---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good fiction must be entertaining- but…"
description: "\"Good fiction must be entertaining- but what makes fiction special- and True- is that the realness of a novel allows it to carry a larger message.\" — Je..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/jerry-b-jenkins-13769_books_good-fiction-must-be-entertaining-but-wh_1214771.png"
---

#  Good fiction must be entertaining- but what makes fiction…

![“Good fiction must be entertaining- but what makes fiction special- and True- is that the realness of a novel allows it to carry a larger message.” quote by Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/jerry-b-jenkins-13769_books_good-fiction-must-be-entertaining-but-wh_1214771.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/jerry-b-jenkins-13769_books_good-fiction-must-be-entertaining-but-wh_1214771.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/jerry-b-jenkins-13769_books_good-fiction-must-be-entertaining-but-wh_1214771.png)

> “Good fiction must be entertaining- but what makes fiction special- and True- is that the realness of a novel allows it to carry a larger message.”

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

## About This Quote

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

Fiction’s power lies in its ability to entertain while delivering deeper truths through realistic storytelling.

**In simple terms:** Stories entertain and teach truths.

Key Takeaway

Use narrative realism to convey larger messages.

Themes

entertainment truth realism

Mood

inspired thoughtful

Type

literary motivational

When to use this quote

- teaching morals
- building empathy
- marketing books

Key Concepts

narrative impact symbolism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance fun and meaning?
- What real issues can your story highlight?

A Different Perspective

Great stories also need clear plot and characters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Realness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realness/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [I think that fiction has this special responsibility or this special ability to help people to empathize, to demand of people that they understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/i-think-that-fiction-has-this-special-responsibility-or-this-special/)

[Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/)

> [Fiction does not spring into the world fully grown, like Athena. It is the process of writing and rewriting that makes a fiction original,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/fiction-does-not-spring-into-the-world-fully-grown-like-athena-it-is/)

[John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/)

> [“The magic ingredient in fiction is that special something that socks readers right in the gut and leaves them breathless with joy or sorrow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-weiland/the-magic-ingredient-in-fiction-is-that-special-something-that-socks/)

[K.M. Weiland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-weiland/)

> [Fiction has this special power. It has a power to clarify, to galvanize, to prophesy, and warn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-h-winters/fiction-has-this-special-power-it-has-a-power-to-clarify-to-galvanize/)

[Ben H. Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-h-winters/)

> [You don't know reality until someone makes a fiction of it. Reality needs the completion of fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-wilson/you-don-t-know-reality-until-someone-makes-a-fiction-of-it-reality/)

[Tony Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-wilson/)

> [“When a hot trend turns into a sub-category, new strictures arise along with it. Tropes turn into shortcuts, character paradigms become cardboard cutouts. Publishing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-maass/when-a-hot-trend-turns-into-a-sub-category-new-strictures-arise-along/)

[Donald Maass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-maass/)

> [I just don't think I'm very good at fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-just-don-t-think-i-m-very-good-at-fiction/)

[Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/)

> [It's experiences in life that give us something to write about, and since good fiction is applied tension, you'll have an arsenal of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/it-s-experiences-in-life-that-give-us-something-to-write-about-and/)

[Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/)

> [It is good fiction, so largely ignored now, that brings us so much closer to the real facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-priestley/it-is-good-fiction-so-largely-ignored-now-that-brings-us-so-much/)

[J. B. Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-priestley/)

> [The nature of good fiction is that it dwells in ambiguity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/the-nature-of-good-fiction-is-that-it-dwells-in-ambiguity/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [“Good fiction is not defined by the masses, but by the tentative ear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-maxon/good-fiction-is-not-defined-by-the-masses-but-by-the-tentative-ear/)

[James D. Maxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-maxon/)

> [Good fiction reveals feeling, refines events, locates importance and, though its methods are as mysterious as they are varied, intensifies the experience of living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-canby/good-fiction-reveals-feeling-refines-events-locates-importance-and/)

[Vincent Canby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-canby/)

> [Once you finish a book, it doesn't belong to you anymore. You're giving it to other people. If something in what a writer writes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/once-you-finish-a-book-it-doesn-t-belong-to-you-anymore-you-re-giving/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“Good fiction writers have an instinctive understanding of human nature. That's what makes stories and characters captivating. Good spiritual writers share what they sincerely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/good-fiction-writers-have-an-instinctive-understanding-of-human/)

[Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/)

> [“Good fiction makes the truth believable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarrant-smith/good-fiction-makes-the-truth-believable/)

Tarrant Smith

## More by Jerry B. Jenkins

> [There is a comfort zone of knowing where things are going and having characters in place, but the action gets more and more dramatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/there-is-a-comfort-zone-of-knowing-where-things-are-going-and-having/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [I put off writing the first Left Behind book for a year because I got invited to assist Billy Graham in his memoirs, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/i-put-off-writing-the-first-left-behind-book-for-a-year-because-i-got/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [Tim sends me a fairly ambitious workup in notebook form noting the passages we're going to cover and the chronology of the biblical events,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/tim-sends-me-a-fairly-ambitious-workup-in-notebook-form-noting-the/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [I've written enough books with real celebrities, such as Walter Payton and Hank Aaron and Billy Graham, to know that fame looks good only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/i-ve-written-enough-books-with-real-celebrities-such-as-walter-payton/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [You can't understand where someone's going unless you understand where they've been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/you-can-t-understand-where-someone-s-going-unless-you-understand/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [When you come to Christ as a real young person, I think when you become a teen-ager either you rebel or you search, doubt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/when-you-come-to-christ-as-a-real-young-person-i-think-when-you/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [“For a long time I’ve concentrated on how small I am, how little I have to offer,” Vicki continued. “That’s not the point. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/for-a-long-time-i-ve-concentrated-on-how-small-i-am-how-little-i-have/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [We sometimes idealize the early church and want our churches to go back to the simple, old ways. We need to carefully read the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/we-sometimes-idealize-the-early-church-and-want-our-churches-to-go/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [We at the Christian Writers Guild couldn't be more proud of Brandy Vallance. Let her debut novel transport you to an entirely fresh time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/we-at-the-christian-writers-guild-couldn-t-be-more-proud-of-brandy/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [Left Behind takes what to some people may be unbelievable predictions from the Bible and shows how they might play out. It makes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/left-behind-takes-what-to-some-people-may-be-unbelievable-predictions/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [I fear it's because religion is man's attempt to reach God, and when he feels he has succeeded, he cannot abide anyone else's claim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/i-fear-it-s-because-religion-is-man-s-attempt-to-reach-god-and-when/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [People want to find out what happens to the characters, and want to keep reading, and turning the pages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/people-want-to-find-out-what-happens-to-the-characters-and-want-to/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [I was raised in a Christian home and, in fact, my mother led me to Christ as a youngster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/i-was-raised-in-a-christian-home-and-in-fact-my-mother-led-me-to/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [While writing my first 90 books, I was magazine editor, publisher, book publisher, executive, etc., so I was established in publishing. three of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/while-writing-my-first-90-books-i-was-magazine-editor-publisher-book/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [Actually 'Soon' has more than the Left Behind series, but I really believe less is more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/actually-soon-has-more-than-the-left-behind-series-but-i-really/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

[Explore all 48 Jerry B. Jenkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

## 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": "Good fiction must be entertaining- but what makes fiction special- and True- is that the realness of a novel allows it to carry a larger message.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jerry B. Jenkins"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/good-fiction-must-be-entertaining-but-what-makes-fiction-special-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/good-fiction-must-be-entertaining-but-what-makes-fiction-special-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/jerry-b-jenkins-13769_books_good-fiction-must-be-entertaining-but-wh_1214771.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/jerry-b-jenkins-13769_books_good-fiction-must-be-entertaining-but-wh_1214771.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/jerry-b-jenkins-13769_books_good-fiction-must-be-entertaining-but-wh_1214771.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Good fiction must be entertaining- but what makes fiction special- and True- is that the realness of a novel…” — Jerry B. Jenkins",
                "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": "Jerry B. Jenkins",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Good fiction must be entertaining- but...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/good-fiction-must-be-entertaining-but-what-makes-fiction-special-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/good-fiction-must-be-entertaining-but-what-makes-fiction-special-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
