--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My job, in general, is nonfiction, so…" description: "\"My job, in general, is nonfiction, so writing fiction was liberating. If you can't find the answer to something, you just make it up!\" — Jake Tapper" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/jake-tapper-4443_answer_my-job-in-general-is-nonfiction-so-writi_61026.jpg" --- # My job, in general, is nonfiction, so writing fiction was… ![“My job, in general, is nonfiction, so writing fiction was liberating. If you can't find the answer to something, you just make it up!” quote by Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/jake-tapper-4443_answer_my-job-in-general-is-nonfiction-so-writi_61026.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/jake-tapper-4443_answer_my-job-in-general-is-nonfiction-so-writi_61026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/jake-tapper-4443_answer_my-job-in-general-is-nonfiction-so-writi_61026.jpg) > “My job, in general, is nonfiction, so writing fiction was liberating. If you can't find the answer to something, you just make it up!” [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing fiction offers creative freedom absent in nonfiction, allowing the author to invent solutions when facts are lacking. **In simple terms:** Fiction enables imaginative problem‑solving. Key Takeaway Fiction is a sandbox for ideas. Themes creativity freedom imagination problem‑solving genre crossover Mood playful inspired curious Type observation advice When to use this quote - journalists seeking creative outlet - students learning narrative techniques - writers facing research dead‑ends - creators needing mental reset Key Concepts fiction vs nonfiction authorial liberty invented knowledge Practical Applications - creative writing workshops - brainstorming sessions for marketing copy Questions to Reflect On - How can fictional thinking improve factual work? - When is it ethical to fabricate details? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonfiction/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [If uncovering the truth is the greatest challenge of nonfiction writing, it is also the greatest reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/if-uncovering-the-truth-is-the-greatest-challenge-of-nonfiction/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, writing takes me to another world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/whether-it-s-fiction-or-nonfiction-writing-takes-me-to-another-world/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [I didn’t want to tell the story of myself, but someone I called myself. If you read yourself as fiction, it’s rather more liberating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-didn-t-want-to-tell-the-story-of-myself-but-someone-i-called-myself/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [This is one of the ways fiction is more liberating than nonfiction - I don't have to be so concerned with fact. I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/this-is-one-of-the-ways-fiction-is-more-liberating-than-nonfiction-i/) [Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/) > [“We can no longer allow them to write just stories and poems; we must teach them the forms of nonfiction writing as well, specifically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-hicks/we-can-no-longer-allow-them-to-write-just-stories-and-poems-we-must/) Troy Hicks > [When you're researching things that have happened, the clear narrative arc is not there already. This is the problem of writing nonfiction for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-glenny/when-you-re-researching-things-that-have-happened-the-clear-narrative/) [Misha Glenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-glenny/) > [One of underestimated tasks in nonfiction writing is to impose narrative shape on an unwieldy mass of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/one-of-underestimated-tasks-in-nonfiction-writing-is-to-impose/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Imagination is really dependent on memory and observation, these things that we think of as part of nonfiction writing, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/imagination-is-really-dependent-on-memory-and-observation-these/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [I would, however, start writing fiction about 10 years before I actually did, because it's such great fun to do, many times more creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-krantz/i-would-however-start-writing-fiction-about-10-years-before-i/) [Judith Krantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-krantz/) > [I wrote six nonfiction books before getting into narrative fiction with 'Robopocalypse,' including 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising.' My goal all along was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/i-wrote-six-nonfiction-books-before-getting-into-narrative-fiction/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [After writing fiction for so long, I like the discovery element of nonfiction, in the sense that when you find the right information, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/after-writing-fiction-for-so-long-i-like-the-discovery-element-of/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [Writing fiction is for me a fraught business, an occasion of daily dread for at least the first half of the novel, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/writing-fiction-is-for-me-a-fraught-business-an-occasion-of-daily/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [When I'm writing fiction I'm thinking, God, this is so hard - I have to make all this stuff up! I wish I were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/when-i-m-writing-fiction-i-m-thinking-god-this-is-so-hard-i-have-to/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [I suppose writing nonfiction did prepare me for writing fiction. Whenever you write anything, you're honing your skills for writing anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-suppose-writing-nonfiction-did-prepare-me-for-writing-fiction/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [Nonfiction gives you subjects. Writing fiction I can have more fun, but I have to invent my subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/nonfiction-gives-you-subjects-writing-fiction-i-can-have-more-fun-but/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) ## More by Jake Tapper > [You know what takes effort? Being kind, being patient, being respectful, telling someone how you feel politely instead of just avoiding them for six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/you-know-what-takes-effort-being-kind-being-patient-being-respectful/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [I listen to a lot of criticism. From the Left and the Right and from everywhere. I mean, everybody's a media critic. And sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/i-listen-to-a-lot-of-criticism-from-the-left-and-the-right-and-from/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [I don't really get nervous anymore unless there's a big interview.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/i-don-t-really-get-nervous-anymore-unless-there-s-a-big-interview/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [People mess up. They say things when their guard is down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/people-mess-up-they-say-things-when-their-guard-is-down/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [Whenever journalism students ask me what they should be doing, I say that if you're on social media, you should be following a ton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/whenever-journalism-students-ask-me-what-they-should-be-doing-i-say/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [My job is not to be liked. My job is to tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/my-job-is-not-to-be-liked-my-job-is-to-tell-the-truth/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [It took me years to realize I wanted to be in journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/it-took-me-years-to-realize-i-wanted-to-be-in-journalism/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [There are news sources that are just out-and-out lies coming from Europe, coming from other parts of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/there-are-news-sources-that-are-just-out-and-out-lies-coming-from/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [It matters to people that the president tell them the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/it-matters-to-people-that-the-president-tell-them-the-truth/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [My job is to be skeptical: skeptical of people like Edward Snowden and skeptical of the U.S. government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/my-job-is-to-be-skeptical-skeptical-of-people-like-edward-snowden-and/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [I did freelance cartooning off and on from college graduation in 1991 through ABC News hiring me in 2003. I did a weekly comic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/i-did-freelance-cartooning-off-and-on-from-college-graduation-in-1991/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [I definitely pack coffee if I'm going someplace where it might not be available. When I went to Afghanistan in 2011, I brought a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/i-definitely-pack-coffee-if-i-m-going-someplace-where-it-might-not-be/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [ The estimated 11 or so million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. This is what Mr. \[Donald \] Trump promised back in November. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/the-estimated-11-or-so-million-undocumented-immigrants-currently-in/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [I think it's important to have as diverse of a feed as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/i-think-it-s-important-to-have-as-diverse-of-a-feed-as-possible/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [We've gone through many different permutations of coffee-making, from grinding our own beans to the regular drip to an iced coffee maker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/we-ve-gone-through-many-different-permutations-of-coffee-making-from/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) [Explore all 110 Jake Tapper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) ## More Answer quotes > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [What you are is a question only you can answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/what-you-are-is-a-question-only-you-can-answer/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [“And if you can’t say yes, answer anyway. Because I’d rather live with the answer than die with the question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ellis/and-if-you-can-t-say-yes-answer-anyway-because-i-d-rather-live-with/) Jon Ellis > [“There is a cure and answer to everything, we just haven't found them yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-halimi/there-is-a-cure-and-answer-to-everything-we-just-haven-t-found-them/) [Eve Halimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-halimi/) > [Whenever I'm asked about Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, I always answer: 'Neymar is the best,' not just because of his goals but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-carlos/whenever-i-m-asked-about-cristiano-ronaldo-or-lionel-messi-i-always/) [Roberto Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-carlos/) > [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/) [Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/) > [“Those are good questions. I recognize good questions, because I can come up with them myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-brust/those-are-good-questions-i-recognize-good-questions-because-i-can/) [Steven Brust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-brust/) > [My answer is bring 'em on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/my-answer-is-bring-em-on/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I'll answer anything... I'm brutally honest, actually, which gets me in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-ll-answer-anything-i-m-brutally-honest-actually-which-gets-me-in/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [“...I guess I can put two and two together." "Sometimes the answer's four," I said, "and sometimes it's twenty-two...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-guess-i-can-put-two-and-two-together-sometimes-the-answer-s-four-i/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Jumping someone is never the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jumping-someone-is-never-the-answer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I play along myself, even though I can't help the player. So I can't say what I think the answer might be. But I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-mcguinness/i-play-along-myself-even-though-i-can-t-help-the-player-so-i-can-t/) [Paddy McGuinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-mcguinness/) > [Sometimes the question is complicated, but the answers are simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-suess/sometimes-the-question-is-complicated-but-the-answers-are-simple/) [Dr Suess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-suess/) Browse all 2,090 Answer quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My job, in general, is nonfiction, so writing fiction was liberating. 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