--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [My] interest as a writer is not in…" description: "\"[My] interest as a writer is not in reflecting actual human speech, which, of course, does not occur in sentences and is totally undiagrammable...My in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dd/john-green-12_communication_my-interest-as-a-writer-is-not-in-reflec_3172245.jpg" --- # \[My\] interest as a writer is not in reflecting actual… ![“[My] interest as a writer is not in reflecting actual human speech, which, of course, does not occur in sentences and is totally undiagrammable...My interest is in trying to reflect the reality of experience-how we feel when we talk to each other, how we feel when we're engaging with questions…” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dd/john-green-12_communication_my-interest-as-a-writer-is-not-in-reflec_3172245.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dd/john-green-12_communication_my-interest-as-a-writer-is-not-in-reflec_3172245.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dd/john-green-12_communication_my-interest-as-a-writer-is-not-in-reflec_3172245.jpg) > “\[My\] interest as a writer is not in reflecting actual human speech, which, of course, does not occur in sentences and is totally undiagrammable...My interest is in trying to reflect the reality of experience-how we feel when we talk to each other, how we feel when we're engaging with questions that interest us.” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing should capture the feeling of real conversation, not just literal speech. **In simple terms:** Write emotional truth, not perfect grammar. Key Takeaway Focus on authentic dialogue. Themes communication authenticity creativity Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - personal essays - teaching writing Key Concepts narrative theory psychology of conversation Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance authenticity with readability? - What emotions drive your characters' conversations? A Different Perspective Real speech is messy; striving for perfect realism can hinder clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The question of how people orient around religion differently, or interact with one another, whether that be based on conflict or cooperation, will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/the-question-of-how-people-orient-around-religion-differently-or/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [Mental health is an area where people are embarrassed. 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Be independent!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whenever-you-feel-down-talk-to-yourself-and-cheer-yourself-up-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I hope you don't think I'm one of those terrible people who make you feel that you have to talk to them all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/i-hope-you-don-t-think-i-m-one-of-those-terrible-people-who-make-you/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [Whenever you feel alone and nobody is there for you. Talk to the most amazing person. Talk to yourself then you will realise what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/whenever-you-feel-alone-and-nobody-is-there-for-you-talk-to-the-most/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Remain quiet. Don't feel you have to talk all the time. Go within and you will see the Loveliness behind all beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/remain-quiet-don-t-feel-you-have-to-talk-all-the-time-go-within-and/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [It's hard when you feel alone Then no one there for you to talk Just one thing You know God is there,even you forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianette-carbito/it-s-hard-when-you-feel-alone-then-no-one-there-for-you-to-talk-just/) [Marianette Carbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianette-carbito/) > [“No one, ever, can give the exact measure of his needs, his apprehensions, or his sorrows; and human speech is like a cracked cauldron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/no-one-ever-can-give-the-exact-measure-of-his-needs-his-apprehensions/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Human speech is like a cracked cauldron on which we bang out tunes that make bears dance, when what we want is to move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/human-speech-is-like-a-cracked-cauldron-on-which-we-bang-out-tunes/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [If music could be translated into human speech, it would no longer need to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-rorem/if-music-could-be-translated-into-human-speech-it-would-no-longer/) [Ned Rorem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-rorem/) > [My music must be an artistic reproduction of human speech in all its finest shades. 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I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) 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The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. 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