--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That was when Angel Wells became a…" description: "\"“That was when Angel Wells became a fiction writer, whether he knew it or not. That's when he learned how to make the make-believe matter to him more t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/john-irving-337_fiction-writer_that-was-when-angel-wells-became-a-ficti_1656432.jpg" --- # That was when Angel Wells became a fiction writer, whether… ![“That was when Angel Wells became a fiction writer, whether he knew it or not. That's when he learned how to make the make-believe matter to him more than real life mattered to him; that's when he learned how to paint a picture that was not real and never would be real, but in order to be believed…” quote by John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/john-irving-337_fiction-writer_that-was-when-angel-wells-became-a-ficti_1656432.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/john-irving-337_fiction-writer_that-was-when-angel-wells-became-a-ficti_1656432.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/john-irving-337_fiction-writer_that-was-when-angel-wells-became-a-ficti_1656432.jpg) > ““That was when Angel Wells became a fiction writer, whether he knew it or not. That's when he learned how to make the make-believe matter to him more than real life mattered to him; that's when he learned how to paint a picture that was not real and never would be real, but in order to be believed at all- even on a sunny Indian summer day- it had to be better made and seem more real than real; it had to sound at least possible.”” [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer discovers that creating vivid fiction can feel more meaningful than everyday life, and that believable imagination must surpass reality to be convincing. **In simple terms:** Fiction can feel more real than life. Key Takeaway Embrace imagination over mundane reality. Themes creativity fiction reality perception Mood reflective inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - creative writing classes - author talks - literary analysis - personal reflection Key Concepts narrative power artistic truth illusion Questions to Reflect On - How does imagination shape your view of reality? - When does escapism become harmful? A Different Perspective Fiction may detach one from real responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writer/) [Indian summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indian-summer/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Make believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-believe/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“According to my mother, I was a fiction writer before I'd written any ficton, by wich she meant not only that I invented things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/according-to-my-mother-i-was-a-fiction-writer-before-i-d-written-any/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Bill is a fiction writer, but he writes in the first-person voice in a style that is tell-all confessional; in fact, his fiction sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/bill-is-a-fiction-writer-but-he-writes-in-the-first-person-voice-in-a/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I don't think I've had a very interesting life, and I feel that is a great liberation. That gives me great freedom as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-don-t-think-i-ve-had-a-very-interesting-life-and-i-feel-that-is-a/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“It was a beautiful Indian summer morning and perfect for savoring a few extra minutes in bed. There was a breeze blowing through my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-b-brewer/it-was-a-beautiful-indian-summer-morning-and-perfect-for-savoring-a/) [Nancy B. Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-b-brewer/) > [“Yesterday the sea was as smooth as a mirror; it is smooth as a mirror today. The island is having an Indian summer. Such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/yesterday-the-sea-was-as-smooth-as-a-mirror-it-is-smooth-as-a-mirror/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [Lyric night of the lingering Indian Summer, Shadowy fields that are scentless but full of singing, Never a bird, but the passionless chant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/lyric-night-of-the-lingering-indian-summer-shadowy-fields-that-are/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [“Each golden day was cherished to the full, for one had the feeling that each must be the last. Tomorrow it would be winter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/each-golden-day-was-cherished-to-the-full-for-one-had-the-feeling/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“Indian summer is like a woman. 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It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean––make sure they know what they mean!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/watch-out-for-people-who-call-themselves-religious-make-sure-you-know/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [The desire to never leave your side, the desire to never see you again. 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Miss Frost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/nostalgia-miss-frost-cried-you-re-nostalgic-she-repeated-just-how-old/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [ “JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" \[Owen Meany\] said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/just-because-a-bunch-of-atheists-are-better-writers-than-the-guys-who/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [It is much easier to be flexible about where a story begins than it ever was for me to change my mind about where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/it-is-much-easier-to-be-flexible-about-where-a-story-begins-than-it/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Only the chicken-lover will understand me. He will give me a kindly look, maybe mildly desirous. His eyes will tell me: You might look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/only-the-chicken-lover-will-understand-me-he-will-give-me-a-kindly/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [You're nice,' Cushie told him, squeezing his hand. 'And you're my oldest friend.' But they both must have known that you can know someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-re-nice-cushie-told-him-squeezing-his-hand-and-you-re-my-oldest/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Because of A Prayer for Owen Meany, many of my readers assume I am “religious.” I go to church only occasionally—like a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/because-of-a-prayer-for-owen-meany-many-of-my-readers-assume-i-am/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Did anyone who was in love and was unsatisfied with how he was loved in return ever feel saved?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/did-anyone-who-was-in-love-and-was-unsatisfied-with-how-he-was-loved/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“I TRUST THAT GOD WILL HELP ME, BECAUSE WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO DO LOOKS VERY HARD.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-trust-that-god-will-help-me-because-what-i-m-supposed-to-do-looks/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Explore all 641 John Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## More Fiction writer quotes > [My only obligation as a fiction writer is to the story, to make it good, so good the busy reader doesn't feel that flipping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-pietrzyk/my-only-obligation-as-a-fiction-writer-is-to-the-story-to-make-it/) [Leslie Pietrzyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-pietrzyk/) > [“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/for-the-fiction-writer-himself-the-whole-story-is-the-meaning-because/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [By his very profession, a serious fiction writer is a vendor of the sensuous particulars of life, a perceiver and handler of things. 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Samson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-k-samson/) > [The training of a journalist, of working with words for thousands of hours, is extraordinarily useful for a fiction writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/the-training-of-a-journalist-of-working-with-words-for-thousands-of/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) [Browse all 117 Fiction writer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That was when Angel Wells became a fiction writer, whether he knew it or not. 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