--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think of myself as a realistic writer…" description: "\"I think of myself as a realistic writer, not a creator of soap opera or melodrama.\" — Joyce Maynard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/joyce-maynard-7181_creator_i-think-of-myself-as-a-realistic-writer_3138440.jpg" --- # I think of myself as a realistic writer, not a creator of… ![“I think of myself as a realistic writer, not a creator of soap opera or melodrama.” quote by Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/joyce-maynard-7181_creator_i-think-of-myself-as-a-realistic-writer_3138440.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/joyce-maynard-7181_creator_i-think-of-myself-as-a-realistic-writer_3138440.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/joyce-maynard-7181_creator_i-think-of-myself-as-a-realistic-writer_3138440.jpg) > “I think of myself as a realistic writer, not a creator of soap opera or melodrama.” [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She sees herself as a grounded storyteller, avoiding exaggerated drama. **In simple terms:** Realistic writer, not melodramatic. Key Takeaway Focus on authentic narratives. Themes authenticity writing style self‑perception Mood introspective neutral Type literary personal When to use this quote - author interviews - creative workshops - self‑branding Key Concepts realism literary identity genre choice Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance realism with engaging storytelling? - What defines "soap opera" for you? A Different Perspective May be perceived as lacking emotional intensity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator/) [Melodrama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melodrama/) [Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [Realistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realistic/) [Realistic Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realistic-writer-5581048/) [Soap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soap/) [Soap opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soap-opera/) [Think Realistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-realistic-436218/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Creator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-creator-4614639/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [As a writer, as a creator, I'm giving you my experiences. But just take what I give you. You ain't got to pry beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-ocean/as-a-writer-as-a-creator-i-m-giving-you-my-experiences-but-just-take/) [Frank Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-ocean/) > [Politics in a democratic society should not be treated like a baseball game, a game show or a soap opera. The times are too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/politics-in-a-democratic-society-should-not-be-treated-like-a/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [You could probably prove, by judicious use of logarithms and congruent triangles, that real life is a lot more like soap opera than most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/you-could-probably-prove-by-judicious-use-of-logarithms-and-congruent/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [Political reporting is too often trivialised, treated as a soap opera based in Westminster, rather than placed in a broader social or economic context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-jones/political-reporting-is-too-often-trivialised-treated-as-a-soap-opera/) [Owen Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-jones/) > [Soap opera seems to be a dirty word, but actually they are the most popular shows we have. People want to know what happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/soap-opera-seems-to-be-a-dirty-word-but-actually-they-are-the-most/) [Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/) > [I am a living soap opera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-graham/i-am-a-living-soap-opera/) [Virginia Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-graham/) > [Think 'Game of Thrones.' In the old days, this sort of show might be considered bad writing. It doesn't really seem to be moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/think-game-of-thrones-in-the-old-days-this-sort-of-show-might-be/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Man's deliberate destruction of his own habitat -- planet Earth -- could serve as a mighty theme for a mighty book worthy of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/man-s-deliberate-destruction-of-his-own-habitat-planet-earth-could/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Many years ago I was in another soap opera called The Newcomers which was on twice a week for three years. I really don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bulloch/many-years-ago-i-was-in-another-soap-opera-called-the-newcomers-which/) [Jeremy Bulloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bulloch/) > [There's no better training than working on a soap opera because of the amount of hours, the amount of pages you do a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniela-ruah/there-s-no-better-training-than-working-on-a-soap-opera-because-of/) [Daniela Ruah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniela-ruah/) > [During the 1970s and 1980s, the popular television soap opera As The World Turns portrayed sunrise during the opening credits and sunset during the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/during-the-1970s-and-1980s-the-popular-television-soap-opera-as-the/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“Mahihirapan kang maghanap ngayon ng soap opera na walang elemento ng love triangle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ong/mahihirapan-kang-maghanap-ngayon-ng-soap-opera-na-walang-elemento-ng/) [Bob Ong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ong/) > [Life beats down and crushes our souls and theatre reminds us that we have one. At least the type of theatre that I'm interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanford-meisner/life-beats-down-and-crushes-our-souls-and-theatre-reminds-us-that-we/) [Sanford Meisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanford-meisner/) > [The only way to stave off boredom, in a complex domesticated primate like humankind, is to increase one's intelligence. This is not appealing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-only-way-to-stave-off-boredom-in-a-complex-domesticated-primate/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [All My Children taught me a great work ethic; you work so hard on a soap opera! It is a good way to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-larue/all-my-children-taught-me-a-great-work-ethic-you-work-so-hard-on-a/) [Eva LaRue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-larue/) ## More by Joyce Maynard > [The silence was part of the story I wanted to tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/the-silence-was-part-of-the-story-i-wanted-to-tell/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [A person who deserves my loyalty receives it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/a-person-who-deserves-my-loyalty-receives-it/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [No, I said. I didn't remember that. There was so much to remember, sometimes the best thing was to forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/no-i-said-i-didn-t-remember-that-there-was-so-much-to-remember/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [“I tried to think of what my father would tell me. 'Don't let any boy give you shit.' But he'd never said how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-tried-to-think-of-what-my-father-would-tell-me-don-t-let-any-boy/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [“It’s like life: sometimes the littlest thing turns out to be the most important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-thing-turns-out-to-be-the-most/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [Growing up in the fifties and sixties, I can only remember knowing one child, ever, whose parents got a divorce, and hardly any whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/growing-up-in-the-fifties-and-sixties-i-can-only-remember-knowing-one/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [“She was in love with love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/she-was-in-love-with-love/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [I believe every one of us possesses a fundamental right to tell our own story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-believe-every-one-of-us-possesses-a-fundamental-right-to-tell-our/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [I compromised my ability to tell my story, at the most basic level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-compromised-my-ability-to-tell-my-story-at-the-most-basic-level/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [I have no doubt that over the years my children will find plenty of things about me to criticize. But something tells me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-have-no-doubt-that-over-the-years-my-children-will-find-plenty-of/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [I believed my story would be helpful to young women my daughter's age, who are still in the process of forming themselves as women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-believed-my-story-would-be-helpful-to-young-women-my-daughter-s-age/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [Not only did I avoid speaking of Salinger; I resisted thinking about him. I did not reread his letters to me. The experience had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/not-only-did-i-avoid-speaking-of-salinger-i-resisted-thinking-about/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [When people ask what I write about, that's what I tell them: 'The drama of human relationships.' I'm not even close to running out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/when-people-ask-what-i-write-about-that-s-what-i-tell-them-the-drama/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [“They seemed to arrive at some form of friendship. Maybe they were like a couple of weary soldiers who went through a war together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/they-seemed-to-arrive-at-some-form-of-friendship-maybe-they-were-like/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) > [In the event of an oxygen shortage on airplanes, mothers of young children are always reminded to put on their own oxygen mask first,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/in-the-event-of-an-oxygen-shortage-on-airplanes-mothers-of-young/) [Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) [Explore all 92 Joyce Maynard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/) ## More Creator quotes > [It seems an insult to nature and to the Creator to imagine that pregnancy was ever intended to be a sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-bisbee-duffey/it-seems-an-insult-to-nature-and-to-the-creator-to-imagine-that/) [Eliza Bisbee Duffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-bisbee-duffey/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [The creator of the universe works in mysterious ways. But he uses a base ten counting system and likes round numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-creator-of-the-universe-works-in-mysterious-ways-but-he-uses-a/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [every being is unique.god neva creates carbon copies,he alys creates originals.he is truly a creator.he neva repeats.but man goes on living in imitation.we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-being-is-unique-god-neva-creates-carbon-copies-he-alys-creates/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Creativity finds its own creator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girish-kohli/creativity-finds-its-own-creator/) [Girish Kohli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girish-kohli/) > [From the 1990s onward, the financial sector created a vast array of instruments designed to separate investors from their money, financial derivatives of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-casti/from-the-1990s-onward-the-financial-sector-created-a-vast-array-of/) [John L. Casti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-casti/) > [When I was in my teens I had a series of intensely religious experiences. They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) > [Changing is not just changing the things outside of us. First of all we need the right view that transcends all notions including of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/changing-is-not-just-changing-the-things-outside-of-us-first-of-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The goal of the Creator is for each entity to make a conscious choice to again seek Oneness, out of our own free will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilcock/the-goal-of-the-creator-is-for-each-entity-to-make-a-conscious-choice/) [David Wilcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilcock/) > [ John \[Coltrane\] was like a visitor to this planet. 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And in the end that we the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/my-wish-for-humanity-is-to-invent-a-way-to-communicate-between-us-and/) [Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/) [Browse all 2,158 Creator quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think of myself as a realistic writer, not a creator of soap opera or melodrama.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joyce Maynard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-think-of-myself-as-a-realistic-writer-not-a-creator-of-soap-opera/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creator" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-think-of-myself-as-a-realistic-writer-not-a-creator-of-soap-opera/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/joyce-maynard-7181_creator_i-think-of-myself-as-a-realistic-writer_3138440.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/joyce-maynard-7181_creator_i-think-of-myself-as-a-realistic-writer_3138440.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/joyce-maynard-7181_creator_i-think-of-myself-as-a-realistic-writer_3138440.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think of myself as a realistic writer, not a creator of soap opera or melodrama.” — Joyce Maynard", "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": "Joyce Maynard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think of myself as a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-think-of-myself-as-a-realistic-writer-not-a-creator-of-soap-opera/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-think-of-myself-as-a-realistic-writer-not-a-creator-of-soap-opera/#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 } } ] } ```