--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you don't have people that the reader…" description: "\"If you don't have people that the reader cares about and stories that are gripping, you've got nothing.\" — Jennifer Egan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/jennifer-egan-825_books_if-you-don-t-have-people-that-the-reader_1056788.jpg" --- # If you don't have people that the reader cares about and… ![“If you don't have people that the reader cares about and stories that are gripping, you've got nothing.” quote by Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/jennifer-egan-825_books_if-you-don-t-have-people-that-the-reader_1056788.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/jennifer-egan-825_books_if-you-don-t-have-people-that-the-reader_1056788.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/jennifer-egan-825_books_if-you-don-t-have-people-that-the-reader_1056788.jpg) > “If you don't have people that the reader cares about and stories that are gripping, you've got nothing.” [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective storytelling requires characters readers care about and compelling plot dynamics. **In simple terms:** Stories need relatable people and gripping plots. Key Takeaway Prioritize character development and plot tension. Themes writing storytelling engagement Mood inspirational practical Type guidance creative When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - marketing pitches Key Concepts Narrative structure character empathy Questions to Reflect On - What makes a character memorable? - How can tension be sustained? A Different Perspective Strong characters alone may not guarantee success without plot. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [If the reader cares, I dont think it matters so much whether your hero is in fact an anti-hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/if-the-reader-cares-i-dont-think-it-matters-so-much-whether-your-hero/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [If the reader cares, I don't think it matters so much whether your hero is in fact an anti-hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/if-the-reader-cares-i-don-t-think-it-matters-so-much-whether-your/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [Good characters the reader cares about combined with an intriguing plot. Do those two and you've got it made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mayer/good-characters-the-reader-cares-about-combined-with-an-intriguing/) [Bob Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mayer/) > [ There are two tests that we \[writers\] have for all of our writing: So What? and Who Cares? There is an answer to both.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/there-are-two-tests-that-we-writers-have-for-all-of-our-writing-so/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [“Because I am really successful and work on the sets throughout the day. I had sex with a variety of male models. If my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-harlem/because-i-am-really-successful-and-work-on-the-sets-throughout-the/) [Rebecca Harlem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-harlem/) > [Beautifully written, intensely passionate and gripping, FALLEN grabbed me from the first sentence and didn’t let go. Its eerie future world and frightening mores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linnea-sinclair/beautifully-written-intensely-passionate-and-gripping-fallen-grabbed/) [Linnea Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linnea-sinclair/) > [“A ballplayer spends a good piece of his life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out that it was the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bouton/a-ballplayer-spends-a-good-piece-of-his-life-gripping-a-baseball-and/) [Jim Bouton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bouton/) > [You spend a good deal of your life gripping a baseball, and it turns out it was the other way around all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bouton/you-spend-a-good-deal-of-your-life-gripping-a-baseball-and-it-turns/) [Jim Bouton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bouton/) > [There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. But he still says so. There was no link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaida.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-olbermann/there-were-no-weapons-of-mass-destruction-in-iraq-but-he-still-says/) [Keith Olbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-olbermann/) > [I think we're always trying to avoid tropes. And I think that "Game of Thrones" has almost made killing people a cliche. For us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-millar/i-think-we-re-always-trying-to-avoid-tropes-and-i-think-that-game-of/) [Miles Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-millar/) > [ Philosophers are divided on the question of whether the narrative therein unfolded \[the Crossman Diaries\] is grippingly boring or boringly gripping. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/philosophers-are-divided-on-the-question-of-whether-the-narrative/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [The exchange of words is a lot like a virtual handshake. Is the writer's grasp of the language strong and bold? Are the words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-mackie/the-exchange-of-words-is-a-lot-like-a-virtual-handshake-is-the-writer/) [Allison Mackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-mackie/) > [It's rather useless to write a gripping narrative with nothing in it but climate change because novels are always about people even if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-rather-useless-to-write-a-gripping-narrative-with-nothing-in-it/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“That is a death I will think of often and with great fondness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-f-w-koch/that-is-a-death-i-will-think-of-often-and-with-great-fondness/) [Gabriel F.W. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-f-w-koch/) > [“The truth has a way of coming out of the closet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/march-lions/the-truth-has-a-way-of-coming-out-of-the-closet/) [March Lions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/march-lions/) ## More by Jennifer Egan > [“Behind the desk was nothing but view-the whole city flung out in front of us the way street vendors fling out their towels packed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/behind-the-desk-was-nothing-but-view-the-whole-city-flung-out-in/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I just think that, for my particular personality, feeling slightly invisible is always a help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-just-think-that-for-my-particular-personality-feeling-slightly/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Between books, I have to throw out everything I did before, because the tools I've used to write the previous book will not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/between-books-i-have-to-throw-out-everything-i-did-before-because-the/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [As a reader and a writer, I'm happiest when apparently mutually exclusive states can somehow coexist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/as-a-reader-and-a-writer-i-m-happiest-when-apparently-mutually/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I teach intermittently, and while I enjoy it, I don't find that it's a calling for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-teach-intermittently-and-while-i-enjoy-it-i-don-t-find-that-it-s-a/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Like all failed experiments, that one taught me something I didn’t expect: one key ingredient of so-called experience is the delusional faith that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/like-all-failed-experiments-that-one-taught-me-something-i-didn-t/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [“Thousands of solar panels lift and tilt at the same time, in the same way. I clutch at Dad's arm: "Why are they doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/thousands-of-solar-panels-lift-and-tilt-at-the-same-time-in-the-same/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [It was the hat. He looked sweet in the hat. How could a man in a fuzzy blue hat have used human bones to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/it-was-the-hat-he-looked-sweet-in-the-hat-how-could-a-man-in-a-fuzzy/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I was a stepchild in two different families. The hardest thing about being a stepchild is you know that in some way everything would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-was-a-stepchild-in-two-different-families-the-hardest-thing-about/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [“The seconds pass. I know what’s going on because it’s the same thing that always happens: give me something nice, something I love or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/the-seconds-pass-i-know-what-s-going-on-because-it-s-the-same-thing/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I had this idea that I could hire myself out as a person to go on archeological digs and dig, without any training! I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-had-this-idea-that-i-could-hire-myself-out-as-a-person-to-go-on/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [At night, the house thick with sleep, she would peer out her bedroom window at the trees and sky and feel the presence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/at-night-the-house-thick-with-sleep-she-would-peer-out-her-bedroom/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I number my drafts, and by the time a book is done, I'll have 75 or 80 drafts of some sections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-number-my-drafts-and-by-the-time-a-book-is-done-i-ll-have-75-or-80/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Read at the level at which you want to write. Reading is the nourishment that feeds the kind of writing you want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/read-at-the-level-at-which-you-want-to-write-reading-is-the/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I was a stepchild in two different families. The hardest thing about being a stepchild is you know that in some way everything would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-was-a-stepchild-in-two-different-families-the-hardest-thing-about-2/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) [Explore all 358 Jennifer Egan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [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 have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you don't have people that the reader cares about and stories that are gripping, you've got nothing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jennifer Egan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/if-you-don-t-have-people-that-the-reader-cares-about-and-stories-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/if-you-don-t-have-people-that-the-reader-cares-about-and-stories-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/jennifer-egan-825_books_if-you-don-t-have-people-that-the-reader_1056788.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/jennifer-egan-825_books_if-you-don-t-have-people-that-the-reader_1056788.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/jennifer-egan-825_books_if-you-don-t-have-people-that-the-reader_1056788.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you don't have people that the reader cares about and stories that are gripping, you've got nothing.” — Jennifer Egan", "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": "Jennifer Egan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you don't have people that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/if-you-don-t-have-people-that-the-reader-cares-about-and-stories-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/if-you-don-t-have-people-that-the-reader-cares-about-and-stories-that/#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 } } ] } ```