--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I came to nonfiction through journalism…" description: "\"I came to nonfiction through journalism. My first book was journalism, and it was so frustrating to me, while I was writing it, that I wasn't capturing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/lucas-mann-50072_authenticity_i-came-to-nonfiction-through-journalism_2640442.jpg" --- # I came to nonfiction through journalism. My first book was… ![“I came to nonfiction through journalism. My first book was journalism, and it was so frustrating to me, while I was writing it, that I wasn't capturing the moments the way they were when I lived them; I was filtering and re-filtering. I had to come to terms with the fact that I couldn't and…” quote by Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/lucas-mann-50072_authenticity_i-came-to-nonfiction-through-journalism_2640442.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/lucas-mann-50072_authenticity_i-came-to-nonfiction-through-journalism_2640442.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c7/lucas-mann-50072_authenticity_i-came-to-nonfiction-through-journalism_2640442.jpg) > “I came to nonfiction through journalism. My first book was journalism, and it was so frustrating to me, while I was writing it, that I wasn't capturing the moments the way they were when I lived them; I was filtering and re-filtering. I had to come to terms with the fact that I couldn't and shouldn't claim authenticity. Then, when the book was published and I gave readings, I'd hear myself read and it was like I was eavesdropping on a dream - even with myself as the narrator. I knew that guy but couldn't exactly recognize him.” [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author describes the struggle to capture authentic experience in nonfiction, realizing that narrative distance creates a dream‑like detachment from reality. **In simple terms:** Authenticity is hard to achieve in nonfiction writing. Key Takeaway Accept limits of narrative truth. Themes authenticity memory writing process self‑reflection Mood reflective introspective Type literary essay personal testimony When to use this quote - journalistic reporting - memoir writing - literary workshops - self‑editing Key Concepts narrative theory subjectivity creative nonfiction Questions to Reflect On - How can writers balance truth with narrative voice? - What role does memory play in shaping stories? A Different Perspective The focus on personal perception may neglect factual verification. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authenticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-journalism-2265536/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Came Nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came-nonfiction-2265537/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Eavesdropping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eavesdropping/) [Frustrating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustrating/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonfiction/) [Nonfiction Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonfiction-journalism-2265535/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“That was something else I owed Teddy White. I and others of my generation, who went from newspaper and magazine reporting to writing books,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/that-was-something-else-i-owed-teddy-white-i-and-others-of-my/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [That idea of not being exactly who you write as is so crucial. Even looking at those words as I type them, it feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/that-idea-of-not-being-exactly-who-you-write-as-is-so-crucial-even/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [“The orchestral music is glorious but I wish they'd stop playing for a minute: it's very hard to eavesdrop properly over a grand piano…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-smale/the-orchestral-music-is-glorious-but-i-wish-they-d-stop-playing-for-a/) [Holly Smale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-smale/) > [“He spoke to old friends in other departments, and listened to the "porcelain gossip" in the senior-officer toilets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-matthews/he-spoke-to-old-friends-in-other-departments-and-listened-to-the/) [Jason Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-matthews/) > [“A place has a curious quality when you have only a partial understanding of its language, and in those early months the sensation was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/a-place-has-a-curious-quality-when-you-have-only-a-partial/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“Why did people do it? Why this herd curiosity about a street, a house, windows, doors? He was a public servant, the Inspector mused,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellery-queen/why-did-people-do-it-why-this-herd-curiosity-about-a-street-a-house/) [Ellery Queen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellery-queen/) > [“I especially like eavesdropping on women my age. Besides being titillating, it also helps me gauge where I'm at in comparison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/i-especially-like-eavesdropping-on-women-my-age-besides-being/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [As a child I loved to be in the kitchen with my mum and aunties, eavesdropping on the adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-galetti/as-a-child-i-loved-to-be-in-the-kitchen-with-my-mum-and-aunties/) [Monica Galetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-galetti/) > [“Americans may say they love our accents (I have been accused of sounding 'like Princess Di') but the more thoughtful ones resent and rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/americans-may-say-they-love-our-accents-i-have-been-accused-of/) [Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/) > [Spying on people by magic is the same as spying on them in any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/spying-on-people-by-magic-is-the-same-as-spying-on-them-in-any-other/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Writing fiction is a solitary occupation but not really a lonely one. The writer's head is mobbed with characters, images and language, making the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilma-wolitzer/writing-fiction-is-a-solitary-occupation-but-not-really-a-lonely-one/) [Hilma Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilma-wolitzer/) > [Everyone in the world is impacted by the United States' Big Brother attitude toward the world. We need countries to say no to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/everyone-in-the-world-is-impacted-by-the-united-states-big-brother/) [Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/) > [We're no longer in the Cold War. Eavesdropping on friends is unacceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/we-re-no-longer-in-the-cold-war-eavesdropping-on-friends-is/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [ \[Peter Pan\] has never broken his terrible habit of eavesdropping. So, maybe that wasn't the rustle of pages you heard while this story lasted,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mccaughrean/peter-pan-has-never-broken-his-terrible-habit-of-eavesdropping-so/) [Geraldine McCaughrean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mccaughrean/) > [“Wait, were you eavesdropping on my conversation with the duke? That's very rude." "Is it? Half of the plays in the world contain eavesdropping.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/wait-were-you-eavesdropping-on-my-conversation-with-the-duke-that-s/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) ## More by Lucas Mann > [That idea of not being exactly who you write as is so crucial. Even looking at those words as I type them, it feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/that-idea-of-not-being-exactly-who-you-write-as-is-so-crucial-even/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [There is something more important than the place being left. It's that swell of crushing emptiness that makes the insignificant seem anything but.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/there-is-something-more-important-than-the-place-being-left-it-s-that/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [Lately I've been thinking about the idea that all novels are, at least in some way, about the process of writing a novel -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/lately-i-ve-been-thinking-about-the-idea-that-all-novels-are-at-least/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [After writing anything, there's always that postpartum feeling of, "What do I do now?" - I think particularly for nonfiction writers. I feel myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/after-writing-anything-there-s-always-that-postpartum-feeling-of-what/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [For better or worse, I seem to gravitate toward writing about something or someone else, then have my own self shove its way into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/for-better-or-worse-i-seem-to-gravitate-toward-writing-about/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [Walter Benjamin talks about art losing its original "aura" in an age of mechanical reproduction. In writing memoir, we're taking something that happened in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/walter-benjamin-talks-about-art-losing-its-original-aura-in-an-age-of/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) [Explore all 7 Lucas Mann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) ## More Authenticity quotes > [“the property that grounded the self in Romanticism was sincerity, and in modernism was authenticity, then in postmod ernism it is visibility.10”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-property-that-grounded-the-self-in-romanticism-was-sincerity-and/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Real artists offer authenticity, not just money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhymefest/real-artists-offer-authenticity-not-just-money/) [Rhymefest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhymefest/) > [“I figure the more people think I'm just mildly weird, the less likely they are to know how weird I really am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-hooyenga/i-figure-the-more-people-think-i-m-just-mildly-weird-the-less-likely/) [Melanie Hooyenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-hooyenga/) > [I think people can read authenticity and they know when you're involved and when you're just slapping your name on something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-la-anthony/i-think-people-can-read-authenticity-and-they-know-when-you-re/) [La La Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-la-anthony/) > [“I strive for authenticity even though it brings with it vulnerability and the inevitable judgment of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-r-w-lee/i-strive-for-authenticity-even-though-it-brings-with-it-vulnerability/) [L.R.W. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-r-w-lee/) > [Children go where they find sincerity and authenticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/children-go-where-they-find-sincerity-and-authenticity/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Anything that I ever do is from the heart and authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-carlisle/anything-that-i-ever-do-is-from-the-heart-and-authentic/) [Belinda Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-carlisle/) > [What I love about Nivea is they're all about authenticity. The brand isn't pretending to be anything it isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/what-i-love-about-nivea-is-they-re-all-about-authenticity-the-brand/) [Tessa Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-virtue/) > [There is nothing which so certifies the genuineness of a man's faith as his patience and his patient endurance, his keeping on steadily in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-which-so-certifies-the-genuineness-of-a-man-s-faith/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're really famous, there's very little authenticity in people, so you prefer the company of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/when-you-re-really-famous-there-s-very-little-authenticity-in-people/) [Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/) > [“We could not be fulfilled if we weren't inauthentic some of the time—inauthentic, that is, in relation to such things as our passing desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-could-not-be-fulfilled-if-we-weren-t-inauthentic-some-of-the-time/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [No man knows the genuineness of his convictions until he has sacrificed something for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/no-man-knows-the-genuineness-of-his-convictions-until-he-has/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) [Browse all 1,437 Authenticity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I came to nonfiction through journalism. 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