--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't write literary fiction - I write…" description: "\"I don't write literary fiction - I write books that are entertaining, but are also, I hope, well-constructed and thoughtful and funny and have things t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/jennifer-weiner-2358_america_i-don-t-write-literary-fiction-i-write-b_2094663.png" --- # I don't write literary fiction - I write books that are… ![“I don't write literary fiction - I write books that are entertaining, but are also, I hope, well-constructed and thoughtful and funny and have things to say about men and women and families and children and life in America today.” quote by Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/jennifer-weiner-2358_america_i-don-t-write-literary-fiction-i-write-b_2094663.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/jennifer-weiner-2358_america_i-don-t-write-literary-fiction-i-write-b_2094663.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/jennifer-weiner-2358_america_i-don-t-write-literary-fiction-i-write-b_2094663.png) > “I don't write literary fiction - I write books that are entertaining, but are also, I hope, well-constructed and thoughtful and funny and have things to say about men and women and families and children and life in America today.” [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She aims to create entertaining, well-crafted, thoughtful, and funny books that comment on contemporary American life and relationships. **In simple terms:** Write entertaining, thoughtful, socially relevant fiction. Key Takeaway Blend humor with insight on modern life. Themes fiction humor social commentary Mood witty observational Type literary social entertaining When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - blogging - public speaking Key Concepts narrative craft contemporary culture gender studies Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure humor serves a purpose? - What aspects of American life need more critique? A Different Perspective Balancing entertainment with depth can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Entertaining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertaining/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-write-1203653/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary/) [Literary fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary-fiction/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Thoughtful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughtful/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Write Literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-literary-2102778/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [When authors who write literary fiction begin to write screenplays, everybody assumes that's the end. Here's another who's never going to write well again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/when-authors-who-write-literary-fiction-begin-to-write-screenplays/) [Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/) > [ \[Michael\] Chabon is arguing in favor of what is at the same time an old-fashioned and very forward-thinking opening up - of taking off… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-barton/michael-chabon-is-arguing-in-favor-of-what-is-at-the-same-time-an-old/) [Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-barton/) > [I still write in literary Arabic but I try to rid it of the rhetoric, the symbolism, and the stuff that ordinary people don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-blasim/i-still-write-in-literary-arabic-but-i-try-to-rid-it-of-the-rhetoric/) [Hassan Blasim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-blasim/) > [In writing literary fiction, you are trying to help yourself. And readers are going to literary fiction not just to be entertained, but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/in-writing-literary-fiction-you-are-trying-to-help-yourself-and/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [If literary fiction is reduced to only middle-class families dealing only with middle-class angst, then it’s really finished as a force for grappling with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-ledgard/if-literary-fiction-is-reduced-to-only-middle-class-families-dealing/) [J. M. Ledgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-ledgard/) > [“Think of literary fiction as a meal with intricate scents, flavors, and textures that you can’t recognize unless you chew with your eyes closed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-bell/think-of-literary-fiction-as-a-meal-with-intricate-scents-flavors-and/) [Jessica Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-bell/) > [For me, the term "literary fiction" means there's always attention paid to language, and linguistic experimentation, sophistication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-russell/for-me-the-term-literary-fiction-means-there-s-always-attention-paid/) [Karen Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-russell/) > [Don't get me wrong, I love literary fiction. It's faux literary fiction I can't stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-literary-fiction-it-s-faux-literary-fiction/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Being a writer of 'literary fiction' means going on and on about something long after the reader has gotten the idea. ...Dan Ahearn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ahearn/being-a-writer-of-literary-fiction-means-going-on-and-on-about/) [Dan Ahearn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ahearn/) > [It's perceived as an accolade to be published as a 'literary' writer, but, actually, it's pompous and it's fake. Literary fiction is often nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/it-s-perceived-as-an-accolade-to-be-published-as-a-literary-writer/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [Literary fiction, as a strict genre, is all but dead. Meanwhile, most genres flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/literary-fiction-as-a-strict-genre-is-all-but-dead-meanwhile-most/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [With literary fiction, generally a film maker falls in love with a book. In commercial fiction, it's a producer or studio falling in love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/with-literary-fiction-generally-a-film-maker-falls-in-love-with-a/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [Considering that "literary fiction" is a sub-genre that's not quite the same as "literature," either, it follows that the short, semi-humorous bits posted online…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-klein/considering-that-literary-fiction-is-a-sub-genre-that-s-not-quite-the/) [Lee Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-klein/) > [I'd always read omnivorously and often thought much literary fiction is read by young men and women in their 20s as substitutes for experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-cross/i-d-always-read-omnivorously-and-often-thought-much-literary-fiction/) [Neil Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-cross/) > [I'm well-read as far as literary fiction, but I wanted to make better decisions about my writing, to use words or phrases more confidently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/i-m-well-read-as-far-as-literary-fiction-but-i-wanted-to-make-better/) [Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/) ## More by Jennifer Weiner > [Divorce isn't such a tragedy. A tragedy's staying in an unhappy marriage, teaching your children the wrong things about love. Nobody ever died of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/divorce-isn-t-such-a-tragedy-a-tragedy-s-staying-in-an-unhappy/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [Right now women are using surrogates because they can't be pregnant. What worries me is the possibility that soon they'll use surrogates because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/right-now-women-are-using-surrogates-because-they-can-t-be-pregnant/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [I think I'm much more comfortable talking about other books than my own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-think-i-m-much-more-comfortable-talking-about-other-books-than-my/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [People will want you to behave a certain way, to make a certain choice because it reinforces the way they see the world...But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/people-will-want-you-to-behave-a-certain-way-to-make-a-certain-choice/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [Women are far and away the bigger consumers of fiction than men, but men are still far and away the more reviewed, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/women-are-far-and-away-the-bigger-consumers-of-fiction-than-men-but/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [My sense is that beautiful women are living in a different world than I am, and that it's a world with benefits but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/my-sense-is-that-beautiful-women-are-living-in-a-different-world-than/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [If you get the you-are-a-genius label, it can limit you. Because I'm not so scrutinized, I have more freedom. And that let's me write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/if-you-get-the-you-are-a-genius-label-it-can-limit-you-because-i-m/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [I also believe that if you're really a writer, you'll write, and that nobody could stop you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-also-believe-that-if-you-re-really-a-writer-you-ll-write-and-that/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [As many times as I told her she was beautiful, I know that she never believed me. As many times as I said it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/as-many-times-as-i-told-her-she-was-beautiful-i-know-that-she-never/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [“How do you find happiness in a body like yours...like mine? How do you find courage to follow anything anywhere if you don't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/how-do-you-find-happiness-in-a-body-like-yours-like-mine-how-do-you/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [“seventeen, tells her”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/seventeen-tells-her/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [Maybe it stems from my newspaper-reporting days, but I took notes the whole time - getting the call, how I felt. As soon as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/maybe-it-stems-from-my-newspaper-reporting-days-but-i-took-notes-the/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [I'm going to continue writing. I'll always be a storyteller. But I'm also taking time to enjoy my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-m-going-to-continue-writing-i-ll-always-be-a-storyteller-but-i-m/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [She thought of what it would be like to grow up without the one certainty that every baby deseved - when I'm hurt or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/she-thought-of-what-it-would-be-like-to-grow-up-without-the-one/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [She hated the implied familiarity when customers requested things from her by name...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/she-hated-the-implied-familiarity-when-customers-requested-things/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) [Explore all 169 Jennifer Weiner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [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/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't write literary fiction - I write books that are entertaining, but are also, I hope, well-constructed and thoughtful and funny and have things to say about men and women and families and children and life in America today.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jennifer Weiner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-don-t-write-literary-fiction-i-write-books-that-are-entertaining/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-don-t-write-literary-fiction-i-write-books-that-are-entertaining/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/jennifer-weiner-2358_america_i-don-t-write-literary-fiction-i-write-b_2094663.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/jennifer-weiner-2358_america_i-don-t-write-literary-fiction-i-write-b_2094663.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/jennifer-weiner-2358_america_i-don-t-write-literary-fiction-i-write-b_2094663.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't write literary fiction - I write books that are entertaining, but are also, I hope, well-constructed…” — Jennifer Weiner", "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 Weiner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't write literary fiction -...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-don-t-write-literary-fiction-i-write-books-that-are-entertaining/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-don-t-write-literary-fiction-i-write-books-that-are-entertaining/#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 } } ] } ```