--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think there's a fine line between being…" description: "\"I think there's a fine line between being so obtuse that you lose the reader completely, which is the intention for some writers, though it isn't mine...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/laurie-foos-23447_books_i-think-there-s-a-fine-line-between-bein_2491958.jpg" --- # I think there's a fine line between being so obtuse that… ![“I think there's a fine line between being so obtuse that you lose the reader completely, which is the intention for some writers, though it isn't mine. I work hard at grounding the world as much as possible in the world we do recognize.” quote by Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/laurie-foos-23447_books_i-think-there-s-a-fine-line-between-bein_2491958.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/laurie-foos-23447_books_i-think-there-s-a-fine-line-between-bein_2491958.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/laurie-foos-23447_books_i-think-there-s-a-fine-line-between-bein_2491958.jpg) > “I think there's a fine line between being so obtuse that you lose the reader completely, which is the intention for some writers, though it isn't mine. I work hard at grounding the world as much as possible in the world we do recognize.” [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing clarity and mystery is crucial; some writers aim for opacity, but the author prefers grounding in familiar reality. **In simple terms:** Writers must choose clarity over deliberate obscurity. Key Takeaway Prioritize relatable detail. Themes writing clarity reader engagement Mood thoughtful reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - teaching workshops Key Concepts narrative technique authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide when to obscure versus clarify? - What techniques help ground fantastical worlds? A Different Perspective Overly clear prose can limit artistic mystery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fine line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-line/) [Fine lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-lines/) [Grounding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grounding/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Intention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intention/) [Obtuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obtuse/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Work hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-hard/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Unfortunately, my system for tracking down funny female writers isn't methodical. It's mainly based on word-of-mouth, which can cast a limited net.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/unfortunately-my-system-for-tracking-down-funny-female-writers-isn-t/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [You can lose a reader in a blink of an eye. If a person is an engineer or chemist or an anthropologist or whatever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/you-can-lose-a-reader-in-a-blink-of-an-eye-if-a-person-is-an-engineer/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [You'll lose your reader if you are vague, not clear, and not present. We love details, personal connections, stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/you-ll-lose-your-reader-if-you-are-vague-not-clear-and-not-present-we/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Every reader of your ad is interested, else he would not be a reader. You are dealing with someone willing to listen. Then do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-c-hopkins/every-reader-of-your-ad-is-interested-else-he-would-not-be-a-reader/) [Claude C. Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-c-hopkins/) > [“You can kill the spell of identification just as easily as you can create it—if you lose the readers' sympathy for the character. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-n-frey/you-can-kill-the-spell-of-identification-just-as-easily-as-you-can/) [James N. Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-n-frey/) > [“You only need two or three details to set the scene. More than that and you can lose the reader's interest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-levy/you-only-need-two-or-three-details-to-set-the-scene-more-than-that/) [Marc Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-levy/) > [“It was so hard being a mastermind when everyone around you was so obtuse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecilia-gray/it-was-so-hard-being-a-mastermind-when-everyone-around-you-was-so/) [Cecilia Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecilia-gray/) > [I think when kids just see well-crafted poetry, it's just obtuse to them. It's hard to relate to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-when-kids-just-see-well-crafted-poetry-it-s-just-obtuse-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you can do something that doesn't rely on a major melody but still sounds immediate rather than being obtuse and devoid of anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-taylor/if-you-can-do-something-that-doesn-t-rely-on-a-major-melody-but-still/) [Alexis Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-taylor/) > [What I often do is just think of a completely obtuse thing to do, almost the wrong thing to do. That often works because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dyson/what-i-often-do-is-just-think-of-a-completely-obtuse-thing-to-do/) [James Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dyson/) > [“Then he just blurted it out, with no preparation. 'The truth of it is that whether your mother arranged our marriage, or whether it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloisa-james/then-he-just-blurted-it-out-with-no-preparation-the-truth-of-it-is/) [Eloisa James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloisa-james/) > [“What are you reading?" Polonius asked. "Words, words, words," said Hamlet. "And what's the subject?" "Lesser than the king, but still not nothing." It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/what-are-you-reading-polonius-asked-words-words-words-said-hamlet-and/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I am not being obtuse. You are being paranoid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/i-am-not-being-obtuse-you-are-being-paranoid/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“Society at large is staggeringly obtuse. If one simply looks to others for their opinions, they lose the ability to think critically for themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerri-maniscalco/society-at-large-is-staggeringly-obtuse-if-one-simply-looks-to-others/) [Kerri Maniscalco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerri-maniscalco/) > [“Politic, cautious, and meticulous; full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/politic-cautious-and-meticulous-full-of-high-sentence-but-a-bit-obtuse/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) ## More by Laurie Foos > [My mom was a big Elvis fan and a general pop culture buff, and so I grew up in a house filled with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/my-mom-was-a-big-elvis-fan-and-a-general-pop-culture-buff-and-so-i/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [To me, feminism in literature deals with the female characters being in some way central to the thematic concerns of the book, or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/to-me-feminism-in-literature-deals-with-the-female-characters-being/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [As I get older, I'm finding that I recognize certain celebrities only because they frequently grace the pages of US Weekly, but beyond that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/as-i-get-older-i-m-finding-that-i-recognize-certain-celebrities-only/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [I'd say that most of life seems to me to be that way, a mixture of the mundane and the mythic, when you're living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-d-say-that-most-of-life-seems-to-me-to-be-that-way-a-mixture-of-the/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [You're thinking about the continuum of life as you load the washing machine or scoop out the litter box.blue-girl-larger Or maybe that's just me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/you-re-thinking-about-the-continuum-of-life-as-you-load-the-washing/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [I'm not conscious of my own themes as I write first drafts, no, and in fact, I work hard to stay in that unconscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-m-not-conscious-of-my-own-themes-as-i-write-first-drafts-no-and-in/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [I think that absurdity in literature looks into a lack of meaning in some important and fundamental way. It allows us to ask questions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-think-that-absurdity-in-literature-looks-into-a-lack-of-meaning-in/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [I've always gone with Kafka's model of establishing the world from the first line, as in Kafka's famous line from Metamorphosis, "Gregor Samsa woke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-ve-always-gone-with-kafka-s-model-of-establishing-the-world-from/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [I'm a pop culture junkie. I'm a People magazine reader, an US Weekly subscriber; all of those celebrity magazines get my dollar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-m-a-pop-culture-junkie-i-m-a-people-magazine-reader-an-us-weekly/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [I've realized that with each novel I seem to set out a kind of puzzle for myself. And I am never sure in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-ve-realized-that-with-each-novel-i-seem-to-set-out-a-kind-of-puzzle/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [I feel that if I establish the world or the premise from the first line, then I can get the reader to come with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-feel-that-if-i-establish-the-world-or-the-premise-from-the-first/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [Having a magical element in a realistic setting without explanation seems to me to be the hallmark of fairy tales, which present us with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/having-a-magical-element-in-a-realistic-setting-without-explanation/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [I think it's still difficult to write about motherhood and anxiety, that talking about not wanting to be a mother or feeling ambivalent about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-think-it-s-still-difficult-to-write-about-motherhood-and-anxiety/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [I don't see the direct correlation between my personal life and the novel I'm writing until I'm at the end of the novel or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-don-t-see-the-direct-correlation-between-my-personal-life-and-the/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) > [I tend to start with a fantastical premise, and then I place it in the world we know. Or, really, it places itself. Honestly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-tend-to-start-with-a-fantastical-premise-and-then-i-place-it-in-the/) [Laurie Foos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) [Explore all 26 Laurie Foos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [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/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think there's a fine line between being so obtuse that you lose the reader completely, which is the intention for some writers, though it isn't mine. I work hard at grounding the world as much as possible in the world we do recognize.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laurie Foos" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-think-there-s-a-fine-line-between-being-so-obtuse-that-you-lose-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-think-there-s-a-fine-line-between-being-so-obtuse-that-you-lose-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/laurie-foos-23447_books_i-think-there-s-a-fine-line-between-bein_2491958.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/laurie-foos-23447_books_i-think-there-s-a-fine-line-between-bein_2491958.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebf/laurie-foos-23447_books_i-think-there-s-a-fine-line-between-bein_2491958.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think there's a fine line between being so obtuse that you lose the reader completely, which is the…” — Laurie Foos", "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": "Laurie Foos", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-foos/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think there's a fine line...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-think-there-s-a-fine-line-between-being-so-obtuse-that-you-lose-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-foos/i-think-there-s-a-fine-line-between-being-so-obtuse-that-you-lose-the/#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 } } ] } ```