--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I make up stories that take place in real…" description: "\"I make up stories that take place in real space with real people. If I could convert this into a technique for experimental novels, I might really be o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ca/john-darnielle-2176_books_i-make-up-stories-that-take-place-in-rea_546467.png" --- # I make up stories that take place in real space with real… ![“I make up stories that take place in real space with real people. If I could convert this into a technique for experimental novels, I might really be onto something.” quote by John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ca/john-darnielle-2176_books_i-make-up-stories-that-take-place-in-rea_546467.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ca/john-darnielle-2176_books_i-make-up-stories-that-take-place-in-rea_546467.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ca/john-darnielle-2176_books_i-make-up-stories-that-take-place-in-rea_546467.png) > “I make up stories that take place in real space with real people. If I could convert this into a technique for experimental novels, I might really be onto something.” [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating narratives grounded in real settings and people can become a novel experimental technique. **In simple terms:** Real‑world stories can inspire new novel methods. Key Takeaway Blend factual contexts into experimental writing. Themes storytelling experimental literature reality Mood thoughtful innovative Type literary creative When to use this quote - creative writing classes - collaborative workshops - media studies Key Concepts narrative theory fictional realism innovation Questions to Reflect On - What boundaries will you set between truth and imagination? - How can authenticity enhance experimental forms? A Different Perspective Risk of blurring fact and fiction, confusing readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [There are a lot of experimental novels that test the boundaries of what the novel is, and 'Conversations' is not one of those. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/there-are-a-lot-of-experimental-novels-that-test-the-boundaries-of/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [Experimental novels are sometimes terribly clever and very seldom read. But the story that appeals to the child sitting on your knee is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/experimental-novels-are-sometimes-terribly-clever-and-very-seldom/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [Inner space is the real frontier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/inner-space-is-the-real-frontier/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [As I currently explore things like augmented and virtual reality, I constantly bring us back to actual bodies in space, real dancers that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saya-woolfalk/as-i-currently-explore-things-like-augmented-and-virtual-reality-i/) Saya Woolfalk > [It's a shame that most people associate the appreciation of space as being high. Space is more real than your typical imaginary friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-a-shame-that-most-people-associate-the-appreciation-of-space-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The way I choose to live my own life rates time and space as real luxuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elliot/the-way-i-choose-to-live-my-own-life-rates-time-and-space-as-real/) [Ben Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elliot/) > [“A scaled-down version of the clash between the real and the virtual and its fantastic consequences at the planetary level: the dissociation between a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/a-scaled-down-version-of-the-clash-between-the-real-and-the-virtual/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [I don’t abstract from anything.…I am involved with real space, the room itself, real light, and real surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ryman/i-don-t-abstract-from-anything-i-am-involved-with-real-space-the-room/) [Robert Ryman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ryman/) > [Real space movies have to involve zero gravity and a world without up or down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-spaihts/real-space-movies-have-to-involve-zero-gravity-and-a-world-without-up/) [Jon Spaihts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-spaihts/) > [“Time, yes … We waste it or save it or use it—one would almost think we mastered it instead of the other way around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-moore/time-yes-we-waste-it-or-save-it-or-use-it-one-would-almost-think-we/) [Ward Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-moore/) > [Today, everything is about speed and real time. We are no longer concerned with real space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/today-everything-is-about-speed-and-real-time-we-are-no-longer/) [Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/) > [I, for one, am not nearly as engaged when I'm looking at something that's been completely drawn up on a computer that replaces anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-perlman/i-for-one-am-not-nearly-as-engaged-when-i-m-looking-at-something-that/) [Ron Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-perlman/) > [Sculpture occupies real space like we do... you walk around it and relate to it almost as another person or another object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/sculpture-occupies-real-space-like-we-do-you-walk-around-it-and/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [There are loads of novels that I really love, like Haruki Murakami's books, and when I read them, I do think about how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/makoto-shinkai/there-are-loads-of-novels-that-i-really-love-like-haruki-murakami-s/) [Makoto Shinkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/makoto-shinkai/) > [Cyberspace can't compensate for real space. We benefit from chatting to people face to face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/cyberspace-can-t-compensate-for-real-space-we-benefit-from-chatting/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) ## More by John Darnielle > [I don't write my own publicity materials, I just read 'em and give 'em the OK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/i-don-t-write-my-own-publicity-materials-i-just-read-em-and-give-em/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [“But secret agents, like God, only give signs to their confidants. They are also very cruel and even unhappy at times. At any rate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/but-secret-agents-like-god-only-give-signs-to-their-confidants-they/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [“I am heavy in his arms, and I feel safe there, but I am lost, and I need constantly to be shoring up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/i-am-heavy-in-his-arms-and-i-feel-safe-there-but-i-am-lost-and-i-need/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [The more I learn about stuff the more conscious I become of grave gaps in my knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/the-more-i-learn-about-stuff-the-more-conscious-i-become-of-grave/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [If you get into a fight and somebody punches you, you get two feelings. One: That really hurts. Two: That relief in the realness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/if-you-get-into-a-fight-and-somebody-punches-you-you-get-two-feelings/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [When I was a kid, I was a big science fiction fan, but current horror books were harder to get your hands on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/when-i-was-a-kid-i-was-a-big-science-fiction-fan-but-current-horror/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [It's impossible to be content all the time - you have to learn to be content in places where you're unhappy and owning your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/it-s-impossible-to-be-content-all-the-time-you-have-to-learn-to-be/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [“It's in the nature of the landscape to change, and it's in the nature of people to help the process along...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/it-s-in-the-nature-of-the-landscape-to-change-and-it-s-in-the-nature/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [Everybody is in various states of needing to transcend something. I believe in mental health care, but when we call people "crazy," we exclude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/everybody-is-in-various-states-of-needing-to-transcend-something-i/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [“But resiliency only means that a thing retains its shape. That it doesn’t break, or lose its ability to function. It doesn’t mean a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/but-resiliency-only-means-that-a-thing-retains-its-shape-that-it/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [“One thing I’ve learned is it’s better sometimes, in the weeds, to resist the temptation to stand up and follow the compass. \*”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/one-thing-i-ve-learned-is-it-s-better-sometimes-in-the-weeds-to/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [People always talk about good time rock and roll, Chuck Berry or whatever, like this liberating force for feeling good. But what I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/people-always-talk-about-good-time-rock-and-roll-chuck-berry-or/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [It's hard always to say what it is one likes about a place, for me. I feel it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/it-s-hard-always-to-say-what-it-is-one-likes-about-a-place-for-me-i/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [“Another nagging little question lodged like a bit of grapeshot in his chest. It was nothing major, but the place where he stored them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/another-nagging-little-question-lodged-like-a-bit-of-grapeshot-in-his/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [I'm not really a goal-oriented guy. I started doing the Mountain Goats just for the sheer hell of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/i-m-not-really-a-goal-oriented-guy-i-started-doing-the-mountain-goats/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) [Explore all 181 John Darnielle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) ## 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": "I make up stories that take place in real space with real people. 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