--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think when I write movies and plays and…" description: "\"I think when I write movies and plays and books and magazine articles, they're all storytelling, and reality is the common denominator that binds them...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/lawrence-wright-5166_book_i-think-when-i-write-movies-and-plays-an_3068799.png" --- # I think when I write movies and plays and books and… ![“I think when I write movies and plays and books and magazine articles, they're all storytelling, and reality is the common denominator that binds them.” quote by Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/lawrence-wright-5166_book_i-think-when-i-write-movies-and-plays-an_3068799.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/lawrence-wright-5166_book_i-think-when-i-write-movies-and-plays-an_3068799.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/lawrence-wright-5166_book_i-think-when-i-write-movies-and-plays-an_3068799.png) > “I think when I write movies and plays and books and magazine articles, they're all storytelling, and reality is the common denominator that binds them.” [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Asserts that all creative works are storytelling rooted in reality. **In simple terms:** Stories across media share reality as a base. Key Takeaway Ground creativity in real experience. Themes storytelling creativity reality Mood analytical curious Type academic inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - film production - journalism Key Concepts media studies literary theory Questions to Reflect On - How does reality shape your narrative? - Can fiction detach from reality? A Different Perspective May limit imaginative freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Common denominator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-denominator/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Once we accept the common denominator of our own imperfection, once we begin to put into practice the belief that imperfection is the reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-kurtz/once-we-accept-the-common-denominator-of-our-own-imperfection-once-we/) [Ernest Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-kurtz/) > [There are periods of history when the visions of madmen and dope fiends are a better guide to reality than the common-sense interpretation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/there-are-periods-of-history-when-the-visions-of-madmen-and-dope/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [...reality, the name we give to the common experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/reality-the-name-we-give-to-the-common-experience/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [But in order to speak about all and to all, one has to speak of what all know and of the reality common to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/but-in-order-to-speak-about-all-and-to-all-one-has-to-speak-of-what/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [In order to speak about all and to all, one has to speak of what all know and of the reality common to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/in-order-to-speak-about-all-and-to-all-one-has-to-speak-of-what-all/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Every mind has another vision of reality. There is not a common reality. Every person thinks he is like the others, but every person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/every-mind-has-another-vision-of-reality-there-is-not-a-common/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [I've always wanted to write movies - I always used to tell my mom that I wanted to be a director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/i-ve-always-wanted-to-write-movies-i-always-used-to-tell-my-mom-that/) [R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/) > [You give me that kind of feeling people write movies about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-give-me-that-kind-of-feeling-people-write-movies-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I just want to write movies. And I try very hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/i-just-want-to-write-movies-and-i-try-very-hard/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [Unless you write your own movies... you can't really say what you want to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-coolidge/unless-you-write-your-own-movies-you-can-t-really-say-what-you-want/) [Jennifer Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-coolidge/) > [If you want to write for T.V. and movies, you will be subjected to kind and unkind criticism. You had better get used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-beatts/if-you-want-to-write-for-t-v-and-movies-you-will-be-subjected-to-kind/) [Anne Beatts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-beatts/) > [I write movies about mavericks, about people who break rules, and I don't like movies about people who are pulverised for being mavericks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-write-movies-about-mavericks-about-people-who-break-rules-and-i-don/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [“If you write movies, you never know who the enemy is. Someone is going to fuck you, that’s a given.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/if-you-write-movies-you-never-know-who-the-enemy-is-someone-is-going/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [I always had a gift with writing. I can really write. I always felt like I can write movies or somehow get into that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-east/i-always-had-a-gift-with-writing-i-can-really-write-i-always-felt/) [Dave East](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-east/) > [Creatively, it's great, because when you write your own movies, you get to create whatever you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-heslov/creatively-it-s-great-because-when-you-write-your-own-movies-you-get/) [Grant Heslov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-heslov/) ## More by Lawrence Wright > [Every medium has its advantages and weaknesses and there are many things I can put down on paper that I might not be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/every-medium-has-its-advantages-and-weaknesses-and-there-are-many/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Contempt for men pervades the most obscure strata of our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/contempt-for-men-pervades-the-most-obscure-strata-of-our-society/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Look at what Jimmy Carter did. Look at the risks he took for a country that wasn't his. Israel has benefited unbelievably from that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/look-at-what-jimmy-carter-did-look-at-the-risks-he-took-for-a-country/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Hubbard set up the Church of Scientology in Hollywood in 1954 for a reason. He understood that celebrity was increasingly a feature of American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/hubbard-set-up-the-church-of-scientology-in-hollywood-in-1954-for-a/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Religions prosper in large part because of the communities that they create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/religions-prosper-in-large-part-because-of-the-communities-that-they/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [If you have great characters, then your reader becomes emotionally invested in those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/if-you-have-great-characters-then-your-reader-becomes-emotionally/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [“However, twelve former Sea Org members told me that Miscavige had assaulted them; twenty-one have told me or testified in court that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/however-twelve-former-sea-org-members-told-me-that-miscavige-had/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [I don't want to constantly be writing about terrorism and strife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-don-t-want-to-constantly-be-writing-about-terrorism-and-strife/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [The Israelis and the Palestinians don't know each other. They live right there, but they've become strangers. And it makes it much more difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/the-israelis-and-the-palestinians-don-t-know-each-other-they-live/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [“Miscavige keeps a number of dogs, including five beagles. He had blue vests made up for each of them, with four stripes on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/miscavige-keeps-a-number-of-dogs-including-five-beagles-he-had-blue/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Every form has its merits. And I like to work in a lot of different forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/every-form-has-its-merits-and-i-like-to-work-in-a-lot-of-different/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [To me the notion that Palestinians are actually Jews is, I think, quite revelatory and very radical and a possible bridge that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/to-me-the-notion-that-palestinians-are-actually-jews-is-i-think-quite/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Science fiction invites the writer to grandly explore alternative worlds and pose questions about meaning and destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/science-fiction-invites-the-writer-to-grandly-explore-alternative/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [“Undersheriff McClanahan was so worried about the mental health of his investigative team that he assembled a team of psychologists to debrief them. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/undersheriff-mcclanahan-was-so-worried-about-the-mental-health-of-his/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [I was in Austin on 9/11, and there were no flights, so I couldn't get to New York to cover the story, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-no-flights-so-i-couldn-t-get/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) [Explore all 103 Lawrence Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) ## More Book 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think when I write movies and plays and books and magazine articles, they're all storytelling, and reality is the common denominator that binds them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lawrence Wright" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-think-when-i-write-movies-and-plays-and-books-and-magazine-articles/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-think-when-i-write-movies-and-plays-and-books-and-magazine-articles/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/lawrence-wright-5166_book_i-think-when-i-write-movies-and-plays-an_3068799.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/lawrence-wright-5166_book_i-think-when-i-write-movies-and-plays-an_3068799.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/827/lawrence-wright-5166_book_i-think-when-i-write-movies-and-plays-an_3068799.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think when I write movies and plays and books and magazine articles, they're all storytelling, and reality…” — Lawrence Wright", "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": "Lawrence Wright", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think when I write movies...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-think-when-i-write-movies-and-plays-and-books-and-magazine-articles/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-think-when-i-write-movies-and-plays-and-books-and-magazine-articles/#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 } } ] } ```