to-earn-my-doctorate-become-a-literature-professor/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“It’s strange. I’ve spent most of my life trying to convince everyone that I’m completely normal. You know, that I can’t see dead people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/it-s-strange-i-ve-spent-most-of-my-life-trying-to-convince-everyone/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“You want to go to college?” She’d have thought that he’d be done with school as soon as he graduated. “I’ve flirted with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/you-want-to-go-to-college-she-d-have-thought-that-he-d-be-done-with/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“God, everything is wasted on the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/god-everything-is-wasted-on-the-living/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“After walking the Royal Mile, we visit Edinburgh Castle. Overlooking the city from the grassy hilltop of the Castle Rock, the fortress itself looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/after-walking-the-royal-mile-we-visit-edinburgh-castle-overlooking/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“Tonight, Dunadhar Castle is ours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/tonight-dunadhar-castle-is-ours/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“We’ll actually be staying several nights in Dunadhar Castle but one night, we’re going to be camping out at Loch Ness, just to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/we-ll-actually-be-staying-several-nights-in-dunadhar-castle-but-one/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“I haven’t even been here an hour and already, Edinburgh is the city of my dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/i-haven-t-even-been-here-an-hour-and-already-edinburgh-is-the-city-of/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“God, can you imagine what discovering the Loch Ness Monster would do to Luke's ego?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/god-can-you-imagine-what-discovering-the-loch-ness-monster-would-do/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“People tend to think that death is absolute, the one thing we can all be certain about, but that’s not the case. Death is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/people-tend-to-think-that-death-is-absolute-the-one-thing-we-can-all/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“Love was more than just a fleeting desire, or a brief glimpse into a fairy tale, or a flash of playful flirtation in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/love-was-more-than-just-a-fleeting-desire-or-a-brief-glimpse-into-a/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“You do know that I can’t just will mythical beings into existence, right?” “Not with that attitude, you can’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/you-do-know-that-i-can-t-just-will-mythical-beings-into-existence/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“Century and after century, headstones and grave markers were crafted, marble shrines to lost life and to bodies that could neither see nor touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/century-and-after-century-headstones-and-grave-markers-were-crafted/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“Michael had learned the hard way that nothing good came from interfering in the affairs of the afterlife.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/michael-had-learned-the-hard-way-that-nothing-good-came-from/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

> [“Someone always dies. Someone is always left behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/someone-always-dies-someone-is-always-left-behind/)

[Jacqueline E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

[Explore all 17 Jacqueline E. Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/)

## More Author quotes

> [An author departs; he does not die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-author-departs-he-does-not-die/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“There's a word for an author who doesn't give up... published.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-word-for-an-author-who-doesn-t-give-up-published/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A children's author on a soapbox is not a pleasant sight but I have become drawn into issues, slightly unwillingly, relating to young people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/a-children-s-author-on-a-soapbox-is-not-a-pleasant-sight-but-i-have/)

[Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/)

> [“Grayson: Fiction is just a lie anyway. Brianna: But it's not - it's a different kind of truth - it would be your truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/grayson-fiction-is-just-a-lie-anyway-brianna-but-it-s-not-it-s-a/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“Religion is like wax. How anyone deals with it is decisive for how it will look like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-midland/religion-is-like-wax-how-anyone-deals-with-it-is-decisive-for-how-it/)

[Ben Midland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-midland/)

> [“Expression is a function of intention and intention emanates from your thought faculty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/expression-is-a-function-of-intention-and-intention-emanates-from/)

[Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/)

> [“There is no shortcut for hard work that leads to effectiveness. You must stay disciplined because most of the work is behind the scenes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/there-is-no-shortcut-for-hard-work-that-leads-to-effectiveness-you/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [I come from a working-class family. They're the people I know and the people I love, I guess. I do not write about them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-come-from-a-working-class-family-they-re-the-people-i-know-and-the/)

[Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/)

> [I am a completely horizontal author. I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch and with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-am-a-completely-horizontal-author-i-can-t-think-unless-i-m-lying/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [The author I wish I was reading right now and always is Nora Ephron. I love the humor, the awareness, the sense of self-deprecation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garance-dore/the-author-i-wish-i-was-reading-right-now-and-always-is-nora-ephron-i/)

[Garance Dore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garance-dore/)

> [“Betsy was so full of joy that she had to be alone. She went upstairs to her bedroom and sat down on Uncle Keith's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maud-hart-lovelace/betsy-was-so-full-of-joy-that-she-had-to-be-alone-she-went-upstairs/)

[Maud Hart Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maud-hart-lovelace/)

> [Writing is a intensely personal activity. I can pen down my best thoughts when I'm alone. But when one is elevated into the stature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/writing-is-a-intensely-personal-activity-i-can-pen-down-my-best/)

[Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/)

> [Meg Cabot is the best author ever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/meg-cabot-is-the-best-author-ever/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [“WHEN THE ALMIGHTY HAS PREDESTINED YOU, THERE IS NOONE IN THIS PHYSICAL LIFE THAT CAN BLOCK YOUR BLESSINGS…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muffin/when-the-almighty-has-predestined-you-there-is-noone-in-this-physical/)

[Muffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muffin/)

[Browse all 1,048 Author quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/author/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“In my stories, I wrote Malcolm as fire and gold and power, but here in my arms, Colin is cedar, silver, and summer air.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jacqueline E. Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/in-my-stories-i-wrote-malcolm-as-fire-and-gold-and-power-but-here-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Author"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/in-my-stories-i-wrote-malcolm-as-fire-and-gold-and-power-but-here-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/jacqueline-e-smith-30431_author_in-my-stories-i-wrote-malcolm-as-fire-an_163537.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/jacqueline-e-smith-30431_author_in-my-stories-i-wrote-malcolm-as-fire-an_163537.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/jacqueline-e-smith-30431_author_in-my-stories-i-wrote-malcolm-as-fire-an_163537.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In my stories, I wrote Malcolm as fire and gold and power, but here in my arms, Colin is cedar, silver, and…” — Jacqueline E. Smith",
                "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": "Jacqueline E. Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-e-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“In my stories, I wrote Malcolm...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/in-my-stories-i-wrote-malcolm-as-fire-and-gold-and-power-but-here-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-e-smith/in-my-stories-i-wrote-malcolm-as-fire-and-gold-and-power-but-here-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
