--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was clasified as a 'Science Fiction'…" description: "\"I was clasified as a 'Science Fiction' writer simply because I wrote about Schenectady.\" — Kurt Vonnegut" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/kurt-vonnegut-41_fiction_i-was-clasified-as-a-science-fiction-wri_1671940.jpg" --- # I was clasified as a 'Science Fiction' writer simply… ![“I was clasified as a 'Science Fiction' writer simply because I wrote about Schenectady.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/kurt-vonnegut-41_fiction_i-was-clasified-as-a-science-fiction-wri_1671940.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/kurt-vonnegut-41_fiction_i-was-clasified-as-a-science-fiction-wri_1671940.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/kurt-vonnegut-41_fiction_i-was-clasified-as-a-science-fiction-wri_1671940.jpg) > “I was clasified as a 'Science Fiction' writer simply because I wrote about Schenectady.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being labeled a genre writer because of setting choice, not content, shows how superficial classifications can misrepresent an author’s work. **In simple terms:** Labels can mislead about a writer’s true range. Key Takeaway Don’t let genre labels limit your creative identity. Themes identity genre perception creativity Mood reflective critical Type observational analytical When to use this quote - publishing - marketing - writing workshops - literary criticism Key Concepts literary classification authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - How does setting influence perceived genre? - Can you write beyond genre expectations? A Different Perspective Genre labels may ignore thematic depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writer/) [Fiction writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writers/) [Schenectady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schenectady-751948/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Writer Simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-simply-550365/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Wrote Schenectady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-schenectady-868906/) ## Related quotes > [“I became a so-called science fiction writer when someone decreed that I was a science fiction writer. I did not want to be classified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-became-a-so-called-science-fiction-writer-when-someone-decreed-that/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I left the Middle West for Schenectady because the General Electric Company offered me a more congenial, better paying job than did anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-left-the-middle-west-for-schenectady-because-the-general-electric/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I grew up mostly in Schenectady, N.Y. From an early age, building and creating things was a real passion for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-angle/i-grew-up-mostly-in-schenectady-n-y-from-an-early-age-building-and/) [Colin Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-angle/) > [It's always great when you want scientific fact to get a really good science fiction writer to talk to you about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/it-s-always-great-when-you-want-scientific-fact-to-get-a-really-good/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [If you're a fiction writer, though, I can tell you how to let people talk through you. Listen. Just be quiet, and listen. Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/if-you-re-a-fiction-writer-though-i-can-tell-you-how-to-let-people/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [The fiction writer has to engage in a continual examination of conscience. He has to be aware of the freak in himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-fiction-writer-has-to-engage-in-a-continual-examination-of/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [A fiction writer is never entirely alone. Her characters are constantly whispering in her ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cinda-williams-chima/a-fiction-writer-is-never-entirely-alone-her-characters-are/) [Cinda Williams Chima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cinda-williams-chima/) > [What I'm doing is exploring things. This is why I'm a fiction writer rather than an essayist or a politician or whatever. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/what-i-m-doing-is-exploring-things-this-is-why-i-m-a-fiction-writer/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [If I couldn't be a fiction writer, I would be a roller coaster designer for theme parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wells/if-i-couldn-t-be-a-fiction-writer-i-would-be-a-roller-coaster/) [Mike Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wells/) > [The challenge for any fiction writer is that your job involves simply sitting at a desk for a very, very long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/the-challenge-for-any-fiction-writer-is-that-your-job-involves-simply/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) > [As a fiction writer, one of things you learn is God lives in specificity. You know, human kindness is increased as we pursue specificity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/as-a-fiction-writer-one-of-things-you-learn-is-god-lives-in/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [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/) > [I don't think the function of writing, at least for me as a fiction writer, is to say to people, "Here's the answer." It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-don-t-think-the-function-of-writing-at-least-for-me-as-a-fiction/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [The fiction writer has a lot of balls to juggle. Setting, pacing, dialogue, and so on. And let's not forget: plot. That was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-marvin/the-fiction-writer-has-a-lot-of-balls-to-juggle-setting-pacing/) [Cate Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-marvin/) > [The beginning of human knowledge is through the senses, and the fiction writer begins where the human perception begins. He appeals through the senses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-beginning-of-human-knowledge-is-through-the-senses-and-the/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) [Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) [Coheed and Cambria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coheed-and-cambria/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was clasified as a 'Science Fiction' writer simply because I wrote about Schenectady.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-clasified-as-a-science-fiction-writer-simply-because-i-wrote/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-clasified-as-a-science-fiction-writer-simply-because-i-wrote/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/kurt-vonnegut-41_fiction_i-was-clasified-as-a-science-fiction-wri_1671940.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/kurt-vonnegut-41_fiction_i-was-clasified-as-a-science-fiction-wri_1671940.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/kurt-vonnegut-41_fiction_i-was-clasified-as-a-science-fiction-wri_1671940.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was clasified as a 'Science Fiction' writer simply because I wrote about Schenectady.” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was clasified as a 'Science...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-clasified-as-a-science-fiction-writer-simply-because-i-wrote/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-clasified-as-a-science-fiction-writer-simply-because-i-wrote/#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 } } ] } ```