--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why do I write historical fiction? Johnny…" description: "\"Why do I write historical fiction? Johnny Tremain, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Island of the Blue Dolphins-that's why. I'll never forget how it felt t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/jennifer-armstrong-110158_another-time_why-do-i-write-historical-fiction-johnny_2545352.jpg" --- # Why do I write historical fiction? Johnny Tremain, The… ![“Why do I write historical fiction? Johnny Tremain, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Island of the Blue Dolphins-that's why. I'll never forget how it felt to read those books. I want to write books with the same power to transport readers into another time and place.” quote by Jennifer Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/jennifer-armstrong-110158_another-time_why-do-i-write-historical-fiction-johnny_2545352.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/jennifer-armstrong-110158_another-time_why-do-i-write-historical-fiction-johnny_2545352.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/jennifer-armstrong-110158_another-time_why-do-i-write-historical-fiction-johnny_2545352.jpg) > “Why do I write historical fiction? Johnny Tremain, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Island of the Blue Dolphins-that's why. I'll never forget how it felt to read those books. I want to write books with the same power to transport readers into another time and place.” [Jennifer Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-armstrong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical fiction transports readers, allowing them to experience past eras vividly through narrative. **In simple terms:** Fiction bridges past and present. Key Takeaway Write to immerse readers in history. Themes history fiction transportation empathy imagination Mood enthusiastic educational nostalgic Type Another time:1 Blackbirds:0 Blue:0 Book:1 Books:1 Dolphins:0 Felt:1 Fiction:1 Forget:0 Historical:1 Historical fiction:1 History:1 Islands:0 Never forget:0 Ponds:0 Reader:1 Transport:1 Want:1 Witch:0 Writing:1 Island Of The Blue Dolphins:0 Write Historical:1 Tremain Witch:0 Johnny Tremain:0 When to use this quote - classroom lessons - museum exhibits - creative writing workshops - personal reading Key Concepts literary craft research methodology cultural storytelling Questions to Reflect On - Which era would you explore? - How do you balance fact and story? A Different Perspective Historical accuracy may conflict with narrative flow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Another time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-time/) [Blackbirds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blackbirds/) [Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Dolphins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dolphins/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Historical fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-fiction/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Island Of The Blue Dolphins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/island-of-the-blue-dolphins-217554/) [Islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islands/) [Johnny Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/johnny-tremain-1471627/) [Never forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-forget/) [Ponds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ponds/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Transport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transport/) [Tremain Witch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tremain-witch-1471626/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Witch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witch/) [Write Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-historical-256244/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > ['Island of the Blue Dolphins' by Scott O'Dell had a huge impact on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/island-of-the-blue-dolphins-by-scott-o-dell-had-a-huge-impact-on-me/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [“Now, suddenly, I was the kind of girl who felt true physical pain when asked to put down a book at the dinner table,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzie-skurnick/now-suddenly-i-was-the-kind-of-girl-who-felt-true-physical-pain-when/) [Lizzie Skurnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzie-skurnick/) > [I have no desire to write historical anything or futuristic anything - I want to find a way to get at the essence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-have-no-desire-to-write-historical-anything-or-futuristic-anything/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [Why vampires? You write centuries-long family sagas—why not write historical epics without any hint of the supernatural?" "Well, that would be boring, wouldn't it?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-vaughn/why-vampires-you-write-centuries-long-family-sagas-why-not-write/) [Carrie Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-vaughn/) > [Historical novels are about costumery. I think that's the magic and mystery of fiction. I don't want to write historical fiction but I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/historical-novels-are-about-costumery-i-think-that-s-the-magic-and/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [It usually takes me about three years to research and write one of my historical sagas; this is one reason why I take medieval…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-kay-penman/it-usually-takes-me-about-three-years-to-research-and-write-one-of-my/) [Sharon Kay Penman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-kay-penman/) > [I wanted to be a novelist from a very early age - 11 or 12 - but I don't think I ever thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-barker/i-wanted-to-be-a-novelist-from-a-very-early-age-11-or-12-but-i-don-t/) [Pat Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-barker/) > [I was a journalism major, and I would take creative writing classes as part of that, but I would also look for opportunities to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/i-was-a-journalism-major-and-i-would-take-creative-writing-classes-as/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [It is a great pity that every human being does not, at an early stage of his life, have to write a historical work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/it-is-a-great-pity-that-every-human-being-does-not-at-an-early-stage/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The first book I sat down to write was an historical romance. It was really bad and thankfully no one ever saw it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-gibson/the-first-book-i-sat-down-to-write-was-an-historical-romance-it-was/) [Rachel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-gibson/) > [“The great British philosopher and historian R. G. Collingwood maintained in The Idea of History that to write well about a historical figure, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-hazleton/the-great-british-philosopher-and-historian-r-g-collingwood/) [Lesley Hazleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-hazleton/) > [I didn't need to write historical epics, no, or science fiction, though I read a lot of science fiction as a kid and rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-didn-t-need-to-write-historical-epics-no-or-science-fiction-though/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [If someone had told me in high school that one day I'd write an historical novel, I would have rolled my eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/if-someone-had-told-me-in-high-school-that-one-day-i-d-write-an/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [I don't write fantasy; I write historical novels about an imaginary place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-e-feist/i-don-t-write-fantasy-i-write-historical-novels-about-an-imaginary/) [Raymond E. Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-e-feist/) > [I've been told by people who write historical novels that you just sort of write the emotional truth first, the story at the core,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-ve-been-told-by-people-who-write-historical-novels-that-you-just/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) ## More by Jennifer Armstrong > [“For you can't hear Irish tunes without knowing you're Irish, and wanting to pound that fact into the floor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-armstrong/for-you-can-t-hear-irish-tunes-without-knowing-you-re-irish-and/) [Jennifer Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-armstrong/) [Explore all 2 Jennifer Armstrong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-armstrong/) ## More Another time quotes > [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [You know what really made me sick? 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So, you know, if I lose another time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-nadal/nobody-can-ask-me-more-when-i-try-all-my-best-all-the-time-no-so-you/) [Rafael Nadal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-nadal/) > [I think labels for the most part want to sign new discoveries so that that label alone is seen to be responsible for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/i-think-labels-for-the-most-part-want-to-sign-new-discoveries-so-that/) [Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/) > [“Another time, twice, in fact, I tried hard to be in love. I suffered, too, gentlemen, I assure you. In the depth of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/another-time-twice-in-fact-i-tried-hard-to-be-in-love-i-suffered-too/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [Sometimes I think my past life was unrealized. I met a tragic end - it might have been a car over a cliff. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-ebersole/sometimes-i-think-my-past-life-was-unrealized-i-met-a-tragic-end-it/) [Christine Ebersole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-ebersole/) > [Music should be like making love. Sometimes you want it soft and tender, another time you want it hard and aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-buckley/music-should-be-like-making-love-sometimes-you-want-it-soft-and/) [Jeff Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-buckley/) > [“I have something very important to say to you, but I can't tell you what it is. It's a very important thing, but I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhona-cameron/i-have-something-very-important-to-say-to-you-but-i-can-t-tell-you/) [Rhona Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhona-cameron/) > [“These elusive memories, appear out of nowhere like a portal to our past, from deep within the passages of our minds. They rise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlene-stafford-wilson/these-elusive-memories-appear-out-of-nowhere-like-a-portal-to-our/) [Arlene Stafford-Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlene-stafford-wilson/) > [“what was the point in creating something that was so futile and so precious? everything beautiful was like that. a little bit of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/what-was-the-point-in-creating-something-that-was-so-futile-and-so/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [The pain of loneliness is one way in which he wants to get our attention. We may be earnestly desiring to be obedient and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-elliot/the-pain-of-loneliness-is-one-way-in-which-he-wants-to-get-our/) [Elisabeth Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-elliot/) > [It started in middle school. Once, a group of girls locked me in the janitor's closet. Another time, a girl spilled chocolate milk down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dove-cameron/it-started-in-middle-school-once-a-group-of-girls-locked-me-in-the/) [Dove Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dove-cameron/) > [The only things that are a little bit newer are the CD burners, but we hid them under the table, so basically we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-white/the-only-things-that-are-a-little-bit-newer-are-the-cd-burners-but-we/) [Meg White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-white/) [Browse all 390 Another time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-time/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Why do I write historical fiction? Johnny Tremain, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Island of the Blue Dolphins-that's why. I'll never forget how it felt to read those books. 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