--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I really believe that fiction functions…" description: "\"I really believe that fiction functions best when stories are allowed to develop in an organic way, so I didn't set out to deliver a specific message.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dac/karen-thompson-walker-3430_believe_i-really-believe-that-fiction-functions_1902176.jpg" --- # I really believe that fiction functions best when stories… ![“I really believe that fiction functions best when stories are allowed to develop in an organic way, so I didn't set out to deliver a specific message.” quote by Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dac/karen-thompson-walker-3430_believe_i-really-believe-that-fiction-functions_1902176.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dac/karen-thompson-walker-3430_believe_i-really-believe-that-fiction-functions_1902176.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dac/karen-thompson-walker-3430_believe_i-really-believe-that-fiction-functions_1902176.jpg) > “I really believe that fiction functions best when stories are allowed to develop in an organic way, so I didn't set out to deliver a specific message.” [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction thrives when stories evolve organically rather than being forced to convey a predetermined message. **In simple terms:** Stories should grow naturally, not be forced. Key Takeaway Allow stories to develop organically. Themes creativity authenticity storytelling Mood thoughtful analytical Type literary reflective When to use this quote - novel writing - workshops - creative retreats - editorial meetings Key Concepts organic narrative authorial freedom Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance organic growth with narrative clarity? - When is a clear message necessary? A Different Perspective Organic development may lack clear direction for some audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-fiction-602667/) [Develop Organic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/develop-organic-2813444/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Functions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-functions-2813442/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Stories Allowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-allowed-2813443/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Straightforward fiction functions only as more Bubble Wrap, nostalgia, retreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/straightforward-fiction-functions-only-as-more-bubble-wrap-nostalgia/) [David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/) > [“What is imagination? I don’t believe in fiction. In my mind everything comes from a part of who a writer is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-imagination-i-don-t-believe-in-fiction-in-my-mind-everything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People really want to believe that there is no fiction. I think they find it much easier to imagine that novelists are writing memoirs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leyner/people-really-want-to-believe-that-there-is-no-fiction-i-think-they/) [Mark Leyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leyner/) > [The final belief is to believe in a fiction, which you know to be a fiction, there being nothing else. The exquisite truth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-final-belief-is-to-believe-in-a-fiction-which-you-know-to-be-a/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [Never believe that the fiction writing life makes sense… It's insanity by definition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-beverley/never-believe-that-the-fiction-writing-life-makes-sense-it-s-insanity/) [Jo Beverley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-beverley/) > [I believe in fiction and the power of stories because that way we speak in tongues. We are not silenced. All of us, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-believe-in-fiction-and-the-power-of-stories-because-that-way-we/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [If I've got one thing that I really believe about fiction and life, it's that there are no minor characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-gardam/if-i-ve-got-one-thing-that-i-really-believe-about-fiction-and-life-it/) [Jane Gardam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-gardam/) > [I believe that all fiction is personal and all writing is at some level personal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-dawes/i-believe-that-all-fiction-is-personal-and-all-writing-is-at-some/) [Kwame Dawes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-dawes/) > [“There is a difference between fiction and nonfiction deeper than technique or intention. I value both but genuinely believe that fiction can tell a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayersthy-allison/there-is-a-difference-between-fiction-and-nonfiction-deeper-than/) [Dorothy L. Sayersthy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayersthy-allison/) > [I don't believe that fiction is dead. I know there are some people who believe that it's an outdated art form, and that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/i-don-t-believe-that-fiction-is-dead-i-know-there-are-some-people-who/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [I believe any fiction writer is inspired by real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-subramanian/i-believe-any-fiction-writer-is-inspired-by-real-life/) [Ravi Subramanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-subramanian/) > [Personally, I believe in fiction because the stories I like are those with a beginning and an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/personally-i-believe-in-fiction-because-the-stories-i-like-are-those/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“what people write reflects what they believe—fiction is where you go to tell or read the truth that people will stare or laugh at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-marshall/what-people-write-reflects-what-they-believe-fiction-is-where-you-go/) [Michael Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-marshall/) > [Adolescents are still children in that they can't yet tell the difference between make believe and fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-neill/adolescents-are-still-children-in-that-they-can-t-yet-tell-the/) [Heather O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-o-neill/) > [“Or so it felt, his touch making her believe in the fiction of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-blakely/or-so-it-felt-his-touch-making-her-believe-in-the-fiction-of-them/) [Lauren Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-blakely/) ## More by Karen Thompson Walker > [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/) > [End-of-the-world stories tend to ring true. I've always been drawn to them, but as I wrote my own, I found surprising pleasure in creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/end-of-the-world-stories-tend-to-ring-true-i-ve-always-been-drawn-to/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“Months later, Michaela's mother would spread a star chart before us and explain to me that the slowing had shifted everyone's astrological signs. Fortunes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/months-later-michaela-s-mother-would-spread-a-star-chart-before-us/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“Doesn't every previous era feel like fiction once it's gone?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/doesn-t-every-previous-era-feel-like-fiction-once-it-s-gone/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“I'd grown up hearing stories about the special hazards that girls faced. I knew where the bodies were found: naked on beaches or cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-d-grown-up-hearing-stories-about-the-special-hazards-that-girls/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“But I guess it never is what you worry over that comes to pass in the end. The real catastrophes are always different -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/but-i-guess-it-never-is-what-you-worry-over-that-comes-to-pass-in-the/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“Of all the strange phenomena that befell us that year, maybe nothing surprised me more than the sound of that small question rolling out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/of-all-the-strange-phenomena-that-befell-us-that-year-maybe-nothing/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [An editor is like a professional reader, and as I became a better reader, I also became a better writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/an-editor-is-like-a-professional-reader-and-as-i-became-a-better/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“I could no longer remember the way my mother's eyes looked before the slowing. Had they always been so red around the edges? Surely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-could-no-longer-remember-the-way-my-mother-s-eyes-looked-before-the/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“She left her keys in the teeth of the lock where they would dangle all day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/she-left-her-keys-in-the-teeth-of-the-lock-where-they-would-dangle/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [I fell in love with Virginia Woolf in college. I especially admire how well she writes about daily life, how she captures so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-fell-in-love-with-virginia-woolf-in-college-i-especially-admire-how/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Our fears are an amazing gift of the imagination ... a way of glimpsing what might be the future when there's still time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/our-fears-are-an-amazing-gift-of-the-imagination-a-way-of-glimpsing/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“I liked the idea, how the past could be preserved, fossilized, in the stars. I wanted to think that somewhere on the other end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-liked-the-idea-how-the-past-could-be-preserved-fossilized-in-the/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [“I should have known by then that it's never the disasters you see coming that finally come to pass; it's the ones you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-should-have-known-by-then-that-it-s-never-the-disasters-you-see/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Feeling earthquakes was part of growing up, and also preparing for them: doing earthquake drills, or having earthquake supplies. The looming feeling was part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/feeling-earthquakes-was-part-of-growing-up-and-also-preparing-for/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) [Explore all 115 Karen Thompson Walker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I really believe that fiction functions best when stories are allowed to develop in an organic way, so I didn't set out to deliver a specific message.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karen Thompson Walker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-really-believe-that-fiction-functions-best-when-stories-are-allowed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-really-believe-that-fiction-functions-best-when-stories-are-allowed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dac/karen-thompson-walker-3430_believe_i-really-believe-that-fiction-functions_1902176.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dac/karen-thompson-walker-3430_believe_i-really-believe-that-fiction-functions_1902176.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dac/karen-thompson-walker-3430_believe_i-really-believe-that-fiction-functions_1902176.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I really believe that fiction functions best when stories are allowed to develop in an organic way, so I…” — Karen Thompson Walker", "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": "Karen Thompson Walker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I really believe that fiction functions...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-really-believe-that-fiction-functions-best-when-stories-are-allowed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-really-believe-that-fiction-functions-best-when-stories-are-allowed/#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 } } ] } ```